NEW YORK: The State of Kuwait reiterated its firm support for non-proliferation of all types of nuclear weapons welcoming any progress made at this level, as it pursues eliminating the danger of war. This came in a statement delivered by diplomatic attache Abdulrahman Al-Hashim before the First Committee of the UN General Assembly. Al-Hashim explained that the military spending last year exceeded two trillion US dollar barrier, pointing to the need to provide human, economic and intellectual resources for peaceful purposes.

He praised the efforts made for regional disarmament, most notably treaties that established nuclear-weapon-free zones in Latin America, the Caribbean, the South Pacific, Southeast Asia, Africa and Central Asia. Al-Hashim called for this to be applied in the Middle East, as an enactment of the decision issued by the 1995 NPT Review Conference.

The Secretary-General's report on disarmament included a description of these areas as outstanding tools that represent an example of synergy between regional and global efforts and achieve a more peaceful world, stated Al-Hashim. Al-Hashim praised the 2nd conference success, headed by Kuwait, in establishing an informal working committee to continue consultations between the conference's sessions, stressing the need for Israel to join the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapon Treaty and subject its nuclear facilities to the control and supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency. - AFP