Oman Chairs UN Committee Talks on a Middle East Free of Weapons of Mass Destruction

Oman has taken the chair at a United Nations meeting focused on the difficult task of negotiating a Middle East treaty banning nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.

The third meeting of the Working Committee for the seventh session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction is being held at UN headquarters in New York. It will continue through September 3.

Omar bin Said Al Kathiri, Oman’s permanent representative to the United Nations and president of the conference’s seventh session, is chairing the meeting. The gathering forms part of Oman’s preparations for the next conference session, scheduled for November 16 to 20 in New York.

Delegates are examining the possible structure of a future treaty and how its provisions could be implemented. Their discussions include monitoring arrangements, cooperation among participating states and the relationship between the proposed agreement and existing international disarmament and non-proliferation treaties. Participants are also considering legal and technical expertise, as well as lessons from other regions that have established nuclear-weapon-free zones.

In its national statement, Oman stressed the need for cooperation and consensus among member states. It said meetings held during the year had helped build a shared understanding of issues surrounding the future treaty and allowed participants to draw on international experience. The preparatory sessions are intended to bridge differences and build common ground before the November negotiations.