(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) NEW YORK, Nov 17 (KUNA) -- The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Group at the United Nations reiterated its condemnation Monday over Israeli occupation repeated remarks on the use, or threat of use of nuclear weapons in the region, considering them a serious violation of international norms and a direct threat to regional and international peace and security.
This came in a statement delivered by the Deputy Permanent Representative of the State of Kuwait to the United Nations, Minister Plenipotentiary Faisal Al-Enezi, on behalf of the GCC Group, before the Sixth Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction, held at the UN General Assembly.
Al-Enezi stressed that achieving a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction requires Israel's accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as a non-nuclear-weapon state and the placement of its nuclear facilities under the comprehensive safeguards system of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Al-Enezi also warned that the continued existence of parties not subject to any comprehensive safeguards system or not party to disarmament and non-proliferation treaties contributes to deepening instability, escalating the arms race, and exacerbating the nuclear and military ambiguity in the region.
Al-Enezi urged the swift establishment of the nuclear-weapon-free zone as a collective preventive mechanism that ensures transparency and prevents a slide into new arms races.
He pointed out that the occupying power is the only party in the region that has not joined any of the international treaties related to weapons of mass destruction.
In this regard, he affirmed the inalienable right of all countries in the region to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy in accordance with the provisions of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), with full adherence to international safeguards that guarantee the peaceful nature of nuclear programs, and stressed the importance of full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The Minister Plenipotentiary highlighted the pivotal importance of the General Assembly resolution mandating UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to invite all countries in the region to participate in this conference with the aim of reaching a legally binding instrument for the establishment of the desired zone.
Al-Enezi reiterated the Gulf Cooperation Council's commitment to the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference resolution on the Middle East, which formed part of the indefinite extension of the Treaty, and to the outcomes of the 2010 Review Conference as the two fundamental references for this process.
Al-Enezi expressed the Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) welcome of the tangible progress achieved in the constructive discussions and practical proposals produced by the three working committees this year.
These committees addressed highly important topics, most notably negative security assurances, and mechanisms for consultation, clarification, and cooperation, dispute resolution, and strengthening cooperation among nuclear-weapon-free zones to exchange institutional, legal, and technical expertise.
In this context, the Deputy Permanent Representative highlighted developments related to the ceasefire plan in the Gaza Strip, expressing the GCC's appreciation for the efforts exerted by Qatar and Egypt, along with the United States and Turkey, in facilitating its implementation and ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Al-Enezi explained that the success of these efforts underscores the need for a comprehensive security approach in the region, one of whose pillars is the establishment of a zone free of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction, as a complementary path to achieving lasting peace and stability in the Middle East. (end)
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