New York, November 18 (QNA) - Chairman of National Committee for the Prohibition of Weapons, Brigadier Engineer Hassan Mohammed Al Emadi delivered the State of Qatar’s statement during the general debate of the sixth session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction on Monday, Nov.17, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

His Excellency explained that, within the framework of strengthening activities related to the deliberations of the Conference, the National Committee for the Prohibition of Weapons in the State of Qatar, in cooperation with the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, held a regional meeting titled “Perspectives on the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction," during the period from 4 -5 June 2024, on the sidelines of the Third Arab Forum on Arms Control, Disarmament, and Non-Proliferation. He noted that this constituted a good opportunity for constructive dialogue among a number of government representatives, experts, and academics.

He said that the State of Qatar affirms the importance of the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference’s decision on the Middle East and the outcomes of the 2010 Review Conference as key references for achieving the goal of establishing the zone. He pointed to UN General Assembly resolution 73/546, which mandates the Secretary-General to convene a meeting leading to a legally binding international instrument establishing the zone, thereby reinforcing the maintenance of regional and international peace and security and sparing the region the potential catastrophic consequences of the proliferation of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.

He clarified that the international community’s collective responsibility toward establishing the zone requires joint and constructive work, emphasizing the importance of nuclear-weapon states providing negative security assurances (NSAs) to the states of the region in order to encourage them to move forward with the arrangements for creating this zone, considering such assurances a motivating factor for achieving the desired progress.

His Excellency stressed that this collective international responsibility requires affirming the need for Israel to accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as a non-nuclear-weapon state and to place its nuclear facilities under the comprehensive safeguards system of the International Atomic Energy Agency. He noted that this would enhance the universality of the Treaty, especially since Israel is the only state in the region that has not joined any of the three treaties related to weapons of mass destruction.

He pointed to the State of Qatar’s keenness to emphasize the importance of strengthening cooperation between Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones (NWFZs) and the participants in the conference, with the aim of benefiting from the successful experiences that contributed to clearing those regions of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, while also underscoring the importance of acceding to the relevant conventions and treaties, including those on chemical and biological weapons.

He added that, within the context of international and regional efforts to establish the Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and their delivery systems, the State of Qatar affirms the importance of safeguarding the non-negotiable right of the states of the region to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and its various applications, which includes the exchange of expertise, knowledge, and relevant technologies, with full adherence to international standards that ensure the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

He concluded the statement by reaffirming the State of Qatar’s readiness to fully cooperate with the members of the Conference in holding objective and constructive discussions that would accelerate the process of ridding the Middle East of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. (QNA)