GENEVA: Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah has participated in the Conference on Disarmament (CD) high-level segment (HLS) at the UN headquarters in Geneva, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
Prince Faisal expressed Saudi Arabia’s appreciation for the support its members showed to it joining CD as an observer, and emphasized the global community’s concern about the deadlock in the conference, which remains incapable to adopt a comprehensive program to realize its mandate.
The minister went on to say that it is important to address the reasons the conference has reached an impasse, and avert unilateral positions that hamper the prospects of achieving collective security.
He also stressed the need for all states to show flexibility and political will, to enable the conference to carry out its role and increase its membership. This would require reviewing the mechanism concerning observer states seeking membership, to enhance the efficiency of this negotiating forum and open new avenues that could contribute to uplifting its work.
The FM also conveyed Saudi Arabia’s regret at the non-acceptance of the State of Palestine’s request to join CD as an observer, particularly as there is no legal justification for stopping it from doing so.
The minister went on to say that Kingdom has shown great interest in joining the agreements resulting from this conference, especially the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological Weapons Convention, and reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s support for all regional and global efforts to ban all types of weapons of mass destruction.
Prince Faisal stresses all countries to adhere to the NPT
He further stressed the need for all countries to adhere to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and contribute to making the Middle East an area free of all weapons of mass destruction, adding that this is a collective responsibility, not limited to the regional states.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah reaffirmed Saudi Arabi’s support for ensuring the right of states to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, within the stipulations of nuclear agreements and observing nuclear safety standards.
He also affirmed the Kingdom’s position in support of the right to use outer space only for peaceful purposes. He pointed out that the outer space is a common good that does not belong to some, and no one has the right to use it for armament purposes, as this poses a grave threat to the global peace and security.
He welcomed enhanced cooperation to address current and future challenges in outer space, and reach decisions to reducing space threats by making policies that comply with international law, the UN Charter, and relevant agreements and treaties.
The Saudi Foreign Minister called for continued measures to achieve a balance between outer space security and its peaceful use, to safeguard its security, safety, and sustainability, and the well-being of mankind.
