2015 NPT RevCon ends without consensus on a final document

The 2015 NPT RevCon ends without a consensus document, with Canada, the UK and the US rejecting the language on the ME WMDFZ in the draft final document. The president of the conference, Ambassador Taous Ferroukhi, submitted the draft final document as a working paper. In its opening statement, the US emphasized it was “firmly committed” to hold the Conference “provided that the terms for the conference would be agreed to by all regional states,” and that “there is no prospect for engagement or agreement absent the consent of the states involved.” In its concluding remarks, the US explained that it was “not able to support the draft consensus document and the language related to the convening of the ME WMDFZ Conference was “incompatible with our long-standing policies.” The statement added that “the initiative for the creation of such zones should emanate from the regions themselves, and under a process freely arrived at and with the full mutual consent of all the states in the region.” The US lamented that Egypt and the Arab states were “not willing to let go of these unrealistic and unworkable conditions included in the draft text.”

Video extract from the 2015 NPT RevCon