New York: Chairman of the National Committee for the Prohibition of Weapons (NCPW), Dr. Abdulaziz Salmeen Al Jabri, delivered a statement on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states during the general debate of the fifth 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, Dr. Al Jabri conveyed the GCC’s appreciation for the previous sessions of the conference, organized in line with UN General Assembly Resolution 546/73. He extended gratitude to Libya for chairing the fourth session and congratulated Mauritania on its current presidency, while looking forward to Morocco’s leadership in the next session. The GCC reiterated the importance of the UN resolution, which calls for establishing a legally binding international framework to create a weapons-free zone in the Middle East, highlighting the 1995 resolution and the 2010 Review Conference as piv
otal references.
The GCC strongly condemned recent statements by Israeli officials regarding potential nuclear threats against Gaza. Dr. Al Jabri emphasized the need for decisive action by the United Nations and the Security Council to prevent such threats, which reflect non-compliance with international nuclear weapon use standards. These statements, he argued, underscore the urgency of establishing a weapons of mass destruction-free zone in the region.
The GCC stressed the international responsibility to create such a zone, calling for transparent dialogue among Middle Eastern states and adherence to treaties concerning nuclear and mass destruction weapons. The council urged Israel to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as a non-nuclear-weapon state and to subject its nuclear facilities to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards, highlighting Israel as the only regional entity not party to key WMD treaties.
In support of the conference’s goals, the GCC acknowled
ged Qatar’s role in organizing a regional meeting on the establishment of a weapons-free zone in the Middle East, in collaboration with the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs. This meeting, part of the Third Arab Forum on Arms Control, facilitated constructive dialogue on the issue.
The GCC reaffirmed its commitment to establishing a weapons of mass destruction-free zone while supporting the peaceful use of nuclear energy under international standards. They encouraged continued substantive discussions and the exploration of new topics to advance the conference’s objectives, such as learning from other regions’ experiences with WMD-free zones.
Dr. Al Jabri underscored the need to enhance future conference sessions, suggesting the drafting of a preliminary zero draft treaty to establish the Middle East as a weapons-free zone. He concluded by expressing the GCC’s readiness to engage in substantive discussions and cooperate with conference members to realize this goal.