UN Ambassador Ron Prosor said on Monday that Israel will not attend a United Nations conference on nuclear weapons in the Middle East, saying it is "absolutely not relevant."

In May 2010, the 189 signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty called for the conference, which is expected to take place in Finland later this year.

Prosor told reporters Friday that without a "comprehensive peace in the region ... we feel that this is something that is absolutely not relevant."

"The UN has become a hotbed incitement and is perpetuating myths," Prosor told the Security Council during a discussion of Middle East events. "These myths about the Middle East find fertile ground in which to grow here. The facts remain buried in the ground while lies fly around."

"The Israeli-Palestinian issue is not the central conflict in the Middle East, and solving it will not fix the problems in Syria, Egypt, and other countries in the region," Prosor said.

"The obstacle to peace is not the settlements, but the Palestinians´ refusal to recognize the existence of Israel as a Jewish state," Prosor said. He added, "Nor is there a humanitarian crisis in Gaza."

"Peace will not be achieved through unilateral actions at the United Nations, but only through direct negotiations between the parties," he said.

Prosor charged that the United Nations had proven ineffectual in dealing with Iran´s nuclear program, which Israel, Washington, its Western allies, and the Gulf Arab nations say is aimed at developing nuclear weapons technology.

"Iran´s nuclear program continues apace at the speed of an express train, while the international community’s efforts to stop it are creeping along like a shuttle bus," Prosor said.

"We must not allow Iran to take advantage of the current diplomatic track to waste valuable time," Prosor said. "The hourglass of diplomacy with the Iranians is running out of sand."

Prosor concluded that, despite the many dangers threatening Israel´s existence in the region, saying "We will never lose our hope of a sustainable peace." (IsraelNationalNews © 2012 04/23/12)