Nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East – First Cttee debate – Verbatim record (excerpts)

Official Records

General Assembly

Fiftieth session

First Committee

25th meeting

Friday, 17 November 1995, 10 a.m.

New York

Chairman: Mr. Erdenechuluun ……………………….. (Mongolia)

The meeting was called to order at 11.30 a.m.

Agenda items 57 to 81 (continued)

Action on draft resolutions submitted under all disarmament and international security agenda items

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Mr. Elaraby (Egypt): I have the honour to introduce, on behalf of the sponsors, the draft resolution contained in document A/C.1/50/L.19/Rev.1, entitled “The risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East”.

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Draft resolution A/C.1/50/L.19/Rev.1 is one of the many efforts to strengthen the non-proliferation regime. It does so by advocating universality of the NPT at the regional level in the Middle East — an objective that is shared and fully supported by the international community as a whole. Suffice it to refer to the resolution on the Middle East which was sponsored by three nuclear-weapon States and adopted by the Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) last May, and which is referred to in the preamble of the draft resolution.

In the final analysis, the draft resolution should be regarded as an invitation to all States in the Middle East to join a club — the NPT club. We believe that all parties to the NPT have a collective responsibility to support all efforts aimed at strengthening the non-proliferation regime.

The goal of universal adherence to the NPT in the Middle East is within our reach. Accession by the United Arab Emirates in September 1995 has brought one State closer to the realization of this objective. The sponsors of the draft resolution would like to register here, today, their sincere hope that this lofty goal will be attained in the very near future thereby marking the dawn of a new era in the Middle East.

In conclusion, may I express the hope that the draft resolution will not be presented at future sessions —that by the next session all States in the Middle East will be parties to the NPT.

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The meeting rose at 1.10 p.m.