Syria calls for making ME nuclear weapon free zone

MNA � Syria�s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Hussam Eddin Ala called for taking practical steps and immediate measures to make the Middle East a zone free from nuclear weapon and other weapons of mass destruction.

�We call for the full implementation of the 1995 Middle East Resolution, as it is an integral part of the deal which provided extension of Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in 1995,� Ala said in a statement delivered at the second session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)

He added that Syria reiterates its commitment to the outcomes of 1995, 2000 and 2010 NPT Review Conferences on the Middle East Nuclear Disarmament and other weapons of mass destruction, and Syria calls on all the state parties to respect their commitment to make the Middle East free from nuclear weapons.

�Syria considers that the basic criteria to make the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) a success depends on the serious implementation of the content of the Middle East Resolution issued by the 1995 Review and Extension Conference, and the full commitment of the parties concerned in making the Middle East an area free from WMD and Nuclear weapons.

He stressed that Israel�s continued refusal to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and other agreements calling for the elimination of weapons of mass destruction seriously poses a threat to the security of the region and its people.

�Israel�s refusal to subject its nuclear facilities to the comprehensive safeguards system of the International Atomic Energy Agency is also a real threat to the internationally-adopted non-proliferation system,� Ala added.

Ala concluded by saying that Syria rejects the US and its allies� continued efforts to involve the allegations of using chemical weapons in Syria in a bid to escape from their contracting obligations under the NPT to protect Israel.