[01/November/2009]

New York, Nov. 01 (Saba) - The UAE has called on the international community to adopt more serious procedures to curb the Israeli insistence to possess nuclear arms, a move it said could spur other countries in the region to access such dangerous weapons if unchecked, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported on Sunday.

The remarks came in a speech Khalifa Abdul Rahman Al Marzouqi, a member of the UAE delegation to United Nations, delivered before the first committee of the UN General Assembly for Disarmament and International Security.

The meeting tackled setting up of a nuclear arms free zone in the Middle East. He added that the insistence of Israel to keep the nuclear arsenal is the main reason that makes the Middle East the most volatile region in the world.

Al Marzouqi reiterated the stance of the UAE, which denounces with strong terms sole possession of Israel of the nuclear arsenal. He urged the committee to revisit the previous international resolutions in this regard and called meantime for slapping diplomatic, political and economic pressures on Israel to join unconditionally the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, taking into account that Israel should be compelled to exercise transparency in this regard.

About the Iranian nuclear file, Al Marzouqi, urged Iran to continue its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the international community and adhere to the UN Security Council resolutions to allay fears over the nature of its nuclear programmes to safeguard security and stability of the region and the world.

The uae diplomat stressed the legitimacy of developing countries to access nuclear peaceful technology under supervision of the IAEA as per fourth article of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Al Marzouqi added that the UAE hopes the members of the committee will support voting for the two draft resolutions submitted by Arab members over setting up of the zone free from the weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East.

Saba