A preliminary meeting on revising the Non-proliferation Treaty ended Friday without reaching a final statement on global nuclear disputes due to objections from Iran and other nations.

 

A chairman's summary was issued at the end of the two-week conference, expressing "serious concern" over Iran's nuclear program and urging Tehran to take immediate action to stop enrichment activities as demanded by resolutions from the UN and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

 

The summary stresses that the issue should be resolved through diplomatic efforts and negotiations.

 

It points out that a solution to the Iranian issue would contribute to the objective of establishing a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons as well as other weapons of mass destruction.

 

Regarding the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, the document states that the conference was concerned about the nuclear program of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and its declared nuclear test in October of last year.

 

Those were "not only a clear threat to global security, but also a serious challenge to the nuclear non-proliferation regime," it said. It pointed to the need for a peaceful solution to the issue and welcomed the diplomatic efforts undertaken in the framework of the six-party talks.

 

It also expressed "great concern" regarding the nuclear capability of Israel, and called on the nation to "accede to the treaty as soon as possible" and "place its nuclear facilities under comprehensive IAEA safeguards."

 

The summary said the participants reaffirmed the "inalienable right" for all nations to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

 

The first meeting of the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was meant to set priorities to be fleshed-out at follow-up meetings leading to the next full-scale NPT Review Conference in 2010.

 

(Xinhua News Agency May 12, 2007)