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

Official Records

General Assembly

Fifty-first session

First Committee

8th meeting

Friday, 18 October 1996, 3 p.m.

New York

Chairman:  Mr. Sychou ……………………. (Belarus)

The meeting was called to order at 3.05 p.m.

Agenda items 60 to 81 (continued)

General debate on all disarmament and international security agenda items

Mr. Samhan (United Arab Emirates) (interpretation from Arabic): …

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Member States have an ongoing commitment to the principles of the United Nations Charter and the norms of international law, which are founded on total and mutual respect for the territorial integrity and political systems of other States and non-interference in their internal affairs; the non-use of force; and the peaceful settlement of conflicts through negotiations. Adherence to these principles requires States fully to honour the primacy of law and the principles of the Charter. Consequently, the international community should not be duped by the declared policies of certain States with respect to peace and security in their region when those same States seek in fact to stockpile prohibited weapons and to create new nuclear reactors that threaten destruction both in times of peace and in times of war. For 40 years the Middle East, particularly the Arab Gulf region, has suffered wars and destructive conflicts, the serious consequences of which have affected peace, security, stability and progress in the economic, social and humanitarian fields.

The United Arab Emirates recently signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and last year signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in the context of international efforts to promote the universality of those two Treaties. We have also welcomed the long-term multilateral efforts of all parties to achieve a broad consensus on the question of nuclear disarmament and the international non-proliferation regime. This consensus recently resulted, as the Secretary-General points out in his report, in the accession of the five nuclear-weapon States to the Protocol to the Treaty of Rarotonga establishing the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone, which made them full parties to that Treaty.

Quite recently, these efforts also led to the conclusion of two regional treaties establishing new nuclear-weapon-free zones in South-East Asia and Africa. Thus, the international community has succeeded in turning the entire southern hemisphere into a nuclear-weapon-free zone.

These regional arrangements in the field of transparency in disarmament are indeed positive and constructive steps towards building confidence among States and maintaining international peace and security. We therefore hope that the efforts of the international community to turn the other hemisphere into a nuclear-free zone as well will enjoy every success, particularly in the Middle East and the Arab Gulf region which for some time now have suffered conflicts and wars because Israel possesses prohibited weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons. This is at variance with principles of the Middle East peace process, international resolutions and the principle of "land for peace", the aims of which cannot be achieved without the establishment of a perfect political and military balance between all the States of the region.

All the Arab States have acceded to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The international community must therefore demand that Israel, the only nuclear-weapon State in the region, also accede to the Treaty, submit all its nuclear installations to the International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards regime and take specific steps to create a zone free of weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons, and their delivery systems in the Middle East.

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Mr. Naranjo Villalobos (Costa Rica)(interpretation from Spanish): …

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As regards the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East, Costa Rica believes it would be highly significant if an agreement could be reached between the States of the region so that the Holy Land, where Armageddon could be unleashed, can also be free from the threat of nuclear destruction. Costa Rica calls upon the States of the Middle East to do their utmost to protect that land of profound, sacred significance for humanity.

/…

The meeting rose at 4.35 p.m.

This record contains the original texts of speeches delivered in English and interpretations of speeches delivered in the other languages.  Corrections should be submitted to original speeches only.  They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and be sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, Room C-178.  Corrections will be issued after the end of the session in a consolidated corrigendum.