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

FIRST COMMITTEE

14th meeting

held on

Thursday, 28 October 1993

at 10 a.m.

New York

SUMMARY RECORD OF THE 14th MEETING

CONTENTS

GENERAL DEBATE ON ALL DISARMAMENT AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY AGENDA ITEMS (continued)

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

GENERAL DEBATE ON ALL DISARMAMENT AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY AGENDA ITEMS (continued)

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7. Mr. ABDELLAH (Tunisia), speaking on behalf of the countries of the Arab Maghreb Union, said that recent political developments testified to the international community's firm commitment to achieving international peace and security.  For instance, the agreement between Israel and the PLO represented a watershed in the history of the region which he hoped would eventually lead to the restoration of rights of the Palestinian people, as well as the withdrawal of Israeli troops from all Arab-occupied territories in accordance with the provisions of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and 425 (1978). …

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21. Mr. ZOWAWI (Saudi Arabia) …

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26. His delegation was hopeful that the current peace negotiations between the Arab States and Israel would lead to a permanent, complete, fair and peaceful solution of the Palestinian issue.  If peace was to prevail in the region, Israel must fully adhere to the relevant resolutions and withdraw from all occupied Arab territories, in particular, Jerusalem.

27. Mr. ABU ODEH (Jordan) …

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30. It was imperative to sustain the momentum towards peace in the Middle East which had been generated by the signing of the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements by the PLO and Israel and the Jordanian-Israeli Agenda.  Israel should accede to the NPT and place all its nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.  That would eliminate a major source of concern among Arab States.  His delegation also called upon Israel to implement strict safety measures in cooperation with IAEA in order to avoid the possibility of a Chernobyl-type nuclear accident, which would be devastating to his own and other neighbouring countries.

31. Citing paragraph 181 of document A/45/435, he noted with regret that Israel still had not taken any tangible steps to pave the way for the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East.  Conventional weapons, too, continued to be amassed in the region.  Effective confidence-building measures therefore were of paramount importance, and transparency should be supplemented with other regional political and military confidence-building measures.  His country had participated in good faith in the multilateral working group on arms control in the Middle East and hoped that the recent positive developments in the region would enhance confidence-building and in turn lead to a region free of all types of weapons of mass destruction.

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54. Mr. AL-BATTASHI (Oman) said that the end of the cold war had enhanced the prospects for peaceful coexistence and the repudiation of interference in the internal affairs of others and the use or threat of the use of force.  The accumulation of weapons of mass destruction and nuclear weapons presented enormous challenges to disarmament.  In the Middle East, some countries had devoted vast sums to the acquisition of advanced weapons, which threatened peace and security.  He therefore urged those concerned to exercise self-restraint and renounce their past policies aimed at confrontation.  He hoped a comprehensive and binding legal instrument could soon be drafted which would meet the needs of all the countries of the region with respect to nuclear disarmament.

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The meeting rose at 12.40 p.m

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