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.  

This important result related to the Middle East was achieved due to considerable efforts by Arab delegations, especially the delegation of Egypt, which obviously assigns the issue of nuclear weaponry in the Middle East high priority.  In general, the Review Conference was a success, particularly in light of the acceptance by the 5 nuclear states of the principle of nuclear disarmament as the common goal.  Ambassador Abdallah Baali of Algeria, who was President of the Conference, contributed effectively to its success.