Kuwait urges Israel join global nuclear weapons ban

NEW YORK: Permanent Representative of Kuwait to the UN Ambassador Mansour Al- Otaibi speaks during a meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in the Middle East. — KUNA

NEW YORK: Kuwait has stressed that the Palestinian case is at the top of the concerns of every Muslim and Arab, stressing that there will be no lasting peace and security as long as the Israeli occupation continues. This came during a speech by Kuwait at a recent meeting of Security Council to discuss the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue, delivered by the Permanent Representative of Kuwait to the UN Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi.

"A comprehensive, just and lasting peace must be based on the resolutions of international legitimacy," Otaibi said. Otaibi reiterated Kuwait's full support for the efforts of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov, to achieve a lasting, just and comprehensive peace for the Palestinian cause. "If new funds are not received immediately, we will face a catastrophic collapse in the provision of basic assistance to services provided in hospitals and clinics, which exposes the lives of more than 500 vulnerable patients to risk including people in intensive care rooms and newborns," he added. He also mentioned the death toll since the start of the peace march on 30th of March to 180 people, condemning "these systematic Israeli crimes against the defenseless Palestinian people, amounting to war crimes against humanity under international humanitarian law and international human rights law."

Otaibi stressed the need to compel the Israeli occupation authority to respect and implement resolution 2334, which affirmed that Israeli settlement constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and an obstacle to peace. The Ambassador welcomed the first written report of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the implementation of that resolution last June, looking forward to the issuance of periodic reports on the implementation of this resolution in December, in response to the request of ten States members of the Council. "Unfortunately, the basic services provided by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) for more than five million registered Palestinian refugees are facing great pressures as a result of the financial crisis facing the Agency," Otaibi noted.

$70 million

Otaibi pointed out that the total amount provided by Kuwait during the past four years alone exceeded $70 million and will continue to support, along with many countries. The international community has been called upon to commit to delegating the Agency and secure resources and financial contributions to its balance sheet and activities in a sustainable manner that will enable it to continue its role in providing basic services to the Palestinians as a responsibility of the international community to fulfill it in accordance with General Assembly Resolution 194 of 1948, he added.

Otaibi renewed his rejection and condemnation of all these violations of the holy places, especially the attempts to change the historical and legal situation in Al-Aqsa Mosque. Otaibi praised the decision of the Government of Paraguay not to transfer its embassy to Jerusalem in respect of international law and the relevant resolutions of international legitimacy.

Otaibi assured that what he mentioned is only a simplified picture of the suffering by the Palestinian people and it is a small part of the tragedies facing our Palestinian in the occupied territories. Otaibi told reporters before the Security Council session that he renewed Israel's call for compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 2334 and stressed that the Kuwaiti delegation would do its utmost to ensure that the Council try to pressure Israel to implement all its relevant resolutions.

Nuclear weapons

Meanwhile, Kuwait called on influential member countries of the United Nations nuclear watchdog to demand Israel to join the global Non-Proliferation Treaty with its nuclear facilities subject to scrutiny. Israel, a member of the 170-nation International Atomic Energy Agency, is widely thought to possess nuclear weapons. However, it is not registered as a nuclear weapons state under the treaty, neither has it declared that this is the case or allowed IAEA inspections of its facilities.

During a discussion of the matter at the IAEA General Conference, Kuwait Embassy to Austria's Second Secretary Ali Al-Wazzan insisted it should continue to receive annual discussion. Kuwait attaches great significance to the NPT and the application of its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements, which allow IAEA on-site inspections, on all nations in the Middle East. As the IAEA is the sole guarantor of the peaceful nature of nuclear program, he said, seeking to ensure a nuclear weapons free-zone in the Middle East should have a positive impact on the regional and global security and stability.

Alongside Kuwait, similar calls have been made by other Arab countries and the 120-strong Non-Aligned Movement nations. All countries in the region are committed to the NPT, most recently Palestine, said the Kuwaiti diplomat. However, Wazzan said Israel had an "adamant and stubborn" approach in its rejection of steps towards allowing agency scrutiny of its program." This threatens the security of the region, increases the state of anxiety and blatantly conflicts with many international treaties," he said. - KUNA