Qatar affirms full support for establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones in Middle East

Qatar affirmed its continued full support for the establishment of a zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East in order to spare the region from the specter of wars and unrest; stressing the need to accelerate the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free Zone in the Middle East in accordance with Security Council Resolution (487) of 1981, Paragraph (14) of Security Council Resolution (687) of 1991, and relevant General Assembly resolutions.This came in the statement of the State of Qatar made by Hussain Mohammed Al Safran, member of Qatar's delegation to the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, before the First Committee debate on item: Nuclear Weapons.The statement noted that the world today is going through rapidly evolving challenges. The growing tensions at the regional and international levels prove that the nuclear non-proliferation system is at a critical stage, so it is necessary for the international community to intensify efforts on disarmament at all levels and commit to nuclear disarmament. These weapons must be eliminated completely in a verifiable and irreversible manner under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).The international community awaits the complete elimination of those weapons. The nuclear-weapon States current "progressive" approach has not brought about tangible progress. Real progress requires constructive participation, stronger commitment and legally binding action by States parties, the statement added.In light of the tensions and conflicts in many regions around the world, the State of Qatar appeals to governments and relevant international organizations to fulfill their role under the NPT to reverse the current trend and activate mechanisms for implementing Article VI of the Treaty in the nuclear-weapon states, and urge peoples to exercise their role in reminding their governments of the catastrophic humanitarian consequences resulting from any use of nuclear weapons and the need to comprehensively prohibit and eliminate them, the statement said.The State of Qatar - based on its keenness to support all efforts aimed at enhancing nuclear safety globally, in light of its National Vision 2030, and through the Qatari framework for technical cooperation signed with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in May 2022 - has submitted a proposal for new national projects for the next session of the Agency 2024-2025. It also initiated the procedures for establishing a secondary calibration laboratory in cooperation with the IAEA, which is considered the largest of its kind in the region, the statement noted.The statement mentioned that the State of Qatar intends to hold a national forum for the peaceful uses of atomic energy and its role in national development, with the aim of enhancing knowledge of nuclear technologies and their peaceful uses, with the participation of all relevant state institutions in the first quarter of 2024, seeking to enhance the spirit of cooperation and continuing open and constructive dialogue to maintain international peace and security.