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    Organisational meeting of the Working Committee of the Third Session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction

    The working committee held three meetings during the intersessional period between November 2022 (the third session) and November 2023 (fourth session of the conference). Lebanon, the president of the third session of the Conference, chaired all the meetings of the working committee.

    The first meeting was held on 27 January 2023 and discussed the organisational aspects of the committee’s work. The working committee decided to hold two additional substantive meetings and agreed on the thematic topics of the meetings: a glossary of terminologies and general principles and obligations for the future treaty.

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    Second meeting of the Working Committee of the Third Session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction

    During the second meeting, which was held between 13-15 March, 2023, members of the conference and the invited experts informally discussed two topics which were agreed during the second session of the conference to be on the agenda of the working committee: a glossary of terminologies; and general principles and obligations for a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.

    With regard to the glossary of terminologies, participants felt that the future treaty could adopt the definitions of some key terms from existing WMD-related multilateral instruments to avoid duplication, and where applicable, adapt, supplement, or add new terms and definitions, taking into account the specific characteristics of the Middle East region.

    Under the general principles and obligations topic, participants discussed commitment to achieving a WMD-free world, the right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy, respect for states’ sovereignty, issues related to the maritime and aerial transit of nuclear weapons, and the equality of obligations among members in the future zone treaty.

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    Third meeting of the Working Committee of the Third Session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction

    The third meeting was held between 14-16 June 2023 and was allocated to continuing the discussion on the glossary of terminologies and general principles and obligations for a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.   

    A summary of the work of the working committee is annexed to the report of the fourth session of the Conference and includes general information about the meetings, the invited experts, and highlights of the discussions.