United Arab Emirates believes that the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is an important pillar of the international regime for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
In this context, H.E. Ambassador Hamad Alkaabi, UAE Permanent Representative to the IAEA & CTBTO has called on all States that have not yet signed and ratified the CTBT to sign and ratify the Treaty as soon as possible, in a national statement delivered to the Eighth Article XIV Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty held on 27 September 2013 at United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA.
Ambassador Hamad Alkaabi in his statement highlighted that “Building mutual trust and confidence, is critical and needed to reduce the threat posed by nuclear weapons. UAE values the CTBT as an effective tool to this end.”
In addressing the situation with regard to nuclear test conducted by Democratic People's Republic of Korea earlier this year, Ambassador Alkaabi emphasized, “It is for this reason, we continue to appeal to all countries that have not yet signed or ratified the treaty, in particular the remaining States listed in Annex II of the Treaty, to sign and ratify the CTBT without further delay.”
“The Nuclear Weapon States have a particular responsibility to promote the ratification of the CTBT and we call on them to take a leading role. Pending the entry into force of the Treaty, we call upon all States to refrain from nuclear weapon testing,” Ambassador Alkaabi noted.
The UAE signed the CTBT in 1996 and ratified the Treaty in 2000.
Full text of the statement is available on: http://www.uae-mission.ae/mission/iaea/Content/1161
