Qatar Calls for Evacuation of Middle East of Mass Destruction Weapons
Geneva / Information Office / May 02
The State of Qatar called for the evacuation of the Middle East region from weapons of mass destruction, stressing that the existence of one nuclear-armed state in the Middle East makes regional stability almost impossible and leads to a nuclear arms race that seriously affects global security and stability.
The State of Qatar expressed hope that the results of the historic summit held recently between the leaders of South Korea and North Korea will open the door for communication between the peoples of the two countries and achieve lasting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and the world.
HE Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al-Thani, ambassador of the State of Qatar to Austria and permanent representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations and international organizations in Vienna, said in a statement before the Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in Geneva that the peoples of the Middle East need diplomatic initiatives and similar courageous resolutions that restore hope for peaceful solutions to the intractable problems in the region, first and foremost the dangers of the nuclear arms race by embarking on practical steps to establish a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East.
HE the ambassador added that the State of Qatar recognized the importance of the region's nuclear-weapon-free zones in promoting international norms of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, supporting international efforts to achieve peace and security, encouraging the establishment of such zones and providing them with the necessary security guarantees.
He stressed that the danger of the spread of nuclear weapons in the Middle East is one of the main factors that plague the peoples of the region due to the continuing unrest in the region, the continuing phenomenon of terrorism and the dangers posed by the possibility of weapons of mass destruction falling into the hands of terrorist groups, which necessitates everyone to intensify international cooperation to spare the region and the world the dangers for which the NPT was created.
HE Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al-Thani said that the non-nuclear states, including the countries of the region, have fulfilled their obligations to the NPT and subjected their nuclear facilities and programs to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards, but Israel remains the only country in the Middle East that has not acceded to the NPT, which requires the international community to pressure it to join the treaty and end the blackout and ambiguity in its nuclear program and subject all its nuclear facilities to the comprehensive IAEA safeguards, similar to the programs of the countries of the region such as the Arab Gulf states, Iraq, Syria, Libya and Iran.
HE the ambassador pointed to the efforts of the State of Qatar to implement its international obligations under the provisions of the NPT as the cornerstone of the non-proliferation system and the achievement of complete and comprehensive nuclear disarmament.
He pointed out to the State of Qatar's call to the states parties to the treaty, in particular the five nuclear powers, to take steps during the Review Conference of the NPT in 2020 for the faithful implementation of the provisions of the treaty, in particular the implementation of the Middle East resolution of the 1995 Conference and the Review Conferences 2000 and 2010, considering that the denuclearization of the Middle East is one of the bases for the strengthening of international peace and security.
He further added that the most important topics facing the Review Conference 2020 is the convening of the postponed 2012 Conference and the establishment of the region under the auspices, care and responsibility of the U.N. secretary general and representatives of countries sponsoring the resolution of the 1995 Conference and remove all obstacles with the cooperation of the states of the region.
HE Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al-Thani considered that the continued existence of nuclear weapons without a clear horizon for their elimination and the continuous nature of the discriminatory implementation of the decisions of international non-proliferation organizations undermined the credibility and effectiveness of non-proliferation.
HE the ambassador stressed that the states that are bound by the NPT have a great responsibility and are concerned with taking genuine steps towards nuclear disarmament. Otherwise, he said, the peoples who aspire to peace will not trust the treaty, adding that this requires the nuclear powers to accelerate their denuclearization and to establish a mechanism for implementation under Article VI of the treaty, and to establish guarantees from those states not to use or threaten to use such weapons, as that would threaten the international peace and security system.
He called for practical steps to be taken as a basis for the implementation of the content of the nuclear non-proliferation system in the world. He stressed that this will be achieved only by the fulfillment by all states parties, including the nuclear powers, of their obligations to maintain the universality of the treaty and achieve the highest attainable rates of nuclear disarmament.
HE the ambassador concluded that the frustration of the peoples of the Middle East has reached an unprecedented level due to the repeated failure to implement the commitments to establish a zone free from weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, noting that the region and the world are facing a defining moment in the history and there is hope that everyone is at the level of responsibility.