Nuclear proliferation in the Middle East – First Cttee debate – Press release (excerpts)

URGENT CONSIDERATION OF CONVENTIONAL ARMS CONTROL

AT REGIONAL LEVEL CALLED FOR BY FIFTH COMMITTEE

Guiding Principles Sought from Conference on Disarmament;

Texts Approved on Outer Space, Military Spending, Treaty Compliance

/…

Committee Work Programme

The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) met this morning to continue taking action on disarmament draft resolutions and decisions. It had before it two nuclear-related drafts, action on which had been deferred yesterday. Those include a draft on the risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East, and a draft on a nuclear-weapon-free southern hemisphere.

/…

By the terms of a draft resolution on the risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East (document A/C.1/52/L.5/Rev.2), the Assembly would call upon the only State in the region not yet party to the Treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), to accede to the Treaty without further delay, not to develop, produce, test or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons and to renounce possession of such weapons, and to place all its unsafeguarded nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.

The draft resolution is sponsored by Egypt on behalf of the Member States which are members of the League of Arab States.

/…

* *** *