NEW YORK — The United Arab Emirates has reaffirmed its commitment to the international frameworks on disarmament and international security, which conform with International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, standards.
The announcement was made by Ambassador Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, the UAE’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, during a statement to the General Debate of the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly.
The statement renewed the UAE’s call on member states to abide by the agency’s standards and to demonstrate responsible cooperation for the maintenance of regional and international peace and security.
Speaking before the member states, Ambassador Nusseibeh noted that despite multilateral efforts to achieve peace and security, the world continues to suffer from crises resulting from arms smuggling and use of weapons by non-state actors, the use of chemical weapons, and nuclear testing.
She outlined the importance of utilising multilateral dialogue to promote disarmament and international security in light of the progress made towards denuclearisation through the conference in 2016 convened to negotiate a treaty to ban nuclear weapons. “This demonstrated the readiness of the international community to move towards a world free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction,” Ambassador Nusseibeh said.
On global efforts, Ambassador Nusseibeh affirmed that the UAE has adopted a clear and consistent policy on non-proliferation and disarmament issues. “We need to ensure that implementation of international agreements on the use of nuclear energy is transparent and conforms with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) standards,” she said.
In addition, Nusseibeh reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to support dialogue, consultation, and all efforts in establishing a zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East. She said that the UAE hopes that further positive steps will be taken to implement the mechanisms and outcome of the 2010 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, NPT, Review Conference, and ensures that the conference to establish the free zone in the Middle East is held with participation of all countries in the region. In this context, Ambassador Nusseibeh reiterated the UAE’s call for Israel to join the NPT, as it is the only state in the region to have not acceded to the treaty.
On the subject of Iran’s continued nuclear activities and development of its missile programme, Ambassador Nusseibeh stressed the need for Iran to commit to a transparent and full cooperative relationship with the IAEA to enhance confidence in the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme. She asserted that Iran showed no indication of ending its hostile behavior in the region nor desire to abandon its nuclear ambitions, thus the UAE supported enhancing controls on Iran’s nuclear programme and continued assessment of the agreement and its provisions. Further, she called on Iran to ensure full compliance with its international obligations and responsibilities under the NPT and to stop undermining regional security through its support and arms smuggling to militias, which violates relevant Security Council resolutions.
Ambassador Nusseibeh stated that the UAE condemned the recent nuclear tests conducted by North Korea, calling for the country to respect its international obligations and act responsibly in order to maintain peace and security in the Korean Peninsula and the region. She highlighted that the UAE considers the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty as the primary platform for strengthening global efforts on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. She noted that the UAE is disappointed that the treaty has not been entered into force, and called on states to sign and ratify the treaty at the earliest, urging all states to maintain the moratorium on nuclear testing.
The UAE Ambassador stressed the need to mainstream a gender perspective in disarmament and international security discussions. She declared, “increased representation of women in all levels of decision-making in the relevant national, regional, and international institutions and mechanisms would assist in effectively addressing the core issues.”