Iraqi delegation delivers statement of Iraq to the Second Subsidiary Body of the Third Preparatory Committee for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Review Conference

On Monday 6 May 2019, Dr. Abbas Kazem Obaid, Plenipotentiary of the Iraq Mission in Geneva, delivered the Statement of Iraq to the Second Subsidiary Body of the Third Preparatory Committee for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Review Conference, currently held in New York, regarding the establishment of free zone from nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East.

The statement affirmed Iraq’s support for efforts to establish nuclear-weapon-free zones as an important step towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons. He stressed the importance of the 1995 Middle East Resolution as the fourth pillar of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the cornerstone of its indefinite extension, which will remain in effect until its objectives and purpose, which is an integral part of the results of the 1995 Review Conference, Will undoubtedly affect the credibility and universality of the treaty. The statement called on the three sponsoring States (the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States) of the 1995 resolution on the Middle East to assume their responsibilities in the full implementation of their commitments in this regard. Iraq also welcomed the adoption of UN General Assembly Resolution No. 546/73 of 2018, expressing the hope that the conference will be held at the end of this year and that concrete results will be achieved in the interest of peace and stability in the Middle East, this decision would constitute a parallel course to support international efforts aimed to establish a free zone of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East.