Saudi Arabia Calls for Subjecting Israeli Nuclear Facilities to IAEA Rules

[Khafee]

Saudi Arabia Calls for Subjecting Israeli Nuclear Facilities to IAEA Rules
Thursday, 02 May, 2019

New York - Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia called Wednesday on the international community to pressure Israel, being the only party in the Middle East that hasn’t joined the treaty as a non-nuclear state.

It shed light on the importance of subjecting all its nuclear facilities to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) comprehensive safeguards agreement as set out in Security Council resolutions 487 and 689.

The Kingdom also warned against potential perils of an Iranian nuclear plant on the Gulf region.

Iran’s Bushehr nuclear reactor is located around 200 km from the Arabian Gulf along an active earthquake zone.

“Any radioactive leakage puts the region at a grave and serious danger to its air, food and water desalination stations,” said Saudi Deputy Chief Delegate to the UN Khalid Bin Mohammad Manzalawi.

In his remarks during the third Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, which was held at UN’s headquarters in New York, Manzalawi urged the UN and the IAEA to push Iran to sign the Convention on Nuclear Safety.

He said the Kingdom was among the first countries to accede to the NPT and the IAEA’s comprehensive safeguards agreement, out of its belief that global security and peace couldn’t be achieved with the existence of such weapons.

He also stressed the importance of efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons, which begin by recognizing the international community’s need to adopt the existing treaties and legal and ethical frameworks aimed at having a world free of nuclear weapons.

“Establishing security and stability in any region is not brought about by possession of weapons of mass destruction, but it can be fulfilled by cooperation and consultation among countries and pursuit of development,” the Saudi diplomat said.

He pointed out that the Kingdom affirms that the second decision on the Middle East is an integral part of the outcomes of the resolutions that led to the adoption of the indefinite extension of the Treaty on the NPT.


https://aawsat.com/english/home/art...jecting-israeli-nuclear-facilities-iaea-rules

 

[Scorpion]

Saudi Arabia is building its nuclear facilities and wanting to ease pressure by pointing at Israel. A non compliant Israel is a non compliant Saudi Arabia. No pressure should be exerted on Saudi Arabia, the pressure should be on Israel first.

 

[Khafee]

Saudi Arabia Stresses Establishment of Nuclear-Free Zone
08 May, 2019

A United Nations logo is seen on a glass door in the Assembly Building at the United Nations headquarters in New York City September 18, 2015. REUTERS/Mike Segar

New York - Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia has stressed that the establishment of a zone free of nuclear arms and weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East is the international community’s collective responsibility.

It called on the international community, the United Nations and Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) to fulfill their obligations to establish this zone “in order to promote peace, security and stability in the Middle East in particular and the world in general.”

This came during a speech before the third session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the NPT, which was held at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

The speech was delivered by Prince Saud bin Badr bin Saud, member of the Saudi delegation to the conference.

The Prince explained the delegation supports the statements made by the Arab Group and the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries.

He noted that the establishment of the nuclear weapon free zone is one of the most important objectives of the NPT, especially in the Middle East.

Prince Saud also stressed that security and stability in any region couldn’t be reached by obtaining weapons of mass destruction.

“The second resolution on the Middle East is an integral part of the other resolutions that led to the adoption of the indefinite extension of the 1995 NPT,” he added.

He also expressed the Kingdom’s concern about the failure of nuclear powers to establish a specific time frame for the implementation of this resolution, which called for the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone (NWFZ) in the Middle East.

The proposal by the UN Secretary General to hold a high-level meeting in support of the NPT one year ahead of the 2020 Review Conference marks an opportunity to reach arrangements based on which regional states freely establish a NWFZ in the Middle East, he stated.

Prince Saud said Saudi Arabia hopes the outcome of this preparatory session will have clear results that support the establishment of this conference.

“The Kingdom calls on the international community to pressure Israel, being the only party in the Middle East that hasn’t yet joined the NPT,” he noted, stressing the importance of subjecting all its nuclear facilities to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement.

Saudi Arabia Stresses Establishment of Nuclear-Free Zone

Saudi Arabia has stressed that the establishment of a zone free of nuclear arms and weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East is the international community’s collective responsibility. It called on the international community, the United Nations and Parties to the Treaty on the...

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