Non Proliferation Treaty tarnished: Kuwait

This news has been read 21907 times!

NEW YORK, May 4, (KUNA): Despite a deep conviction in the importance of the global nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Kuwait believes its credibility has become questionable.

The absence of true commitment from nuclear nations to rid themselves of their weapons has damaged the treaty, slowed down its mechanisms and caused its most recent review talks to fail, said Kuwait’s representative. The remarks were made by the Kuwaiti UN mission Second Secretary at the third Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference held at the United Nations headquarters. The possession and development of nuclear weapons does not ensure regional and global peace and security and increases instability, Faisal Al- Daei told nations gathered at the talks.

The complete and ultimate elimination of nuclear weapons is the sole guarantee that humanity would be spared their dangers, he underlined. Therefore, these nations should discard nuclear weapon- based defence strategies, through halting the development of their nuclear arsenals or developing alternatives. It is crucial that the humanitarian dimensions and catastrophes that are left behind by these weapons are taken into consideration, he argued.

“Reaching a binding document on the non-use or threat of use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states is a goal we aspire to, until these weapons are totally eliminated,” the Kuwaiti diplomat said. Al-Daei also called for nations under threat to be offered “unconditional and legallybinding contractual security guarantees.”

Meanwhile, Kuwait on Friday said Israel was the only obstacle establishing a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and nuclear weapons because it failed to join the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT). “Israel’s membership in NPT is key to realize universality of treaty, specially that it is the only non-member party in the Middle East, and the obstacle facing establishment of an area free of nuclear weapons and WMD,”

Abdulaziz Al-Jarallah, Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for International Organizations, said. He was speaking before the third Preparatory Committee for the 2020 NPT Review Conference at the UN. He said membership of nonnuclear countries in NPT reflected their conviction in danger of nuclear weapons. NPT should be universal, he said, thus all countries which did not join it should do so. He said the 2010 NPT Review Conference agreed to hold a conference to establish a nuclear-free Middle East in 2012, but lack of “political will and seriousness by the parties assigned to organize the conference as well as Israel, contributed to failure of conference and resulted in its postponement indefinitely.”

This news has been read 21907 times!