Bearing in mindits relevant resolutions, Taking noteof the relevant resolutions adopted by the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the latest of which is resolution GC(49)/RES/15 adopted on 30 September 2005,1. Reaffirmsthe importance of Israels accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons3 and placement of all its nuclear facilities under comprehensive International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, in realizing the goal of universal adherence to the Treaty in the Middle East; 3. Sign-up to get UN updates, incoming events straight to your inbox, Arms control and regional security issues, Monthly Bulletin (Action by UN System and IGOs Relevant to Question of Palestine), Origins and Evolution of the Palestine Problem, Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. Stressingthe importance of taking confidence-building measures, in particular the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East, in order to enhance peace and security in the region and to consolidate the global non-proliferation regime. On L.19, Mongolias international security and nuclear-weapon-free status, he noted the many steps taken by Mongolia to reinforce its status and negative security assurances, and he respects its choice and status. aThe resolution was adopted with 89 votes in favour, 2 against and 3 abstentions (roll call vote). On L.16 regarding humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons, he said India is in favour of the text, based on its serious concern for the survival of humanity. The fundamental flaws in this document far outweigh its few positive points. 4). Overall, 191 countries are party to the treaty, including Iran but not Israel. 2. Cognizantthat the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the region of the Middle East would pose a serious threat to international peace and security. On resolution L.17 on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, China endorses the Treaty, however the nuclear disarmament process contained therein is devoid of an understanding of the current security reality and he cannot accept it. and placement of all its nuclear facilities under comprehensive International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, in realizing the goal of universal adherence to the Treaty in the Middle East; (NPT/CONF.1995/32 (Part I) and Corr.2), annex. The representative of the United States said he would vote no on L.2 on the risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East because it wrongly singles out one regional State that is in full compliance with its commitments, while ignoring serious nuclear proliferation and compliance issues. Among its other provisions, the text calls for the immediate commencement of negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament to ban the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons, and the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). The First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly debates disarmament, nonproliferation, arms control, and international security issues, recommending resolutions and decisions for adoption by the plenary session of the UNGA. Instead of analyzing the experience of the tenth Review Conference of the NPT and creatively rethinking it, the sponsors essentially are proposing approval of the very same document. The proposal to create a MENWFZ is longstanding and over 44 years old. The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today approved 19 draft resolutions and one draft decision on nuclear weapons, including a draft resolution entitled Nuclear Disarmament, which drew extensive debate. Iran must urgently cooperate with the Agency to resolve outstanding safeguards and concerns over possible undeclared nuclear material. (g)Recallingits resolution GC(49)/RES/15. China has reacted with predictable anger to this week's official announcement of the . It is outrageous that it continues to disguise itself as a victim of the Second World War, while persistently denying any sincere apology and reparations for its past history of aggression and crimes against humanity. From 2023, along with training Australians, US nuclear-powered subs will increase port visits to Australia, joined three years later by more visits from British-owned nuclear-powered subs. The representative of China said that his statement was made in the context of this cluster, and he does not wish his statement to be interrupted again by other countries. Affirmsthe urgent need for all States in the Middle East to forthwith accept the application of full-scope Agency safeguards to all their nuclear activities as an important confidence-building measure among all States in the region and as a step in enhancing peace and security in the context of the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone (NWFZ); 3. The representative of Israel, delivering an explanation of vote before the vote on L.1, L.2, and L.38. In Afghanistan, due to lack of funds, the World Food Programme (WFP) today said that it has been forced to drastically reduce critical lifesaving assistance in March to millions of vulnerable Afghanis. Recallingthe resolution on the Middle East adopted by the 1995 Review and Extension Conference on 11 May 1995,2in which the Conference noted with concern the continued existence in the Middle East of unsafeguarded nuclear facilities, reaffirmed the importance of the early realization of universal adherence to the Treaty and called upon all States in the Middle East that had not yet done so, without exception, to accede to the Treaty as soon as possible and to place all their nuclear facilities under full-scope Agency safeguards. Managing Nuclear Proliferation in the Middle East BRUCE RIEDEL 4 GARY SAMORE 93 04-3869-5 CH04 10/28/08 9:30 AM Page 93. nicant amounts of weapons-grade uranium), the United States will face The representative of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, also explaining his position on L.61, said that Japan has an ulterior motive in sponsoring the draft resolution. The Committee approved L.38 by a recorded vote of 156in favour to 5against (Iceland, Israel, Palau, Ukraine, United States), with 12abstentions. The Committee retained the operative paragraph5 by a recorded vote of 160in favour to 1against (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea), with 9abstentions (Bhutan, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria) abstentions. Further calls uponall States in the region to take measures, including confidence-building and verification measures, aimed at establishing a NWFZ in the Middle East; 8. In a debate on the matter earlier this month, an Israeli deputy ambassador to the UN Michal Maayan said the NPT is only as relevant as the level of compliance and is not a remedy for the unique security challenges of the Middle East. It is the only party in the region to have such an arsenal at its disposal. Even more troubling, some officials in the region made public comments that question their commitment to their State's NPT obligations. Despite this, the resolution did not mention Iran. By its terms, the Assembly would reaffirm the urgent need to reach an early agreement on effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons. In short, Pakistan does not support these two resolutions. This is why L.1 should make it possible to counter the possession of those weapons by Israel, which threaten Arab countries. Decidesto include in the provisional agenda of its sixty-first session the item entitled The risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. the conclusions on the Middle East of the 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons; the importance of Israels accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. that, in the Final Document of the 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the Conference undertook to make determined efforts towards the achievement of the goal of universality of the Treaty, called upon those remaining States not parties to the Treaty to accede to it, thereby accepting an international legally binding commitment not to acquire nuclear weapons or nuclear explosive devices and to accept Agency safeguards on all their nuclear activities, and underlined the necessity of universal adherence to the Treaty and of strict compliance by all parties with their obligations under the Treaty. Then, the Committee took up the draft resolution Ethical imperatives for a nuclear-weapon-free world (document A/C.1/77/L.46), by which it would call on States to acknowledge the catastrophic humanitarian consequences posed by nuclear weapon detonations and would declare that the global threat of nuclear weapons must be eliminated. The Committee approved L.46 as a whole by a recorded vote of 131in favour to 37against, with 13abstentions. Concerning L.42, he said that nuclear disarmament should be accorded the highest priority. All regional States should pursue dialogue and confidence-building measures with their neighbours rather than introduce divisive resolutions out of touch with regional security and compliance challenges in the region. The Treaty is arguably in a state of crisis, which, if not addressed expeditiously, will affect its integrity and credibility amid heightened geopolitical tensions. The Assembly, by the text, would call on Israel to renounce possession of nuclear weapons and to place all its unsafeguarded nuclear facilities under full-scope IAEA safeguards. Middle East Nuclear Weapon Free Zone. , vol. Recent events and findings by the IAEA highlight some of these risks. The representative of the Russian Federation, explaining his position on the resolution entitled Steps to Building a common roadmap towards a world without nuclear weapons (document A/C.1/77/L.61), said the sponsors of this draft were not able to achieve the goal they set for themselves, namely, to propose an effective and yet realistic road map to advance towards a world free of nuclear weapons. Japans Prime Minister has announced a Hiroshima action plan, offered as a first step of realizing a road map to span the gap, in light of the reality of the current security environment. Japan had expanded the resolution by building on selected elements from the draft final document of the tenth NPT Review Conference, which was not adopted in what was an unprecedented consecutive failure. From Seoul to Warsaw, Belarus and beyond, more nations are looking to acquire or host nuclear arms from the US, Russia and possibly Iran down the road. Acting without a vote it approved the draft resolution Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia (document A/C.1/77/L.49). It also set up very low expectations for the eleventh NPT Review Conference. 12 mins ago. The risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East : The risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly 2019 Formats Add to. Regarding L.16 on the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons, and L.46 on ethical imperatives for a nuclear-weapon-free world, he said that, while mindful of humanitarian consequences, the fundamental and legitimate security concerns of States relying on nuclear weapons cannot be reduced by discourse, which is why his country will abstain. The five nations that opposed Friday's resolution on the "risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East" were: Canada, Israel, Micronesia, Palau and the United States. The Committee retained the fifth operative paragraph, which asks the Assembly to condemn the six nuclear tests conducted by the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea and call on that country to abandon its nuclear weapons programme. I (NPT/CONF.2000/28 (Parts I and II)), part I, section entitled Article IX. PRIME MINISTER Yair Lapid addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, last week. According to that provision, the Assembly would urge all States to sign and ratify the Treaty, particularly those whose ratification is needed for its entry into force. The United Nations General Assembly's First Committee voted for Israel to dispose of all nuclear weapons and have any and all nuclear sites under the watch of the International Atomic Energy. ENKHBOLD VORSHILOV (Mongolia) introduced the draft resolution entitled Mongolias international security and nuclear-weapon-free status (document A/C.1/77/L.19). In addition, Japan considers the draft final document set forth a new basis for the international community to advance the realization of a world free of nuclear weapons and to have practical discussions on nuclear disarmament. (d)Welcomingthe initiatives regarding the establishment of a zone free of all weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, in the Middle East and earlier initiatives regarding arms control in the region. By its terms, the Assembly would welcome the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. He cannot support operative paragraph1, as it fails to adequately reflect the existential threat nuclear weapons pose to humanity. Together with the regime, the United States is the main culprit for any regional insecurity in the Middle East. It should dismantle its offensive weapons already deployed or under development. Foremost among them is Iran's nuclear escalations, including actions with no credible civilian justification, as called for. The United States has the audacity to tailor a nuclear strategy to China. The risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. The Committee then turned to the draft resolution, entitled Follow-up to the 2013 high-level meeting of the General Assembly on nuclear disarmament (document A/C.1/77/L.7), by which the Assembly would call for urgent compliance with legal obligations and fulfilment of commitments undertaken on nuclear disarmament. It would, by its terms, have the Assembly welcome the Treaty and its Protocol, by which the Central Asian States are obligated to strengthen nuclear security, and prevent the proliferation of nuclear materials and counter nuclear terrorism in the region. Recent events demonstrate the continued salience of the Courts opinion more than a quarter-century after it was rendered. It is very unfortunate that this long-standing practice was broken due to one-sided action by the Arab Group, which embarked on a process that altered the status quo and forced Israel to dissociate itself with the draft resolution. I (NPT/CONF.2000/28 (Parts I and II)), part I, section entitled Article VII and the security of non-nuclear-weapon States, para. The representatives of Egypt, Sierra Leone, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria raised points of order related to technical issues with the voting process. First, the Committee retained preambular paragraph 32, by a vote of 107in favour to 41 against, with 13 abstentions. Download Article. According to the draft, the Assembly would note the decision of the Parties to the NPT to hold the first session of the Preparatory Committee in Vienna from 31July to 11August2023. The representative of the United States, in a point of order, said his understanding was that this section of the meeting had to do with explanations of a vote, not with general statements directed against a particular country. He cannot support operative paragraph4, which may be misleading in the global trend on stockpiles. The Committee approved L.22 as a whole by a recorded vote of 133in favour to 35against, with 13abstentions. By its terms, the Assembly would stress the vital importance of signing and ratifying the Treaty without delay and without conditions to achieve its earliest entry into force. 1); (b)Reaffirmed the importance of Israels accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and placement of all its nuclear facilities under comprehensive International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, in realizing the goal of universal adherence to the Treaty in the Middle East (para. The representative of Pakistan explained his vote on L.58 on reducing nuclear danger, and L.57 on the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Nuclear Weapons. Given the inadequate attention on the issue in the two consecutive NPT Review Conferences and the frequent negative votes by the Israeli regime against the draft proposal, it is crystal clear that the situation has changed. 10485. The representative of the United States, again on a point of order, said that the Chinese representative should be explaining his vote, and not continue an attack on the United States, which has nothing to do with his vote. The threat of nuclear weapons use is higher than at any time since the cold war. The Chair then suspended the meeting until Monday. Before taking action on that draft, the Committee, by a recorded vote of 136in favour to 3against (North Macedonia, Russian Federation, United States), with 29abstentions, retained preambular paragraph10, which notes continued efforts towards nuclear disarmament, including through the Secretary-Generals Securing Our Common Future: An Agenda for Disarmament. There should be no doubt that the risk of nuclear proliferation and threat of nuclear weapons in the Middle East continue to exist as long as certain Western countries continue to appease the illicit nuclear weapons programme of the Israeli regime. Specifically, the key risk lies with the nuclear fuel cycle because facilities and technologies used in the enrichment and reprocessing [] Adopted by vote: Nuclear . The course will also discuss the role of the nuclear and aerospace industries in preventing the spread and use of nuclear weapons. Arab states and Iran have long shared the view that Israel's nuclear weapons . Concernedabout the threats posed by the proliferation of nuclear weapons to the security and stability of the Middle East region. The Committee also retained operative paragraph 6 by a recorded vote of 163in favour to 2 against (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, India), with 6abstentions (Bhutan, Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria), by which the Assembly would urge all States to sign and ratify the Treaty, particularly those whose ratification is needed for its entry into force. The Committee then took up the draft resolution, entitled Nuclear Disarmament (document A/C.1/77/L.42), by which the Assembly would urge nuclear-weapon States to stop qualitative improvement and development of nuclear warheads, deactivate and reduce their nuclear weapons, and agree to a no-first use legally binding instrument. It also underlines the importance of the unequivocal undertaking by the nuclear-weapon States, in the final document of the 2000Review Conference of the Parties to the NPT, to accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals leading to nuclear disarmament, to which all States Parties are committed under the Treatys articleVI. Operative paragraph 1 was retained by a separate recorded vote of 163 in favour to 2 against (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, India), with 6abstentions (Bhutan, Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria). Operative paragraph1 was retained by a separate recorded vote of 163in favour to 2against (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, India), with 6abstentions (Bhutan, Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria). The Committee retained the operative paragraph6 by a recorded vote of 163in favour to 2against (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, India), with 6abstentions (Bhutan, Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria). He said that the topic is extremely sensitive for many countries and requires extremely careful and well calibrated treatment. By a recorded vote of 115in favour to 38against, with 11abstentions, the Committee retained operative paragraph2, by which the Assembly would call on all States to immediately engage in multilateral negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament, including under the Treaty. 2. 6See 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Final Document, vol. 9. 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