The Mass-destruction Weapons Disarmament Committee in the Arab League Holds its Meetings In Cairo
Regional, Military, 12/17/1997

The Committee of Technical Experts, responsible for preparing the draft treaty for making the Middle East region free from weapons of mass destruction, will meet today to discuss the mechanism of the inspection process and of checking member countries' compliance with the treaty.

The committee comprises experts from Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Iraq, the Arab Atomic Energy Organization, and the secretariat general of the Arab League. It aims to materialize the hopes of the Arab countries for achieving a just and comprehensive peace in the region which cannot be reached while Israel is the sole possessor of weapons of mass-destruction and while Israel is not complying with the articles of the Nuclear Weapons Non-Proliferation Treaty and other international treaties.

An official in the Political Department of the Arab League, Mohamed Al Fateh Al Nasery, stated that accelerating the implication of the basic articles of the treaty will help in formulating the position of the Arab countries in a final way. He pointed out that this treaty is the first Arab proposal which includes all types of weapons of mass destruction -- nuclear, chemical, and biological -- in the region. This treaty comes through the Arab countries' attempts to achieve a just and comprehensive peace. He stressed the need for all the countries in the Middle East to sign this treaty.

All the Arab countries are expected to sign this treaty in addition to the some of the neighboring countries. Israel is still rejecting international and regional efforts that aim to make the Middle East free of all weapons of mass destruction.

Previous Stories:
  Islamic Summit roundup   (12/12/1997)
  Arab mass destruction weapons committee concludes deliberations   (11/20/1997)
  International Atomic Energy Agency calls for nuclear-free zone in Mideast   (10/9/1997)

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