Kuwait calls for keeping Israel’s nuclear capabilities on the IAEA agenda - Sarmad
(KUNA) – Kuwait reaffirmed the necessity of keeping the issue of “Israel’s nuclear capabilities” on the agenda of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its relevant bodies until serious and effective steps are taken to address this situation.
This was stated in a speech delivered by Kuwait’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna, Ambassador Fawaz Al-Boushri, during the discussion of the item “Other Business” at the conclusion of the IAEA Board of Governors meeting, held in Vienna from September 7 to 11.
Kuwait emphasized the necessity for the international community to fulfill its responsibilities in urging Israel, the occupying power, to accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), comply with its provisions, and subject all its nuclear facilities to the IAEA’s comprehensive safeguards system.
At the outset of his speech, Ambassador Al-Boushri expressed Kuwait’s support for the statements of the Arab Group, as well as Kuwait’s gratitude and support for Qatar’s statement, before addressing several national points.
He reiterated Kuwait’s affirmation of the pivotal role of the IAEA as the competent body for implementing the comprehensive safeguards system and as the primary guarantor of verifying the peaceful nature of nuclear programs.
Kuwait reaffirmed its commitment to establishing a nuclear-weapon-free zone and a zone free of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, in accordance with the decision of the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference and the outcomes of the 2000 and 2010 Review Conferences.
He pointed out the commitment of all Middle Eastern countries to the NPT and the implementation of comprehensive safeguards agreements, with the exception of Israel, the occupying power, which continues to refuse to subject all its facilities to the IAEA’s comprehensive safeguards system and rejects any initiative or even serious steps in this direction.
He clarified that this “hinders the Agency’s ability to implement comprehensive safeguards in the Middle East or to establish a nuclear-weapon-free and weapons of mass destruction-free zone in the region.”
Ambassador Al-Boushri stated that “Israel’s intransigence, the occupying power, is not limited to rejecting initiatives; it continues its non-compliance and violations of international legal resolutions.” In this context, he recalled Resolution 487, through which the UN Security Council called on Israel to subject all its nuclear facilities to IAEA safeguards.
He added that among the relevant resolutions are the decision issued by the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference, as well as the resolution issued by the IAEA General Conference at its 53rd session, titled “Israel’s nuclear capabilities.”
At the conclusion of his speech, he expressed his anticipation for close cooperation with member states and the IAEA, extending his thanks for the support he has received since arriving in Vienna at the beginning of the current week.
