Nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East – GA votes – Verbatim record (excerpts)

Official Records

General Assembly

Fifty-fourth session 

70th plenary meeting

Monday, 6 December 1999, 10 a.m. 

New York

The meeting was called to order at 10.15 a.m.

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Agenda item 167

Cooperation between the United Nations and the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization

Draft resolution (A/54/L.48)

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Draft resolution A/54/L.48 was adopted (resolution 54/65).

The Acting President: I shall now call on those representatives who wish to speak in explanation of position on the resolution just adopted. May I remind delegations that explanations of vote are limited to 10 minutes and should be made by delegations from their seats.

Mr. Al-Hariri (Syrian Arab Republic) (spoke in Arabic): My delegation would like to reaffirm its position and reservations with respect to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. We have consistently stated that such an important and sensitive instrument as the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), with its potential repercussions for all Member States, can in no way overlook the legitimate concerns of non-nuclear-weapon States, which constitute the overwhelming majority of the countries of the world. Those countries have no assurances against the use, or threat of use, of nuclear weapons against them, nor are they allowed to obtain the sophisticated technologies needed for their development.

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Syria believes that these are very serious issues, particularly the unprecedented inclusion of Israel on the list of the countries of the Middle East and of South Asia. The volatile situation in the Middle East is due to the fact that Israel alone possesses nuclear weapons and continues to develop them qualitatively and quantitatively while refusing to accede to the NPT or to place all of its weapons and installations under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, thereby hampering all efforts to create a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East. By so doing, Israel is exposing the Middle East to the dangers of its nuclear capability, which is not under any international oversight.

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The meeting rose at 1.20 p.m.