Kuwait’s Ambassador to Austria Talal Al-Fasam on Friday called on the international community to uphold its responsibilities and force Israeli-occupied nuclear facilities to come under the IAEA’s Comprehensive Safeguards System.
Addressing the IAEA Board of Governors on Israel’s nuclear potential, he said the State of Kuwait supports the Arab Group’s statements on this issue and reaffirms the vital role of the United Nations nuclear watchdog as the competent authority to inspect safeguards and verify the peaceful character of the nuclear program.
According to KUNA, all countries in the Middle East abide by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and are mindful of comprehensive safeguards, with the exception of Israel, which refuses to place its nuclear facilities under the agency’s supervision and refuses to take steps to remove nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) from the Middle East, as stated in the revised NPT treaty since 1995, which the ambassador highlighted.
He, who is also the permanent representative of international organizations in Vienna, said the Israeli occupation continues to refrain from international legitimacy, namely from complying with Security Council resolution 487, which requires all nuclear facilities to be subject to safeguards.
The Kuwait envoy also pointed out that Tel Aviv has not complied with the resolutions issued by the 1995 NPT Revision Conference and the 53rd IAEA General Assembly (2009) on Israel’s nuclear capabilities.
He stressed that this topic should remain on the IAEA’s agenda until practical steps are taken to address the issue.
MNA