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

Official Records

General Assembly

Sixtieth session 

First Committee

14th meeting

Tuesday, 18 October 2005, 10 a.m. 

New York

    The meeting was called to order at 10 a.m.

Agenda items 85 to 105 ( continued)

Thematic discussion on item subjects and introduction and consideration of all draft resolutions submitted under all disarmament and international security agenda items

…

 Mr. Shamaa (Egypt) (spoke in Arabic): It is a pleasure for me to submit, on behalf of the Group of Arab States, the draft resolution entitled “The risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East”, document A/C.1/60/L.6. This draft resolution reflects the concern of countries in the region — and indeed, that of the international community — regarding the threat posed by the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East and by the existence of nuclear facilities that are not subject to the comprehensive safeguards regime of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). This is a concern that has been expressed at successive Review Conferences of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

  The draft resolution emphasizes the need for all States concerned to take practical and urgent steps to establish a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East, as well as the need for all States to become parties to the NPT and to comply with its provisions. The draft resolution calls upon Israel, as the only State in the region that has not yet become party to the NPT, to do so, and to place its nuclear facilities under the full-scope IAEA safeguards. In the draft resolution, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its next session on the implementation of these measures.

  I should also like to introduce the draft resolution entitled “Establishment of a nuclear-weapons-free zone in the region of the Middle East”, document A/C.1/60/L.3. Once again, Egypt is submitting a draft resolution on this item, as we have done for more than 25 years. The draft resolution urges the parties concerned to take practical steps required for the elimination of nuclear weapons in the Middle East region, as well as to place all nuclear facilities in the region under the comprehensive safeguards regime of the IAEA.

  The draft resolution also calls on all States in the region, pending the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the region of the Middle East, not to develop, produce, test or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons or permit the stationing on their territories, or territories under their control, of nuclear weapons or nuclear explosive devices.

  We hope that the draft resolution will be adopted by consensus, as similar texts have been every year in the past. We further call on Member States to support draft resolution A/C.1/60/L.6, on the risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.

…

 The meeting rose at 12.25 p.m.

This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the interpretation of speeches delivered in the other languages. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room C-154A. Corrections will be issued after the end of the session in a consolidated corrigendum.