MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said that the international community should seriously consider the fact that the issue of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) is done selectively and cannot replace full elimination.
"Egypt reiterates its concern over the grave threat posed by the continued existence of nuclear weapons. And we reaffirm that the total verifiable and irreversible elimination of such weapons represents the ultimate guarantee against their proliferation and the ultimate warranty against the use by states or non-state actors… Practice has shown that it is quite illusive to address non-proliferation, while disregarding disarmament, or to selectively tackle cases of non-compliance, while deliberately ignoring achieving universality of the NPT [the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons]," Shoukry said Thursday at the UNSC meeting on non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
He pointed out that the UNSC should significantly improve its methods in the area, criticizing the discriminatory nature of the non-proliferation regime, which undermined its credibility and effectiveness.
"We believe that the methods of the Council's work in this area require significant improvement. We should examine more efficient and inclusive methods that would improve the sense of ownership of the measures adopted, seek stronger utilization of the secretary-general's good offices and always adopt decisions that reinforce the final aim of any measures adopted by the Council as to achieve a peaceful political solution," the minister noted.
A WMD is a nuclear, chemical, radiological or any class of weapon that is able to kill millions of people in a single moment and cause substantial damage to the environment. WMDs are regulated by a number of multilateral treaties that outlaw several classes of such weapons, of which include the Biological Weapons Convention, Chemical Weapons Convention, Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests In The Atmosphere.
