Al-Miqdad: Some countries use the Conference on Disarmament to settle their scores against countries that do not share their hostile stances and policies

Geneva, (ST) – Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Faisal Al-Miqdad stressed that, some countries use the Conference on Disarmament to settle their scores against countries that do not share their hostile stances and policies , pointing out that those countries not only obstructed the return of the conference to practice its role, but they worked on undermining the credibility and role of the mechanisms which have been established based on agreements that had  been negotiated at the conference.

Dr. Al– Miqdad said, in his speech via video before the high-level segment of session of the conference that the politicization of the work of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has led to distance it from its tasks which were defined by the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and this politicization constitute a threat to the Organization‘s credibility and future.

Al– Miqdad indicated that Syria attaches great importance to the conference as it is the only multilateral negotiating forum concerned with disarmament, expressing Syria’s commitment to cooperate with the efforts of the presidencies that respect professionalism and the principles of neutrality and integrity. He stressed the necessity to preserve the conference role, nature and mandate.

He indicated that, nuclear disarmament is a top priority for the conference as defined by the first session of the General Assembly devoted to Disarmament.Syria supports achieving this goal within the framework of the conference by negotiating an agreement that guarantees the elimination of nuclear weapons in a non-discriminatory and verifiable manner within a specific time frame. 

Syria considers that the establishment of zones free of nuclear weapons constitutes an important contribution to the efforts made to reach a world free of these weapons, Al-Miqdad added.

Dr. Al-Miqdad said that, Syria renews its support for the draft treaty proposed by Russia and China on preventing the deployment of weapons in outer space.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates stressed that ,Israel’s uniqueness in possessing weapons of mass destruction in the region and its refusal to join all the major treaties and agreements related to prohibiting and preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction make it the main source of threat to peace and security in the region. He pointed out that, this reality and the continued stalling in the implementation of the Middle East resolution of 1995 would undermine the entire non-proliferation system.

Al-Miqdad said that, the US withdrawal from the JCPOA was a setback for international multilateral diplomacy, pointing out that, Syria supports Iran’s demand for the new US administration to return to the plan without any restrictions or conditions. Syria considers that the initiative to lift the sanctions imposed by the previous US administration in violation of its obligations under the Action Plan and Security Council Resolution 2231 constitutes the entry point for implementing the plan.

Al-Miqdad expressed Syria’s agreement  to the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin, which led to the announcement of the agreement to extend the Treaty of “NewStart” for an additional five years without conditions.

Syria hopes that, the approval of the United States to the Russian proposal to extend the treaty constitutes a new beginning through which US will return to the implementation of its obligations under international agreements and treaties and abandoning the unilateral policies that have exposed international peace and security to great risks during the past years.

Raghda Sawas