A preliminary meeting on revising the Non-proliferation Treaty
ended Friday without reaching a final statement on global nuclear
disputes due to objections from Iran and other nations.
A chairman's summary was issued at the end of the two-week
conference, expressing "serious concern" over Iran's nuclear
program and urging Tehran to take immediate action to stop
enrichment activities as demanded by resolutions from the UN and
the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The summary stresses that the issue should be resolved through
diplomatic efforts and negotiations.
It points out that a solution to the Iranian issue would
contribute to the objective of establishing a Middle East zone free
of nuclear weapons as well as other weapons of mass
destruction.
Regarding the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, the
document states that the conference was concerned about the nuclear
program of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and its
declared nuclear test in October of last year.
Those were "not only a clear threat to global security, but also
a serious challenge to the nuclear non-proliferation regime," it
said. It pointed to the need for a peaceful solution to the issue
and welcomed the diplomatic efforts undertaken in the framework of
the six-party talks.
It also expressed "great concern" regarding the nuclear
capability of Israel, and called on the nation to "accede to the
treaty as soon as possible" and "place its nuclear facilities under
comprehensive IAEA safeguards."
The summary said the participants reaffirmed the "inalienable
right" for all nations to develop research, production and use of
nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
The first meeting of the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties
to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was
meant to set priorities to be fleshed-out at follow-up meetings
leading to the next full-scale NPT Review Conference in 2010.
(Xinhua News Agency May 12, 2007)
