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

Official Records

General Assembly

Sixtieth session 

First Committee

6th meeting

Thursday, 6 October 2005, 10 a.m. 

New York

 

Chairman:

Mr. Choi Young-jin  ……………………………………………………………………………………………….

(Republic of Korea)

 

    The meeting was called to order at 10.05 a.m.

 

 

Agenda items 85 to 105 ( continued)

 

 

General debate on all disarmament and international security agenda items 

  

  Mr. Hemayetuddin (Bangladesh): …

  Bangladesh greatly values regional approaches to nuclear disarmament. Building confidence through the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones can contribute significantly to disarmament. We welcome all existing nuclear-weapon-free zones and call for the establishment of similar zones in South Asia, the Middle East and other parts of the world. The Kathmandu process needs to be followed to contribute to regional peace and security in Asia and the Pacific. In South Asia, India and Pakistan must relinquish their nuclear option and join the NPT. In the Middle East, Israel must do the same.

  Mr. Bouchaara (Morocco) (spoke in French ): …

  Despite successive setbacks this year, the Kingdom of Morocco continues to believe that it is in the interest of everyone to work to promote revitalization of the multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation system. This would entail strengthening the international existing instruments, specifically the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), whose relevance needs to be reiterated and supported. This would also require giving all necessary attention to new challenges, specifically to the risks of terrorist groups using weapons of mass destruction (WMD). And this also, lastly, calls for special effort to work to resolve regional disputes. In the Middle East we would again remind the Committee of the importance of establishing a WMD-free zone and the need for Israel, the only State in the region which has not yet done so, to accede to the NPT.

 Mr. Gharbi (Tunisia) (spoke in French ): …

  The establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at by the States of the region concerned, as well as the establishment of zones free from all weapons of mass destruction, is an important way of promoting non-proliferation and disarmament at both the regional and international levels. That is part and parcel of the strengthening of the NPT regime.

  In this context, the Middle East continues to be one of the areas of greatest concern because of Israel’s refusal to accede to the NPT and to place all of its nuclear facilities under the comprehensive safeguards regime of the International Atomic Energy Agency, despite the many appeals from other States in the region and the many General Assembly resolutions relating to the matter. In that respect, we call on the international community, in particular the Powers that have influence, to take urgent practical measures to establish such a zone.

 Mr. Erçin (Turkey): …

  As it is located in a region of particular concern with regard to global nuclear non-proliferation, Turkey also attaches great importance to the early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), and appeals once again, in particular to the remaining Annex II States that have not yet done so, to sign and ratify the Treaty.

  In this context, I would also like to reiterate our support for the long-standing idea of creating a zone free from weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East. Turkey encourages all efforts aimed at achieving a common regional understanding on this project with the participation of all parties concerned. That, inter alia, necessitates the wider adherence to and effective implementation in our region of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological Weapons Convention. We urge all countries in our region which are not party to those instruments to become parties promptly.

 Mr. Hashem (Bahrain) (spoke in Arabic ): …

  Initiatives on the creation of nuclear-weapon-free zones have met with success in certain parts of the world due to the belief on the part of some States in the need to establish peace and stability in these regions. This is a positive step towards the creation of a world free from WMDs. It is very urgent that the Middle East region, including the Arab Gulf, become a WMD-free zone. Our peoples in this region aspire to this. Yet Israel’s refusal to accede to the NPT or to subject its nuclear facilities to International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards stands in the way of that objective. That is the basis of the international community’s important responsibility to apply pressure on Israel to ensure that it abides by the relevant international resolutions.

  The meeting rose at 1 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.


Document symbol: A/C.1/60/PV.6
Document Type: Meeting record, Provisional verbatim record, Verbatim Record
Document Sources: General Assembly
Subject: Arms control and regional security issues, Middle East situation
Publication Date: 06/10/2005
2021-10-20T17:49:54-04:00

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