Mr. President,
We align ourselves to the intervention delivered by Indonesia, on behalf of the Group of NAM Member States.
Cuba has supported the establishment of Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones in different countries or regions of the world, as part of the efforts to invigorate nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, and to achieve the highest priority in the field of disarmament, which is the attainment of a nuclear-weapon-free world.
Latin America and the Caribbean was the first densely populated area in the world to be declared a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone through the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (Treaty of Tlatelolco). The Treaty of Tlatelolco has served as a relevant political and legal reference for the establishment of other nuclear-weapon-free zones (NWFZs). We are convinced that the establishment of these internationally recognized NWFZs strengthens international and regional peace and security.
Mr. President,
We advocate the establishment of a Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East. We call on Israel, pending such establishment, to renounce possession of nuclear weapons, to accede without delay to the NPT, as a Non-Nuclear Weapon State and to place all its nuclear facilities immediately under IAEA safeguards, to comply without delay and without conditions, with the just demands of the international community.
The prolonged non-compliance with the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference resolution on the establishment of this Zone in the Middle East undermines the credibility of the NPT. This Preparatory Committee and the 11th Review Conference must reaffirm the validity of this decision. The indefinite extension of the NPT is not a license to not comply with this decision, or with Article VI.
Mr. President,
We take note of the holding of the Conferences for the Establishment of a Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Extermination in 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023. We urge the participation of all actors involved in these Conferences.
The establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East, in addition to being an important contribution to the achievement of the goal of nuclear disarmament, will mean a transcendental step in the peace process in the region, which is today, more necessary than ever.
Mr. President,
We conclude by expressing our concern over Israel's recent statements on the possible use of nuclear weapons against the Islamic Republic of Iran and against the Palestinian people in Gaza. There must be an end to the warmongering rhetoric in the Middle East, which only contributes to exacerbate tensions.
A comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the conflict, based on the creation of two States, which allows the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination and to have an independent and sovereign State within the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and which also guarantees the right of return of the refugees, cannot be postponed.
I thank you.