Effective security assurances to safeguard non-nuclear states
Egypt-International, Politics, 5/2/2000

Egypt has called for initiating negotiation on providing effective legally binding international security assurances to protect the non-nuclear weapon states against the dangers of the weapons they voluntarily renounced.

Egypt also has called on the nuclear weapon states to pledge not to use or threaten to use Nuclear Weapons against any party of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Egypt has urged the (NPT) Review Conference to frankly call on Israel to accede to the treaty without further delay and to place all its nuclear facilities under the safeguard regime of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Egypt's permanent representative to the UN Ambassador Ahmad Abul Gheit submitted three working papers to the conference including the Egyptian demands.

The first working paper dealt with the Nuclear impasse in the Middle East within the Resolution adopted on the region by the 1995 NPT review conference which called on all states of the area that have not yet joined the treaty to accede to it, place all their facilities under the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and take practical steps for rendering the Middle East a region free of mass destruction weapons.

Ambassador Abul Gheit said that the working paper on the Middle East included some proposals on implementing the l995 Middle East resolution.

"The message of the 2000 Review Conference must be unequivocal in its demand that Israel accede to the treaty without further delay and that it place all its nuclear facilities under the safeguards regime of the (IAEA)", he said.

"Consideration must be given to the responsibility of the nuclear states and in particular the states depositories of the treaty that have co-sponsored the resolution on the Middle East in 1995 for its implementation and the realization of all its objectives in full," he said.

"The second working paper dealt with the peaceful use of nuclear energy," Ambassador Abul Gheit said, adding that Egypt's demands within this framework are clear and parallel to the provisions of the NPT.

"The Review Conference should reaffirm the right of the NPT parties to make research and make use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes," he added.

The conference should call on member states to fulfill their financial obligations to the technical cooperation council of the (IAEA).

Abul Gheit said that the third working paper dealt with the issue of security assurances to protect the non-nuclear states.

"The paper calls for initiating negotiations on providing effective legally binding international security assurances to protect the non-nuclear states against the danger of the use or the threat to use nuclear weapons," he added.

He urged the nuclear states to issue a joint statement pledging not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against the NPT parties till negotiations on a legal document on security assurances start.

"Egypt will pursue contacts in the coming days within the framework of the conference to secure international response to the Egyptian position," he said.

Previous Stories:
  Egypt : credibility of Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty lacking by Israel's noncompliance   (5/1/2000)
  Egypt asserts Palestinians' right to statehood   (5/1/2000)
  Annan: calls for creation of New Nuclear Weapon-Free Zones   (4/28/2000)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search