Vienna, SANA – Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Vienna Bassam al-Sabbagh said that it is a source of deep concern for the countries of the Middle East region that the Zionist entity, with the nuclear capabilities it possesses, remains outside the framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement.

In a speech delivered at the 61st Annual Regular Session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference in Vienna, Sabbagh said that some UN member states, including nuclear powers, have clear double standards when it comes to Israel’s nuclear capabilities, adding that the most dangerous thing is that these countries support Israel in developing its nuclear capabilities in clear violation of their obligations under the relevant provisions of the Treaty.

Ambassador Sabbagh pointed out that the adoption of item titled “Israeli Nuclear Capabilities” by the fifty-third session of the IAEA sent a clear message from the international community demanding Israel to join the NPT.

He reiterated Syria’s full commitment to cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and valued the role of its technical cooperation program in applying the peaceful uses of atomic energy in achieving the objectives of sustainable development in developing countries, stressing the need for the IAEA to continue to carry out its functions under its statute in a independent, professional and impartial way and to refrain from exerting any pressure on it by some countries to serve their narrow political agendas.

The Israeli occupation entity, which has a nuclear arsenal estimated at 80 nuclear heads, has so far rejected to accede to the NPT.

In 2003, Syria submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council to make the Middle East a zone completely free of all weapons of mass destruction (WMD), but Washington rejected this project.

M.al-Frieh/H. Said