Syria’s permanent representative to the UN, Dr. Bashar al-Jaafari reiterated that Syria believes in the importance of the multilateral work to disarm nuclear weapons, saying that the US violates the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and protects the Israeli occupation entity’s breaches in this regard.
“Syria took the initiative in 1968 to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and signed the agreement of guarantees with the Agency in 1992. It also presented in 2003 a draft resolution to establish a region free from weapons of mass destruction, but the US obstructed that step,” Jaafari said in a speech at the 3rd session of the preparatory commission of the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
He added that some western states helped Israel establish the Negev Nuclear Research Center and offered it substances, experience and nuclear technology, a step that enabled Israel to possess hundreds of nuclear warheads.
As for the site of Deir ez-Zor, Jaafari affirmed that Syria has cooperated with the International Atomic Energy Agency in a positive and constructive way regarding the nature of the Deir ez-Zor site, which was attacked by Israeli warplanes, coming from Turkish airspace.
“My country has also allowed the Agency’s investigators to visit the site in June 2008 and move freely,” Jaafari added.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
