Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear, Other Mass-Destruction Weapons More Urgent with Conflicts Nearing Boiling Point, Secretary-General Tells Conference
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said the goal of a zone free of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East is “becoming more urgent by the day,” with “regional conflicts raging and tensions reaching a boiling point”.
Speaking today at the opening of the fifth session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction, he said that a zone free from those weapons in the region would be an important step towards global disarmament as, for over a year, “Gaza has experienced a non-stop nightmare that threatens to engulf the entire region”.
Addressing the Conference, General Assembly President Philemon Yang said such efforts for nuclear-weapon-free zones are “especially urgent now in the Middle East, a region burdened by a cycle of recurring conflicts and unabated tension”. He added that establishing such a zone could be a vital foundation for the region’s long-term security.
Reminding the Conference that five nuclear-weapon-free zones have been established, he said that they are a critical part of the shared commitment to peace, security and the protection of future generations from the catastrophic threat of nuclear war. He urged the participating States to be bold in their deliberations towards the creation of a Middle East zone, without further delay. He called on States with influence in the region and the international community at large to fully support and encourage a forward-looking outcome of the Conference’s deliberations.
Also speaking was the representative of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), who said the Chemical Weapons Convention remains directly relevant to establishing such a zone in the Middle East. Preventing the emergence of chemical weapons is a multi-stakeholder effort and the OPCW Secretariat is ready to continue cooperating with all partners in the region.
He added that, for more than 10 years, the OPCW has been unable to verify that the declarations submitted by Syria are accurate and complete. Of the 26 issues identified by the Secretariat, only seven have been resolved, while 19 remain outstanding, some of which are of serious concern. There has been documented use of chemical weapons in Syria, including by ISIL (Da’esh), he said, highlighting the ever-present risk posed by non-State actors. The OPCW cooperates with regional and international organizations in tackling their use of or threat to use chemical weapons.
In a similar vein, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) representative said its Director General, Rafael Mariano Grossi, has continued to consult and work with the States of the Middle East to find the common ground required to develop model agreements, as a necessary step towards the establishment of a Middle East zone. The Director General has called on all countries, which are not yet party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), to adhere to it. The Agency, she said, plays an essential role in verifying States’ compliance with their non-proliferation and safeguards obligations to use nuclear energy solely for peaceful purposes, while the existing nuclear-weapon-free zone treaties require the parties to accept comprehensive IAEA safeguards.
On biological weapons, Fiona Simpson of the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs, speaking on behalf of the Implementation Support Unit of the Biological Weapons Convention, noted the increased accession to the Treaty, with 18 members of the Conference party to it. Yet, she said, the Convention awaits universalization. All States are potentially at risk from biological weapons use and all can benefit from acceding to the Convention. Its wider adherence is a step they can take to reduce the threat of bioterrorism, by developing a strong national infrastructure against it.
Taking up the issue of current tensions in the region, on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the delegate for Qatar condemned the dangerous rhetoric from Israeli Government officials, related to the threat of use of nuclear weapons against Gaza. It is of paramount importance for all countries in the region to accede to relevant conventions related to nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. Israel must accede to the NPT as a non-nuclear-weapon State, and, as a nuclear-weapon State, it must submit its facilities to IAEA safeguards. Israel is the only country in the region that has not acceded to the three weapons of mass destruction treaties.
Along those lines, the representative of the League of Arab States urged that pressure be put on Israel as the only State in the region that has not joined the NPT. It must join the Conference and accede to the relevant treaties, as well as submit all of its nuclear facilities to the IAEA. Recalling the irresponsible statements by the Israeli Government, threatening to use nuclear weapons against the Palestinian people in Gaza, she said this is an implicit acknowledgement of its possession of those weapons and the reason the international community must act seriously to reinforce the stability of the entire region. Instead, it is procrastinating on the issue of creating a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East.
Opening the Conference’s fifth session, the President of the fourth session, Taher El-Sonni (Libya), noted that the previous session had achieved good progress, both procedurally and substantively. The meetings of the working committee, focusing on the topics of peaceful uses and technical cooperation, and nuclear verification, provided the Conference with an opportunity to examine these two important issues in depth.
Incoming President for the current session, Sidi Mohamed Laghdaf (Mauritania), said that all positive results achieved so far were only made possible by the collective political responsibility and the spirit of dialogue demonstrated by all participants. He said the call by the Israeli aggressors for the use of nuclear weapons against the people of Gaza only makes the Conference more important.
At the end of the meeting, the right of reply was exercised by representatives of Syria and Iran.
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