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Morocco advocates for global nuclear disarmament and security assurances

Wednesday 19 February 2025 - 10:50

By: Dakir Madiha

Zoom

Morocco has emphasized the critical importance of negative security assurances (NSAs) in the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation framework. Ambassador Omar Zniber, Morocco's Permanent Representative to the UN Office in Geneva, articulated this position during a meeting of the Conference on Disarmament's Subsidiary Body 4.

Zniber stressed that complete nuclear disarmament remains the only absolute guarantee against the use or threat of nuclear weapons. Until this goal is achieved, he emphasized the necessity of providing legally binding, unconditional, and universal security assurances to non-nuclear-weapon states (NNWS) against nuclear threats.

While acknowledging ongoing discussions within the Conference on Disarmament and other UN bodies, Zniber expressed concern over the lack of concrete progress in establishing legally binding security assurances. He noted that UN Security Council resolutions 255 (1968) and 984 (1995), while providing certain assurances, remain insufficient to address NNWS concerns, particularly in regions facing persistent security challenges.

Morocco strongly supports the establishment of Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones (NWFZ) as crucial steps toward strengthening nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. The successful creation of such zones in Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and the South Pacific demonstrates the viability of legally binding commitments.

The country will chair the 6th session of the Conference on establishing a zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East this year. Ambassador Zniber affirmed Morocco's commitment to using this conference to advance discussions on accelerating the creation of such a zone.

Morocco maintains that security assurances should be unconditional and calls on nuclear-weapon states to withdraw their reservations to existing NWFZ treaty protocols. Zniber concluded by emphasizing the urgent need to transform long-standing commitments into concrete, legally enforceable actions, noting that continued delays in adopting binding instruments undermine confidence in the disarmament process.

The Subsidiary Body 4, established by the Conference on Disarmament, focuses on developing effective international arrangements to protect NNWS against the use or threat of nuclear weapons.