Controversy over mention of the Middle East nuclear weapon free zone

Germany’s Commissioner for Disarmament and Arms Control addressed the Conference on Disarmament (CD), speaking on opportunities for arms control. The Egyptian and Algerian ambassadors spoke on the establishment of a Middle East Nuclear Weapon Free Zone, to which Israel’s representative objected. The ambassador of Turkey spoke about the “four core issues” of the CD as well as terrorism and conventional weapons and China’s ambassador supported the call for a Middle East Nuclear Weapon Free Zone. TheGroup of 21 thanked current CD president, Ambassador Chitsaka Chipaziwa of Zimbabwe, who then delivered his final statement as president. Algeria is scheduled to assume the next presidency.

Brief highlights

• Germany and Turkey called for a balance of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty’s “three pillars”: disarmament, non-proliferation, and “peaceful uses” of nuclear technology.
• Egypt and Algeria called for serious efforts to be made at the next nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference to operationalize the 1995 resolution on the Middle East.
• Israel objected to the mention of an NPT resolution within the context of the CD.
• China voiced support for the establishment of a nuclear weapon free zone in the Middle East.
• Turkey called for further reductions in nuclear forces and in their operational status.
• Turkey voiced support for space security measures; the establishment of nuclear weapon free zones, including in the Middle East; negative security assurances; measures against nuclear and conventional terrorism; an Arms Trade Treaty; and other conventional arms agreements.

Opportunities for arms control
The Federal Government Commissioner for Disarmament and Arms Control of Germany, Ambassador Klaus-Peter Gottwald, outlined the following “opportunities to prove the seriousness of our commitment” to “multilateral arms control and disarmament”:

• Reaffirm the fundamental bargain underlying the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) (i.e., the balance of disarmament, non-proliferation, and “peaceful uses” of nuclear technology);
• Further develop initiatives for multilateral nuclear fuel assurances, including Germany’s 2007 proposal for a Multilateral Enrichment Sanctuary Project;
• Support, “or at least not stand in the way of,” the adoption of a programme of work in the CD;
• Begin negotiations on a fissile materials cut-off treaty (FMCT) without preconditions;
• Establish, within the CD, a Group of Scientific Experts to examine technical aspects—such as scope and verification—of an FMCT;
• Increase security, transparency, and control over existing weapon purpose-fissile material stocks.

Agreeing with the importance of balancing the NPT’s “three pillars,” Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü of Turkey advocated for a “gradual and a realistic approach towards the fulfillment of Article VI goals.” To this end, he welcomed the “reduction” in the role “attributed to nuclear weapons in security and defense policies” and encouraged similar reductions in nuclear forces and their operational status. He also encouraged CD member states to support negotiations of an FMCT, arguing that the negotiation of an FMCT and entry into force of theComprehensive Test Ban Treaty “could play a catalyst role for a successful outcome at the NPT Review Conference.”

Middle East Nuclear Weapon Free Zone
Ambassador Hisham Badr of Egypt emphasized the importance of clearly highlighting his delegation’s “full expectation that the upcoming[nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty] Preparatory Committee will witness a healthy and dynamic handling of practical ways and means to operationalize the 1995 Resolution on the Middle East.” Arguing that the NPT’s credibility and viability “continues to be undermined as long as any of the elements of the 1995 Package remain unimplemented,” Ambassador Badr noted that the many agreements and texts on this issue

contribute to creating a solid, unambiguous and mutually reinforcing framework that makes the establishment of such a zone a global imperative, and collectively highlight that lack of progress in this matter perpetuates a situation that constitutes a direct threat to regional and international peace and security, increasing the potential for a regional nuclear arms race.

The Egyptian delegation to the 2008 NPT PrepCom submitted a working paper on this issue, which included a non-exhaustive list of concrete measures aimed at operationalizing the 1995 Middle East resolution. Ambassador Badr encouraged other delegations to submit feedback on these ideas.

Ambassador Idriss Jazairy of Algeria also expressed his delegation’s concern with “the absence of any progress towards making the Middle East region a nuclear weapon free zone.” He argued that double standards and a “deafening silence” have been applied to the region, and that non-proliferation efforts would have more credibility if they were applied without discrimination or favouritism. He also argued that linking the elimination of nuclear weapons in the region to the overall Middle East peace process “undermines the proliferation system” since the only country in the region that possesses nuclear weapons is also “the one that is occupying Arab territories.”

China’s Ambassador Wang Qun agreed that it “is quite urgent to establish the mechanism to prevent nuclear proliferation in the Middle East,” and expressed hope “that relevant UN resolutions will be effectively implemented” and “that at the upcoming third session of the Preparatory Committee for the NPT Review Conference, all parties will try to seek acceptable methods to implement the resolutions on the Middle East Free zone in the Middle East as adopted at the 1995 and 2000 NPT Review Conferences.”

Israel’s Counsellor Meir Itzchaki took the floor to object to the references to the NPT resolution on the Middle East in the context of the CD, noting that Israel is not a member of the NPT. He argued, “the establishment of the nuclear weapon free zones are to be based on arrangements freely arrived at by the states in the region concerned,” and that other such zones have been established “while conditions in the regions allowed that and [when a] significant reduction in threats has been prevalent.” He insisted that bringing this issue to the CD “is actually in contradiction to the concept of arrangements freely arrived at.” In implied reference to Algeria’s impending assumption of the CD presidency, Mr. Itzchaki also said, “We expect ... P6 members to also fulfill their presidency in a professional and impartial way, not allowing politics to stand in the way [of] maintaining the credibility of the presidency of the CD.”

Outer space security
Ambassador Üzümcü of Turkey noted his delegation “in principle” supports proposal for strengthening the existing legal framework forpreventing an arms race in outer space and is interested in both the Russian-Chinese draft treaty and “the idea that [transparency and confidence-building measures] may serve as a precursor to a legally binding instrument.”

Conventional weapons
Turkey’s ambassador highlighted the relationship between small arms and terrorism and called for a “comprehensive approach” including manufacture, seizure, destruction, information-sharing, and transparency to prevent illicit trafficking. Turkey also voiced support for anArms Trade Treaty, the Mine Ban Treaty, and negotiations on a cluster munitions protocol in the framework of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. He also emphasized the importance to the UN General Assembly resolutions on transparency in armaments.

“Wise men” vs. “peaceniks”: an unfortunate debate
Ambassador Gottwald of Germany noted the articles on a “nuclear free world” of the American and German “wise men,” who, he explained, “are not suspicious of being ‘peaceniks’ but politicians with a realistic political approach,” suggesting that non-politicians, or people who have not exercised political decision-making power of “war and peace,” are neither realistic nor wise. This perspective is especially unfortunate as the majority of CD members have been vocally supportive of the inclusion of civil society experts in CD debates—“peaceniks” who have dedicated their lives to the very issues on the table at the CD. As author Darwin Bond-Graham notes inone of several critiques of the “wise men,” “George Shultz, William Perry, Henry Kissinger and Sam Nunn have not built their careers off of making peace and pursuing disarmament. In fact, quite the opposite.”

Other business
The CD accepted the request of Armenia and Iceland to participate in the Conference as observers.

The next plenary meeting of the CD is scheduled for Tuesday, 17 March. The Foreign Minister of Algeria is scheduled to address the Conference.

- Ray Acheson, Reaching Critical Will of WILPF