Middle East WMD-Free Zone Timeline

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Middle East WMD-Free Zone Timeline

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Through the years

2010s

01 MAY 2010—28 MAY 2010

2010 NPT RevCon final document outlines ‘practical steps’ towards implementing the 1995 Resolution on the Middle East

28 MAY 2010

US objects to the “singling out” of Israel in the final document of the 2010 NPT RevCon and warns it jeopardizes the prospects of convening a ME WMDFZ conference

28 MAY 2010

US National Security Advisor issues a statement about the Middle East section of 2010 NPT RevCon final document

16 SEPTEMBER 2010

League of Arab States Ministerial Council decides to coordinate the Arab position ahead of the 2012 ME WMDFZ conference

02 MARCH 2011

League of Arab States Ministerial Council adopts the recommendations of the Senior Officials Committee’s first meeting

15 MAY 2011

League of Arab States Council of Foreign Ministers expresses concern about the lack of progress in implementing the 2010 decision to convene a ME WMDFZ conference by 2012

13 SEPTEMBER 2011

League of Arab States Council of Foreign Ministers resolution reaffirm the UN Secretary General’s role in preparing for the 2012 ME WMDFZ conference

23 SEPTEMBER 2011

Arab Group refrains from putting the draft resolution on “Israeli nuclear capabilities” to a vote at the IAEA General Conference

14 OCTOBER 2011

Facilitator and host government of the 2012 ME WMDFZ conference are appointed

21 NOVEMBER 2011—22 NOVEMBER 2011

IAEA holds a forum looking at lessons learned from nuclear-weapon-free zones for establishing such a zone in the Middle East

29 MARCH 2012

League of Arab States Council summit decision describes the 2012 ME WMDFZ conference as a crossroads

28 AUGUST 2012

Russia submits a new draft of the “Application of IAEA safeguards in the Middle East” resolution at the IAEA General Conference

23 NOVEMBER 2012

2012 ME WMDFZ conference is postponed

13 JANUARY 2013

League of Arab States criticizes decision to postpone the 2012 ME WMDFZ conference

19 APRIL 2013

Arab Group working paper at the 2013 NPT PrepCom calls for holding the postponed conference in 2013

29 APRIL 2013

Facilitator delivers remarks and submits his report at the 2013 NPT PrepCom

29 APRIL 2013

Egyptian delegation walks out of 2013 NPT PrepCom in protest over the lack of progress on the ME WMDFZ

03 AUGUST 2013

Facilitator sends letters inviting to hold informal consultations in Vienna on the postponed 2012 ME WMDFZ conference

16 AUGUST 2013

Facilitator and co-conveners meet with regional states separately in Vienna to coordinate the informal consultations process

03 SEPTEMBER 2013

Israel sends a letter to the facilitator reiterating its willingness to participate in the informal consultation process

28 SEPTEMBER 2013

Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy proposes an initiative to address the WMD threats in the region in a UN General Assembly speech

21 OCTOBER 2013

First multilateral informal consultation on the ME WMDFZ conference is held in Glion, Switzerland

22 APRIL 2015

Arab Group calls for holding the postponed 2012 ME WMDFZ conference within 180 days of the conclusion of the 2015 NPT RevCon

30 APRIL 2015

Israel submits a non-paper on regional dialogue in the Middle East at the 2015 NPT RevCon

14 MAY 2015

Russia introduces a working paper at the 2015 NPT RevCon calling for holding the postponed ME WMDFZ conference no later than March 2016

22 MAY 2015

2015 NPT RevCon ends without consensus on a final document

14 JULY 2015

JCPOA is concluded

04 MAY 2017

A group of Arab states introduces a separate working paper at the 2017 NPT PrepCom

07 MARCH 2018

League of Arab States Ministerial Council adopts SOC action plan for the implementation of 1995 Resolution on the Middle East

19 APRIL 2018

US working paper at the 2018 NPT PrepCom says that the NPT “cannot be the primary mechanism for progress” on the ME WMDFZ

24 MAY 2018

UN Secretary-General’s Disarmament Agenda pledges support for establishing nuclear-weapon-free zones, including in the Middle East

11 OCTOBER 2018

UN General Assembly draft decision on convening a ME WMDFZ is put before the First Committee

01 NOVEMBER 2018

Consensus on the “Establishment of a Nuclear Weapon Free Zone in the Region of the Middle East” resolution at the UN General Assembly is broken

18 NOVEMBER 2019—22 NOVEMBER 2019

First session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other WMD is held at the UN in New York

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