2005 Review Conference to Non-Proliferation Treaty – Establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Mideast – Report by Iran

Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the

Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

New York, 26 April-7 May 2004

Establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free-zone in the
Middle East

Report submitted by the Islamic Republic of Iran

In Accordance with the paragraph 16 on Regional Issues, sub paragraph 7 on the steps to promote the achievement of a NWFZ in the Middle East and the realization of the goals and objectives of the 1995 Resolution on the Middle East, the Islamic Republic of Iran reports the following:

1. Iran first initiated the idea of the establishment of a NWFZ as an important disarmament measure in the region of the Middle East in 1974, followed by the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly. Since 1980, the General Assembly of the United Nations has annually adopted, by consensus, a resolution on this issue. Continuous adoption of this resolution at the General Assembly is the manifestation of the global support for the promotion of peace, security and stability in the Middle East through realization of a NWFZ in the region.

2. As a State Party to the NPT, the Islamic Republic of Iran is fully committed to its international undertakings and believes that this international instrument is the cornerstone of the non-proliferation regime. Universal adherence of this Treaty, in particular in the region of the Middle East, would effectively ensure the establishment of a NWFZ in the region. At present, Israel is the only non-party to the NPT in the region. Despite the repeated calls by the international community demonstrated in the Resolution on the Middle East, adopted by the NPT 1995 Review and Extension Conference, related resolutions of the General Assembly as well as of the IAEA and OIC, Israel, confident of the political and military support of the United States, has neither acceded to the NPT, nor placed its nuclear facilities under IAEA full-scope safeguards. Israel has not even declared its intention to accede to the Treaty. Israel’s clandestine nuclear activities, with the support of the United States, seriously threaten both regional peace and security and endanger the non-proliferation regime.

3. The NPT 2000 Review Conference reaffirmed the importance of the Resolution on the Middle East (1995). Due to the significant provisions of this resolution, the Islamic Republic of Iran and other states in the region truly expect that this resolution should be swiftly implemented, especially by its co-sponsors, i.e. the Russian Federation, the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and the Northern Ireland as depositories of the NPT.

4. Unconditional adherence of Israel to the NPT and concluding the full-scope safeguard Agreement with the IAEA would, undoubtedly, lead to the early realization of the NWFZ in the Middle East. Neglecting the commitment voluntarily undertaken by this important resolution can only embolden Israel to continue to remain as a source of threat and instability in the Middle East by flouting the wish of the international community and remaining outside of the fold of the NPT and full-scope safeguard regime. In this context, we believe that national reports that do not address negative implications of Israel’ s intransigence to join NPT are not as effective as they ought to be in accordance with the 1995 Resolution on the Middle East.

5. In implementing its obligations under the NPT and specifically Article II and III of the Treaty, all nuclear facilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran are devoted to peaceful purposes and are under the full-scope safeguards of the IAEA. Furthermore to contribute to the realization of a world free from weapons of mass destruction particularly in the Middle East, Iran has signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and also joined the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) and the 1925 Geneva Protocol.

6. The Islamic Republic of Iran in its bilateral and multilateral disarmament dialogues with some Nuclear Weapons States and members of the European Union, including in the joint statement of 21 October 2003 by Iran and the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, has always urged their active contributions towards the establishment of a NWFZ in the region of the Middle East.

7. The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that the 2005 Review Conference should establish a subsidiary body to Main Committee II to consider and recommend proposals on the implementation of the 1995 Resolution on the Middle East.

—–