Senior officials meet to discuss Conference on the establishment of a Middle East Zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction

October 11th, 2012
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon meets with Jaakko Laajava
Secretary-General BAN Ki-moon meets with Ambassador Jaako Laajava, facilitator for the 2012 Conference on the Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction= 

11 October 2012 — The facilitator of the Conference on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction, Jaako Laajava, Under-Secretary of State of Finland, met yesterday with the Secretary-General to brief him on the preparations and prospects for convening the Conference, which Finland is ready to host in Helsinki in mid-December.

The Secretary-General reaffirmed his strong support for Mr. Laajava and welcomed his intensive efforts, including his participation at a meeting in Cairo on 7 October with senior representatives from the Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States, United Nations and the League of Arab States Senior Officials Committee.

The Secretary-General also reaffirmed his strong commitment to convene the Conference. He underlined the importance of the Conference, which is a unique opportunity for all States of the region to collectively enhance their security. He urged all States of the region to participate in and contribute to a successful Conference.

The Secretary-General welcomed the commitment of the League of Arab States to continue to approach the Conference in a serious and constructive manner, and their hope that this enables other States in the region to engage in a similar spirit.

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Senior representatives of Finland, the Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States and United Nations outside the entrance to the League of Arab States Building
Senior representatives of Finland, the Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States and United Nations outside the entrance to the League of Arab States Building
Representatives working on drafting the joint press statement
Representatives working on drafting the joint press statement