Review Conference of NPT Highlights Israel’s Case The
Review Conference of the State Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which convened at U.N. headquarters in N.Y. in May,
adopted a final document that included an important part on the Middle East,
particularly on the implementation of the resolution adopted by the 1995 Review
Conference. The document noted that
since 1995 several states in the Middle East have acceded to the Treaty and
that, with these accessions, all states of the region, with the exception of
Israel, are State Parties to the NPT. The
Conference welcomed the accession of these States and reaffirmed the importance
of Israel’s accession to the NPT. The
Conference also established a follow-up mechanism. In this regard, a request was
made by the Conference to all State Parties, particularly the nuclear weapon
states, states of the Middle East, and other interested states, to report on the
steps that they have taken to realize the establishment of a zone free of
nuclear weapons as well as other weapons of mass destruction and on the
realization of the goals and objectives of the 1995 resolution on the Middle
East. They were requested to report
to the U.N. Secretariat and the President of the 2005 NPT Review Conference, as
well as to the Chairperson of the Preparatory Committee Meetings to be held in
advance of that Conference. Finally, the Conference took note of the statements
made by the 5 nuclear weapons states, reaffirming their commitment to the 1995
resolution on the Middle East. |