Envoy: Israel main obstacle to nuke-free Mideast

He made the remarks during meeting of Preparatory Committee for 2020 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in Vienna on Tuesday.

He underlined the need to dismantle nuclear arsenals and create regions free of such weapons in the entire world.

Najafi added this issue in the Middle East region, where nuclear arsenal of the Israeli regime has caused concerns and a serious threat against peace and regional security has special importance.

He pointed to plenty of the UN General Assembly resolutions as well as NPT Review Conference in this concern and lack of implementation of the approvals for a nuclear-free region in the Mideast, and said that its consequences of stubborn opposition of the Israeli regime and blind support of the US government for the regime.

In case of creation of nuclear-free region, the regime has no choice except to join NPT and destroy all its nuclear arsenals, so it will lose its main instrument for blackmailing, aggression, suppression and continuation of its expansionist policies in the region.

He said that the sole way to create nuclear-free region in the Middle East is pressures to be imposed by international community against the regime to force them to join NPT and all its nuclear installations to be under full supervision of IAEA safeguards.

Najafi asked NPT review conference to consider the issue of creating nuclear-free region in the Mideast with priority and to reach agreement for tangible measures in imminent execution of former approvals in this concern.

The first preparatory committee meeting of NPT review conference, which kicked off last week, is to continue its work until this Friday.

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