Aboul Gheit Expresses Regret over Failure of Review Conference of Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to Produce Consensual Document

Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, expressed his regret over the third consecutive failure of the Eleventh Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to produce a consensual final document.

​The Secretary-General explained that this failure reflects the absence of political will on the part of a number of states to fulfil their obligations under the Treaty, particularly those related to nuclear disarmament, considering that this negatively affects the effectiveness of the international non-proliferation regime and threatens the credibility and future of the Treaty.

​Mr. Aboul Gheit stressed the need to exert intensified efforts, in coordination with the United Nations and other relevant organisations and groupings, to enable the Non-Proliferation Treaty to restore its required credibility at the earliest possible opportunity. He further affirmed the League's full readiness to support every effective effort in this regard in order to protect the world from the dangers of any nuclear war that could erupt at any moment.

​Gamal Roshdy, the official spokesperson for the Secretary-General, also expressed regret over the severe polarisation that has come to characterise the review process, in addition to the insistence of nuclear-weapon states on maintaining the role of nuclear weapons within their defence doctrines, particularly in light of the current contradictory geopolitical trends and the growing role of existing military alliances, in a manner that obstructs progress towards a world free of nuclear weapons.

​In this context, he expressed appreciation for the efforts undertaken by Arab states to preserve Arab rights and gains, foremost among them the establishment of a zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, in implementation of the 1995 Resolution, which constituted an integral part of the package underpinning the Treaty's indefinite extension in 1995. He also commended the efforts of Arab states towards achieving the universality of the Treaty, including Israel's accession to the Treaty and to the zone as a non-nuclear-weapon state, and the placement of all its nuclear facilities under the comprehensive safeguards system of the International Atomic Energy Agency, as well as building upon the six successful United Nations conferences convened by the states of the region under UN auspices. He further reaffirmed the Arab states' adherence to their legitimate right to benefit from nuclear technologies for peaceful purposes without restriction.