Prince Feisal reaffirms Jordan’s stance on preventing spread of nuclear weapons

AMMAN — HRH Prince Feisal on Saturday reaffirmed Jordan’s stance calling for a Middle East free of mass-destruction and nuclear weapons, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.  

The prince, who was deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, made the remarks at a meeting with Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) Executive Secretary Lassina Zerbo on the sidelines of the opening of the Integrated Field Exercise 2014 (IFE14) at the Dead Sea.

Organised by the Preparatory Commission for the CTBTO, the on-site inspection “is the ultimate verification measure under the CTBT to establish whether or not a nuclear explosion has taken place,” according to a joint statement released by the CTBTO and the Ministry of State for Media Affairs and Communications. 

“Jordan continues to stress its full commitment to the successful execution of IFE14 to ensure the full realisation of its goals. The wide range of countries, organisations and institutions participating in the event further emphasises the importance the outcome will have on global security,” the statement quoted Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Mohammad Momani as saying

“Jordan, a country which finds itself in a unique geopolitical position in light of current events in the Middle East, has embraced all treaties and instruments aimed at nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, including the CTBT, thus further solidifying its stance on nuclear disarmament and the peaceful use of nuclear technology,” he added. Jordan was one of the first countries to have signed and ratified the CTBT, in September 1996 and August 1998, respectively, the statement said. 

Globally, 183 countries have signed the CTBT, 163 of which have also ratified the treaty. 

“The five-week exercise in Jordan is based on a purely fictional but technically realistic and challenging scenario. The exercise started with preparatory activities in Austria on November 3 and will last until December 9,” the statement said.

The IFE14 involved four years of preparation, 150 tonnes of specialised equipment and over 200 international experts, according to the CTBTO.

During the exercise, the inspection team will conduct a meticulous search of a clearly defined inspection area to establish whether or not a nuclear explosion has been conducted.

Zerbo commended Jordan for hosting the exercise, noting that it sends a positive signal as part of the efforts on disarmament and preventing nuclear proliferation. 

This is the second time Jordan is hosting an on-site inspection exercise; the first took place in 2010.

As a signatory to the UN Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Jordan competed with several countries to host IFE14 and was selected due to the unique geological features of the proposed exercise area (east of the Dead Sea). 

Its selection was also due to the Kingdom’s active contribution to the strengthening of the international nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime. 

Since 2002, Jordan has hosted a CTBTO auxiliary seismic station at Tal Al Asfar that is part of the organisation’s monitoring regime.