Diplomat: Kuwait keen on Mideast free of nuclear weapons, WMDs

NEW YORK, May 6 (KUNA) -- The State of Kuwait is keen on having a Middle East region free of nuclear arsenals and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs), said a Kuwaiti diplomat to UN meeting late Monday.
This affirmation came during a speech delivered by Diplomatic at the Kuwait's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York Abdulaziz Al-Seidi to the preparatory committee for the parties to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Kuwait's stance on the issue is based on the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to the NPT, which is considered as a cornerstone for legal and ethical stances on the issue and also a binding document nuclear powers and the three depositary countries of the US, the UK, and Russia, he said.
He underlined that the NPT's extended nature was a safeguard for the world, stressing that all parties to the treaty must implement it and disarm nuclear weapons and WMDs.
The Kuwaiti diplomat commended the increasing dynamic trajectory of the NPT, which mirrored UNGA decision 73/546 on the conference to establish a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Kuwait had chaired the second session of the said Middle East conference in addition to Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, and Morocco, which chaired previous sessions.
Al-Seidi affirmed Kuwait's transparent stance on the issue of denuclearization, calling on depositary countries of the NPT to enforce the treaty in the Middle East and avoiding selective policies, allowing some to obtain such horrific weapons.
The Israeli occupation continues to threaten the region, especially Palestinians, with nuclear weapons, the Kuwaiti diplomat said, stressing that such behavior should not be left unchecked.
Allowing the Israeli occupation to threaten the Middle East is one of the main obstacles to achieve Non-Proliferation and also is solidifies a sense of injustice and favoritism when it comes to international disarmament, added Al-Seidi.
He called on the international community to exact its responsibility and force the Israeli occupation to allow the IAEA to inspect of its nuclear facilities. (end) ats.gta