Qatar Stresses Importance of Establishing Nuclear-free Zone

The State of Qatar has stressed the importance of establishing a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East and placing all nuclear facilities in the region under comprehensive safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in compliance with the resolution of 1995 NPT Review Conference and in accordance with the mechanisms agreed upon at the 2010 Review Conference, highlighting the need to avoid a repeat of the failed 2015 Review Conference.
This came in statement delivered by HE Qatar's Ambassador in Vienna and its permanent representative to the IAEA Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al-Thani, before the First Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which began in Vienna on Tuesday and will come to a close on May 12.
The statement warned of the gravity of the international situation, the exacerbation of international and regional crises, the increased emphasis on the role of nuclear weapons in the military and security doctrines of many countries, and the escalation of cyber wars, as these negative developments have been a major concern for the international community.
It noted the support of the State of Qatar for the initiative to prepare a binding international instrument for a nuclear-weapon-free world, which the United Nations General Assembly continues to consider at its current session, as well as its support for the international conferences on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons, the last of which was a conference held in Vienna in 2015, which aimed at developing a greater awareness of the catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons detonations.The statement also supported the position made by the group of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries at the meeting.
The State of Qatar is participating in the First Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) with a delegation headed by HE Qatar's Ambassador to international organizations in Vienna and its permanent representative to the IAEA Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al-Thani, acting Director of International Organizations at the Foreign Ministry Youssef Sultan Laram, and HE Vice-Chairman of the National Committee for the Prohibition of Weapons Lieutenant Major (Air) Hassan Saleh Al Nisf. 

Source: QNA