Algeria reaffirms the need for universal ratification of the NPT

GENEVA – Algeria reaffirmed, Wednesday, through its Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva and international organizations in Switzerland, Rachid Bladehane, that the universal ratification of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was the essential guarantor for the elimination of nuclear weapons.

In his intervention during the public debate of the 2nd Preparatory Committee for the 11th Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty-2026, Mr. Bladehane underlined the adherence of the Algerian delegation to the data put forward on behalf of the Movement group non-aligned (NAM), African group and Arab group.

On this occasion, Mr. Bladehane reiterated Algeria’s absolute and constant support for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, being “the cornerstone” of the disarmament and non-proliferation approach, adding that “the essential guarantor to eliminate nuclear weapons throughout the world, is the universal ratification of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty including the full, balanced and effective application of its provisions, without neglecting its three foundations, namely, nuclear disarmament , nuclear non-proliferation and the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

“Algeria thus reiterates the imperative adherence of all countries to the Treaty and to the conclusions of the various review conferences concerning its three foundations, including the resolution resulting from the 1995 Conference responsible for reviewing the Treaty and the question of its extension, relating to the establishment of a zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East”, added the Algerian diplomat.

“Algeria has to its credit several positive contributions in terms of disarmament, reflecting its constant commitment to strengthening international security and peace, as well as its unshakeable conviction that nuclear disarmament is at the heart of its priorities, in striving to achieve the main objective of the Treaty, namely, the complete eradication of nuclear weapons which constitute the greatest threat to man and the environment”, maintained Mr. Bladehane.

While reiterating its commitment to the implementation of the Treaty, “cornerstone” of non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament and “key element” for collective security, Algeria insists on “the importance of achieving ratification universal and to bring countries, particularly those possessing nuclear weapons, to honor their commitments in terms of nuclear disarmament (…)”.

And to recall that Algeria had ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and welcomed its entry into force in 2021, being convinced that “the only guarantor to avoid the risks linked to nuclear weapons and their proliferation was to “get rid of it definitively, taking into consideration the disastrous consequences of the nuclear tests carried out on its territories, both on a human and environmental level”, he underlines.

Algeria reaffirms “the inalienable right of States Parties to the development and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes as explicitly provided for in Article 4 of the Treaty”, insisting on “the sovereign right of States to develop their national nuclear energy production capacities within the framework of the IAEA in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty.

The Algerian delegation expressed its concerns about the obstacles which prevented and still hinder the implementation of the 1995 resolution relating to the establishment of a zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in Middle East, stressing that the creation of this zone had become “more than ever of capital importance, particularly after the clumsy declarations and serious threats” launched by a Zionist official in November 2023 on the use of nuclear weapons against Palestinian civilians.

The Algerian delegation reaffirmed that “the decision on the Middle East of 1995 remains in force until its objectives are achieved” and that the first step to achieve its objectives is the accession of the Zionist entity to the Treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons (NPT) and the submission of all its nuclear installations and programs to international control and the general safeguards regime of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

In this context, the Algerian delegation welcomed the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of a resolution aimed at negotiating, within the framework of an annual conference under the aegis of the United Nations, a binding treaty aimed at establishing a zone free of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, in accordance with the commitment of the States Parties at the 1995 Review Conference, recalling Algeria’s appeal to the States who sponsored the 1995 resolution to “honor their commitment to create this zone by participating, seriously and in good faith, in the ongoing negotiation process under the auspices of the United Nations.”

APS