Saudi Ambassador to the Netherlands and the Kingdom’s Permanent Representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Ziad Al-Atiya underlined on Tuesday the Kingdom’s firm position for the need to bolster international cooperation to ban all forms of weapons of mass destruction and prevent their proliferation.
He reiterated Saudi Arabia’s call to transform the Middle East into a region free of these weapons.
He made his remarks during his participation in the 28th Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CSP-28) in The Hague.
He underlined Saudi Arabia’s strong condemnation of Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip and its violation of the very essence of the international system and its legal foundations.
He said the attack greatly damaged the international community’s credibility and left a deep wound in humanity and its faith in an international community that is ruled by law.
This therefore demands an immediate ceasefire and the need to tackle the humanitarian catastrophe, Al-Atiya went on to say.
Moreover, he said no signatory of the Chemical Weapons Convention should be allowed to shirk its responsibility towards its obligations. Israel is a signatory of the agreement, but it has not ratified it.
Israel doesn’t have the right to hide behind its signature. This does not exempt it from its responsibility in any violation, added the envoy.
He reiterated Saudi Arabia’s rejection of the calls for the forced displacement of the Palestinian people from Gaza. He renewed its condemnation of the continued attacks against innocent civilians there, stressing the need to open safe corridors immediately and deliver humanitarian aid to the people.
