The Government has always attached great importance to the implementation of the 1995 Resolution on a WMD free zone in the Middle East. The benefit of establishing such a zone in a region which faces so many political and security challenges is obvious. The Resolution was agreed in 1995 as part of a wider agreement which also included the indefinite extension of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and in this respect its implementation is seen by many as important in terms of the longer term viability of the NPT, which is the cornerstone of the global nuclear disarmament framework. I am proud that, following 15 years without any significant progress on implementing the 1995 Resolution, Ireland brokered the 2010 agreement which set out a number of practical steps towards its implementation, including the convening of a Conference "to be attended by all States of the Middle East, on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction," which we expect to be held later this year.
Ireland fully supports the appointment of Finland as host for the Conference and of Finnish Under Secretary of State Jaako Laajava as Conference facilitator. Officials from my Department have had a number of contacts with Ambassador Laajava and his team since his appointment last October. On November 10th, officials met with him in Dublin and gave him a detailed briefing on our experience as Chair of the process which led to the 2010 agreement. We indicated to him that we remain at his disposal, ready to assist however we can. The Deputy can be assured that Ireland will continue to participate actively in the process towards a WMD free zone in the Middle East, and that we will assist Ambassador Laajava and his team however possible in preparation for, and throughout, the Conference in Finland.
Our hope is that the Conference will be attended by all key players, including Israel and Iran, and that it will represent a successful next step in the process towards a viable WMD free zone in the Middle East.
