Resolution 56/27
(November 29, 2001)
The General Assembly,
Bearing in mind its relevant resolutions,
Taking note of the relevant resolutions adopted
by the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency,
the latest of which is resolution GC(45)/RES/18, adopted on 21 September
2001, 1/
Cognizant that the proliferation of nuclear
weapons in the region of the Middle East would pose a serious threat
to international peace and security,
Mindful of the immediate need for placing all
nuclear facilities in the region of the Middle East under full-scope
safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency,
Recalling the decision on principles and objectives
for nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament adopted by the 1995 Review
and Extension Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation
of Nuclear Weapons on 11 May 1995, 2/ in which the Conference urged
universal adherence to the Treaty as an urgent priority and called upon
all States not yet parties to the Treaty to accede to it at the earliest
date, particularly those States that operate unsafeguarded nuclear facilities,
Recognizing with satisfaction that, in the
Final Document of the 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty
on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, 3/ the Conference undertook
to make determined efforts towards the achievement of the goal of universality
of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, 4/ and called
upon those remaining States not parties to the Treaty to accede to it,
thereby accepting an international legally binding commitment not to
acquire nuclear weapons or nuclear explosive devices and to accept International
Atomic Energy Agency safeguards on all their nuclear activities, and
underlined the necessity of universal adherence to the Treaty and of
strict compliance by all parties with their obligations under the Treaty,
Recalling the resolution on the Middle East
adopted by the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to
the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons on 11 May 1995,
5/ in which the Conference noted with concern the continued existence
in the Middle East of unsafeguarded nuclear facilities, reaffirmed the
importance of the early realization of universal adherence to the Treaty
and called upon all States in the Middle East that had not yet done
so, without exception, to accede to the Treaty as soon as possible and
to place all their nuclear facilities under full-scope International
Atomic Energy Agency safeguards,
Noting that Israel remains the only State in
the Middle East that has not yet become party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation
of Nuclear Weapons,
Concerned about the threats posed by the proliferation
of nuclear weapons to the security and stability of the Middle East
region,
Stressing the importance of taking confidence-building
measures, in particular the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone
in the Middle East, in order to enhance peace and security in the region
and to consolidate the global non-proliferation regime,
Emphasizing the need for all parties directly concerned
to consider seriously taking the practical and urgent steps required
for the implementation of the proposal to establish a nuclear-weapon-free
zone in the region of the Middle East in accordance with the relevant
resolutions of the General Assembly and, as a means of promoting this
objective, inviting the countries concerned to adhere to the Treaty
on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and, pending the establishment
of the zone, to agree to place all their nuclear activities under International
Atomic Energy Agency safeguards,
Noting that one hundred and sixty-one States have
signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, 6/ including a number
of States in the region,
1. Welcomes the conclusions on the Middle East of
the 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation
of Nuclear Weapons; 7/
2. Reaffirms the importance of Israel's accession
to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons4 and placement
of all its nuclear facilities under comprehensive International Atomic
Energy Agency safeguards, in realizing the goal of universal adherence
to the Treaty in the Middle East;
3. Calls upon that State to accede to the Treaty on
the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons without further delay and not
to develop, produce, test or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons, and
to renounce possession of nuclear weapons, and to place all its unsafeguarded
nuclear facilities under full-scope International Atomic Energy Agency
safeguards as an important confidence-building measure among all States
of the region and as a step towards enhancing peace and security;
4. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the
General Assembly at its fifty-seventh session on the implementation
of the present resolution;
5. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of
its fifty-seventh session the item entitled "The risk of nuclear
proliferation in the Middle East."
68th plenary meeting
29 November 2001
Notes:
1. See International Atomic Energy Agency, Resolutions
and Other Decisions of the General Conference, Forty-fifth Regular Session,
17-21 September 2001 (GC(45)/RES/DEC(2001)).
2. 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the Parties
to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Final Document,
Part I (NPT/CONF.1995/32 (Part I) and Corr.2), annex, decision 2.
3. 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty
on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Final Document, vols. I–III
(NPT/CONF.2000/28 (Parts I–IV)).
4. United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 729, No. 10485.
5. See 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the
Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Final
Document, Part I (NPT/CONF.1995/32 (Part I) and Corr.2), annex.
6. See resolution 50/245.
7. See 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Final Document,
vol. I (NPT/CONF.2000/28 (Parts I and II)), part I, art. VII, para.
16.
Sources: The United Nations |