Bahrain renews support to disarmament, calls on Iran to cooperate with IAEA

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain renewed its 'firm' support for nuclear disarmament yesterday, describing it as the only way to ensure peace in the Middle East and beyond and calling on Iran to cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Iran's cooperation is critical to making the Middle Eastern region free of weapons of mass destruction, a top Bahraini official said, citing the ongoing conflicts and tension around the world.

The comments also come amid rising speculations that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons, which US President Joe Biden termed as a nuclear "Armageddon".

The Kingdom also raised the possibility of the weapons of mass destruction falling into the wrong hands, which would produce catastrophic repercussions.

The warnings came during a speech of Ambassador Jamal Fares Alrowaiei, the Permanent Representative of Bahrain to the United Nations in New York, yesterday at the Disarmament and International Security Committee.

Calling the Treaty of non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons the cornerstone of international peace efforts, he also called for ensuring the right of states to make optimal use of advanced nuclear technologies for peaceful uses.

The Permanent Representative further stressed the importance of implementing the 1995 Review Conference decision for freeing the Middle East of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.

In this regard, he highlighted the outcomes of the second session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction in the Middle East.

The envoy also expressed Bahrain's desire to actively participate in the third session in November next year under the chairmanship of Lebanon.

The Bahraini official also called on the international community to pay special attention to cyber security to ensure that the gains of countries and people are not targeted.