Morocco says committed to banning nuclear weapons

“The Kingdom of Morocco, party to all international instruments on disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation, is firmly committed to banning nuclear weapons which remain the only weapons of mass destruction which have not been declared illegitimate through a binding instrument,” Mohamed Loulichki told the UN General Assembly.

Loulichki, who was speaking at an informal meeting held in commemoration of the International Day against Nuclear Tests, outlined some actions of the Kingdom aimed at reinforcing the international efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons and tests.

In this regard he said that the Kingdom was among the first countries to commit to banning nuclear tests, as evidenced by its contribution to the negotiation and adoption of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty in 1996.

He noted that the Kingdom’s commitment also translated into presidency, jointly with France, of the sixth conference in order to facilitate the implementation of the said treaty, in New York on September 24-25, 2009.

For Loulichki, the conclusion of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty in 1996 and the declaration of moratorium on nuclear tests reflected an awareness on the part of the international community of the need to stop these tests.

Moreover, he went on, the setting up of the verification regime for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty has reached an advanced stage, thus paving the way for a total disarmament and putting an end to the development of nuclear weapons.