Nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East – SecGen report

ESTABLISHMENT OF A NUCLEAR-WEAPON-FREE ZONE

IN THE REGION OF THE MIDDLE EAST

Report of the Secretary-General

Addendum

CONTENTS

REPLIES RECEIVED FROM GOVERNMENTS

Jordan

JORDAN

[Original: Arabic]

[7 November 1989]

1. With reference to note DDA/1-89/NWFZME of 2 February 1989, in which the Secretary-General requests the views and suggestions of the Jordanian Government with respect to General Assembly resolution 43/65 entitled "Establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the region of the Middle East" and adopted by the General Assembly on 7 December 1988, the Permanent Mission of Jordan to the United Nations has the honour to transmit to him the reply of the Jordanian Government, which reads as follows:

2. "Jordan continues to support the General Assembly resolution on the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the region of the Middle East in the belief that such a stop would help to exclude the grave danger of such weapons from this sensitive region of the world and to enhance international peace and security. Jordan is, furthermore, a party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

3. "The main obstacle to the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East is the attitude of Israel, as exemplified by its failure to accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and to place its nuclear installations under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards.

4. "Despite the obstacles to embarking on the establishment of such a zone arising out of the failure thus far to achieve a peaceful settlement in the Middle East region, Jordan is of the view that a number of effective steps could be taken which might contribute substantially to its achievement. These steps are:

"(a) That the parties concerned in the region that have not yet done so should accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and place their nuclear installations under the IAEA safeguards system;

"(b) That the parties concerned in the region should declare their unequivocal commitment to the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone and their readiness to refrain from taking any steps that are incompatible with the goal of establishing such a zone, such as developing, producing, testing or storing nuclear weapons or permitting the establishment of foreign nuclear-weapon bases or storage facilities on their territory, and that the parties concerned should deposit such declarations with the Security Council which should, in turn, announce officially that it had taken note of them and authenticated them;

"(c) That the States of the region should refrain from concluding bilateral treaties and agreements, whether secret or open, according any Middle Eastern State the opportunity to utilize the nuclear weapons stationed or stored on its territory or introduced from another source outside the region;

"(d) That the States of the region should declare their commitment not to attack the peaceful nuclear installations of neighbouring States which place their installations under international safeguards, whether with nuclear or conventional weapons or through deliberate acts of sabotage;

"(e) That States outside the region that possess nuclear weapons, nuclear capabilities or materials that can be utilized for nuclear purposes, and which they export to any State in the region for any purpose whatsoever, should declare that fact and, at the same time, specify the kind of materials involved and the purposes for which they are to be used.

5. "Implementation of these measures by the States concerned in the region, particularly those outlined in paragraphs (a) to (d) above, represents a prerequisite for the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East region in so far as it would represent a practical embodiment of the declared intentions of these States."

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