New york: Chairman of the National Committee for the Prohibition of Weapons, Brigadier Engineer Hassan Mohammed Al Emadi, delivered a statement on behalf of the State of Qatar 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 at the United Nations Headquarters.
According to Qatar News Agency, Al Emadi emphasized the significance of the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference's decision regarding the Middle East and the outcomes of the 2010 Review Conference as vital for creating a nuclear weapon-free zone. He referenced UN General Assembly resolution 73/546, which mandates the Secretary-General to facilitate a meeting for a legally binding instrument to establish this zone, thereby enhancing regional and international peace and security.
Al Emadi highlighted the global community's responsibility to collaborate constructively towards this goal, stressing the need for nuclear-weapon states to provide negative security assurances to regional states. Such assurances, he noted, would encourage progress toward establishing the zone.
He underscored the necessity for Israel to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as a non-nuclear-weapon state and place its nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. This move, he argued, would enhance the Treaty's universality, as Israel remains the only state in the region not part of the three treaties on weapons of mass destruction.
Qatar's commitment to strengthening cooperation between Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones and conference participants was also mentioned, with a focus on learning from successful disarmament experiences. Al Emadi reiterated the importance of adhering to relevant conventions and treaties, including those on chemical and biological weapons.
He also affirmed Qatar's support for the peaceful use of nuclear energy in the region, advocating for the exchange of expertise and technologies under international standards to ensure peaceful applications.
Concluding his statement, Al Emadi expressed Qatar's willingness to collaborate with conference members to hold objective discussions and expedite the Middle East's disarmament process.