New York/Information Office/ 01 May 2015/ The State of Qatar has stressed the importance of transparency in the development of peaceful nuclear programs and that the process be carried out based on logical needs and commitment to the highest safety standards and security. HE Dr. Ahmed Hassan Al Hamadi, the Foreign Ministry's head of legal affairs department, made the remarks as he read out Qatar's statement before the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Stemming from commitment to its responsibility of playing its role in maintaining international safety and security, HE Al Hamadi said, Qatar has joined NPT according to Decree No. 38 of 1989. Implementing Article 3 of the agreement, Doha has signed the safeguards agreement and the Small Quantities Protocol (SQP) with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2009. Additionally, Decree No. 54 of 1999 ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). He added that Qatar has joined the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material according to the accession document issued on July 30, 2003. Qatar ratified the amendment of the agreement on Sept. 8, 2014 and has employed its legislations and executive arms to fulfill its obligations towards the treaties it is a party to, which are related to combating terrorism, preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and their means of delivery. Qatar recognizes the importance and the role of nuclear-weapons-free zones in preserving international peace and security and welcomes the spread of such zones, which resulted in a southern hemisphere free of nuclear weapons along, an area where around 40 percent of the world population lives, Dr. Al Hamadi added in his address.