Jordan to chair New York conference on establishment of nuclear-free zone in region

AMMAN — Jordan will chair the first Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction, scheduled for November 18-22 at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

The announcement was made during the 12th Amman Security Colloquium (ASC) by Jordan Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Khaled Toukan, an ASC statement said.

In an address, Toukan said that US and Israeli participation in the upcoming global conference is needed to reach understandings to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction, according to an ASC statement on Saturday.

To prepare for the establishment of a zone free of nuclear weapons, Israel should enter the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Toukan said, stressing the Kingdom's commitment to international standards in implementing the awaited Jordan 2023 nuclear programme.

Addressing the gathering, Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Secretary General Thomas Greminger voiced appreciation for the Kingdom's role as a partner to the organisation, highlighting the OSCE’s cooperation partners from the Mediterranean region including Jordan, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia, along with its six Asian partners: Afghanistan, Australia, Japan, Mongolia, Korea and Thailand.

Undersecretary for International Affairs at the Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Al Khalifa at the colloquium voiced appreciation for the Kingdom's support of his country, highlighting the modest policies of the two nations.

Mounir Zahran, chairman of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, said that the success of the upcoming Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction is tied to US and Israeli attendance and participation.