New York: The UAE has called on the United Nations to make Israel cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) by opening up its arsenal of weapons of mass destruction for inspection.

Abdullah Hassan Obaid Al Shamsi, member of the UAE delegation to the UN, made the call in a UAE address to the UN first committee (disarmament and international security), which held a session here on Friday to discuss a number of global security issues, including the issue of having a nuclear weapon free zone in the Middle East.

He said the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf region was one of the world's most tense regions because of Israel's position and arsenal of weapons of mass destruction, especially nuclear weapons, and the efforts of other states in the region to build nuclear reactors "that was a great source of danger and concern to all."

Condemned

He pointed out the UAE strongly condemned the continued unilateral policy of Israel and appealed to the international community to put pressure on the Israeli government to implement the Security Council and General Assembly resolutions which called for Israel to accede to the non-proliferation treaty as all other states in the region had done.

He also urged the UN to force Israel to cooperate with the energy agency by declaring all its nuclear facilities and accepting the principle of verification and to cease the stockpiling and production of fissile material and all nuclear testing.

He said serious efforts were needed to achieve the alleviation of tension and instability in the region, adding that it was imperative to pave the way for renewing dialogue and returning to the peaceful negotiations process, which could ultimately resolve the question of Palestine and the Middle East.

His full text concluded by saying: "Finally, we hope the working delegations in this committee will support the two draft resolutions on the establishment of a zone free from all weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East and on the risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East, especially that they reflect the disturbing reality in the Middle East and are in line with the international efforts aimed at achieving comprehensive nuclear disarmament with a view to sparing our people and humanity the destructive scourge of wars."