‘Create nuke free Zone in Middle East’

Manama : A top Bahraini official yesterday called for creating a zone free of nuclear and mass destruction weapons in the Middle East. 

This came as Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Shaikha Rana bint Isa bin Daij Al Khalifa participated in the 22nd Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention in Hague. 

“All countries should join the conventions and treaties related to the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and should remain committed to them,” Dr Shaikha Rana told the conference which began on 27 November. 

She told the conference participants that the destruction of chemical weapons by the Russian Federation was a move in the right direction and urged the remaining member states to follow suit. 

Earlier, Ahmet Üzümcü, Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, who inaugurated the conference stressed that the international community still faces the problem of the continued and systematic use of chemical weapons, noting the need of chemical weapons users to shoulder their responsibilities for the benefit of all state parties to the convention. 

The conference also discussed the progress made in the clearance of declared chemical weapons stockpiles.

Headed this year by Ambassador Abdelouahab Bellouki from Morocco, the conference will continue until December 1.