Ashraf AboArafe
The Kingdom participated in the work of the Second Preparatory Committee for the Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, with a delegation headed by the Permanent Representative to the United Nations and International Organizations in Geneva, Ambassador Abdul Mohsen bin Khathila.
During the general discussion session of the Preparatory Committee, Ambassador bin Khathila delivered a statement that included the Kingdom’s emphasis on peaceful international cooperation as a means of achieving prosperity, stability and global security, stressing the importance of the Non-Proliferation Treaty as the cornerstone of the non-proliferation system and the necessity of its full implementation to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons, calling for more effective international efforts to achieve the goals of this treaty and its universality, and urging non-party states to join the treaty and subject all their nuclear facilities to comprehensive safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
He stressed the need for nuclear-armed states to fulfill their obligations under Article VI of the Treaty, and that the only way to ensure that nuclear weapons are not used is to completely eliminate them and maintain the balance between the three pillars of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the credibility of the Treaty in achieving its goals, noting the Kingdom’s support for the International Atomic Energy Agency for its crucial role in verifying the peaceful nature of nuclear programs.
He stressed the right to the peaceful use of nuclear technology under Article IV of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, while adhering to the highest standards of transparency and reliability in its national nuclear energy policy and the importance of economic development, urging all parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to cooperate to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy for the benefit of global development and prosperity.
Ambassador Bin Khathila explained that the responsibility for making the Middle East a nuclear-weapon-free zone lies with the international community, especially the sponsors of the 1995 resolution on the Middle East, condemning the recent inflammatory statements and threats made by a member of the Israeli government regarding the use of nuclear weapons against the Palestinians, describing them as violations of international law and a threat to global peace and security.
He called for intensifying cooperation between the parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to achieve positive results at the upcoming Review Conference in 2026, with the aim of achieving a safe and nuclear-weapon-free world.
