Statement by France at the 1st Session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other WMD

Statement by France at the 1st Session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other WMD

The statement emphasises France's strong commitment to the establishment of a ME WMDFZ in line with the 1995 resolution and key elements to effectively implement it. The statement highlights France's support via the EU in funding UNIDIR's activities to promote trust and dialogue between experts and decision-makers. The statement also highlights the importance of a multilateral approach and states that this approach should be inclusive. The statement expresses concern about Iran's nuclear activities in light of reports from the IAEA. It calls for Iran to return to full compliance with the JCPOA and re-states France's support for the agreement. It expresses that all WMD, notably chemical weapons should be addressed, and it condemns Syria's use of such weapons. It calls for an end to the transfer of delivery systems, notably missile technologies to non-state actors and encourages states to adhere to Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) directives. It finally outlines key elements to implement the resolution and verify the Zone including a full adherence to the NPT and other international instruments such as the BWC and CWC as well as the implementation of export control and other concrete regional non-proliferation measures.