New York: Qatar has called to reinforce pillars of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), namely, non-proliferation, disarmament and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, calling upon all stakeholders to participate in the conference on the establishment of a zone free of nuclear weapons in the Middle East to be held at the end of this year.
The remarks came during a speech by the Secretary of the National Committee to Combat Terrorism and member of Qatar’s delegation to 67th UN General Assembly, Khaled Al Kabi before the UNGA First Committee on the general debate on all disarmament and international security agenda items.
Al Kabi pointed out that there has been more international concern as a result of the increased risk over the past decades of the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
The selective and unfair dealing with it has led to the stockpiling of terrifying amounts of nuclear weapons, in addition to the development of new deadly weapons in many countries without regard to the NPT.
The Middle East continues to be a clear example of the lack of effectiveness of NPT in achieving security for the parties as it is the only region that did not witness international efforts aimed at effectively freeing it from proliferation.
Contrary to what some people may think, despite the international efforts that have been made in recent years and the holding of numerous conferences and forums in the United Nations, which unanimously agreed on the need to reduce military spending to maintain regional and international stability, the last 10 years have witnessed an unprecedented rise in global military spending, particularly with respect to the acquisition of conventional arms, he said.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute military spending has increased by 4.5 percent during the period 2001-2009, he explained, noting that this points to the alarming pace of the armament in many parts of the world including in areas that are not under any military threat.
Building a world of peace and security is contingent on the fact that member states of United Nations meet their commitments on disarmament, thus, providing the United Nations with the necessary financial resources that would enable it to carry out its functions in promoting a culture of peace throughout the world, Al Kabi said.
While the total budget allocated to the United Nations and its agencies is nearly $30bn annually, the rate of global military spending stood at $1.74 trillion in 2011 up from $1.3 trillion in 2010.
These figures clearly indicate that declarations made by member states do not go hand in hand in reality on the ground with their commitments on disarmament. And the only beneficiaries of this rapid rise in military spending are the arms manufacturing companies while the biggest victims remain peace and security throughout the world, he added.
It seems that the goal of building a world of stability, security and renunciation of violence will remain elusive as long as the vast majority of member states prefer a sense of false security that further accumulation of weapons may bring over real safety. If military brings geopolitical superiority peace brings economic prosperity and stability, he said.
QNA
