Kuwait: Necessity of keeping the Israeli nuclear capabilities file on the agenda of 'Atomic Energy'
- Called on the international community to urge the occupying power to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and subject its facilities to IAEA safeguards
Kuwait stressed 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.
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This came in a statement delivered by Kuwait’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna, Ambassador Fawaz Al-Bursali, during the discussion of the item “Other Business” at the conclusion of the IAEA Board of Governors’ session, held in Vienna from September 7 to 11.
Kuwait emphasized the necessity for the international community to fulfill its responsibilities by urging Israel, the occupying power, to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, comply with its provisions, and subject all its nuclear facilities to the IAEA’s comprehensive safeguards system.
Ambassador Al-Bursali expressed Kuwait’s support for the statements of the Arab Group at the outset of his address, and conveyed Kuwait’s gratitude and support for Qatar’s statement, before addressing several national points.
He reaffirmed Kuwait’s emphasis on the pivotal role of the IAEA as the competent body for implementing comprehensive safeguards and as the primary guarantor of verifying the peaceful nature of nuclear programs.
Kuwait reiterated 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 1995 NPT Review Conference decision and the outcomes of the 2000 and 2010 Review Conferences.
He pointed out that all countries in the Middle East region are committed to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the implementation of comprehensive safeguards agreements, with the exception of Israel, the occupying power, which continues to refuse to subject all its nuclear 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-Bursali 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, in which the UN Security Council called on Israel to subject all its nuclear facilities to IAEA safeguards.
He added that relevant resolutions also include the 1995 NPT Review Conference decision, as well as the resolution issued by the IAEA General Conference at its 53rd session, titled “Israel’s Nuclear Capabilities.”
He concluded his address by expressing 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.
