Kuwait to UN session: Peace through ridding world of nuclear weapons

NEW YORK, Nov 30 (KUNA) -- There will be no peace, security, or stability unless the world is rid of nuclear arsenal and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), said a senior Kuwaiti diplomat late Monday.
Speaking to the Second Session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction, Kuwait's Permanent Representative to the UN Headquarters in New York Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi said that his country would continue to adopt measures to lessen the usage of such weapons against humanity.
He affirmed that Kuwait, as President of the current session, urged countries with influence in the region to take responsibility and join the Treaty of Non-Proliferation Treaty of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) signed in 1995.
Ambassador Al-Otaibi added that Kuwait was against the spread of all kinds of conventional and nuclear weapons of destruction, partaking in all global efforts by the UN and other organizations to halt their spread regionally and internationally.
He reiterated calls for Israel to join the NPT, underlining that the Israelis were the only group in the Middle East who refused to contribute to the region's stability due to the presence of their nuclear arsenal and stockpile.
Arab countries had contribute to the decision in 1995 to have a Middle East clear of WMDs and nuclear arsenal, indicated Ambassador Al-Otaibi, adding that 2010 review conference had ratified a work plan to implement resolutions concerning clearing Middle East from such weapons.
The Kuwaiti diplomat expressed sorrow of the lack determination in regards to clearing the region from Nuclear weapons, saying that sides like Israel specifically continue to thwart any efforts in this regard preventing reviews of the NPT in 2015 to implement the tenets of the agreement.
He went on to say that, there was still a determination towards achieving the goal of a nuclear weapons-free Middle East, which involved all facilities being inspected by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to make sure that they were abiding by the NPT and other agreements.
He expressed hopes that the current session would provide positive results in the quest to protect the region from hazardous weapons be it nuclear or other.
Prior to the session, Ambassador Al-Otaibi said that the five-day conference, held at the UN headquarters, aimed to pave the way for turning the Middle East into a region free from nuclear and mass destruction weapons similar to those created in South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, Pacific and Central Asia.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Al-Otaibi expressed, on the international day to support the Palestinian people, solidarity with his Palestinian brethren and their quest to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as the capital. (end) asf.gta