![]() Some experts argue for a series of topic-specific treaties-starting, for example, with a prohibition on chemical or nuclear weapons, or a limited sub-regional WMDFZ covering only the Persian Gulf. How to achieve it is, nonetheless, unclear. Creating a WMDFZ in the Middle East is one of the rare items of consensus among countries in the region. A fast and effective negotiation, and subsequent establishment of a WMD-free zone, offers a way out of this conundrum. Basically, nobody wants to be the first to give up any perceived advantage. However, some countries bind their accession to regional rivals doing the same or to a broader definition of peace in the region. Almost all Middle Eastern countries are already parties to most of those treaties-or have at least signed them. Those overarching treaties include the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Biological Weapons Convention, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, as well as requirements from other legally binding instruments, such as UN Security Council Resolution 1540 regarding the nonproliferation of WMD. However, there are a number of multilateral nonproliferation treaties that have laid the foundation for a future regional treaty architecture in the Middle East. There are currently nine Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones established under international law, five of which are in populated areas, but none of these zones cover non-nuclear types of WMD, let alone create mechanisms to avoid their proliferation. Eliminating all WMD through a regional and institutional structure would be a revolutionary endeavor. This endeavor should address all three categories of WMD and build on and expand existing verification systems, using and reinforcing expertise from international organizations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.Īdhering to international regimes. Such elimination should be based on enforceable and legal grounds and should include a regional organization that ensures compliance with the peaceful uses of dual-use technologies and serves as a forum where countries can convene periodically. The complete elimination of all WMDs from the Middle East would ensure further dialogue in the region and build trust among countries. In 1995, countries in the region included progress toward a WMD-free zone (WMDFZ) as a conditional part of a package extending the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty indefinitely.Īfter the treaty forum failed to advance toward a WMDFZ, the UN General Assembly established the conference that met two years ago and is meeting again this week. Between 19, Israel and its Arab neighbors held multilateral negotiations known as the Arms Control and Regional Security working group. In 1990, Egypt expanded the scope of the resolution to cover all WMD and their delivery systems. Talks on the elimination of WMD from the Middle East date back to 1974, when Iran and Egypt sponsored a resolution calling for a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the region. Achieving a stable environment in the Middle East has been an international political priority for years. As of now, such a treaty is the best shot at a lasting solution to proliferation concerns in the Middle East.Ī history of dialogue. Nevertheless, we see several possible pathways for moving the region toward a treaty establishing a WMD-free zone in the medium and long term. These events have improved the prospects for dialogue among key actors in the region.Įnormous challenges still remain, and at the moment it is difficult to envision any near-term agreement in which Israel would be willing to part with its nuclear weapons. Those changes include the Abraham Accords formalizing relations between Israel and four other countries in the proposed zone, the new government coalition in Israel, the changing US policy toward the Iran nuclear deal, the rapprochement between Tehran and Riyadh, and progress on Libyan peace talks. Despite the absence of Israel and the United States at the conference and at an earlier session in 2019, this year’s meeting could lead to significant progress toward a WMD-free zone given recent changes in the Middle East security situation. ![]() This week, the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) is holding its second meeting at UN headquarters.
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