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Iran protests over Israel being in Middle East group in CTBT

Politics Materials 14 June 2016 15:07 (UTC +04:00)
Iran is concerned regarding grouping Israel with the Middle Eastern and South Asian countries in the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT)
Iran protests over Israel being in Middle East group in CTBT

Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14

By Fatih Karimov - Trend:

Iran is concerned regarding grouping Israel with the Middle Eastern and South Asian countries in the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), Hamid Baeidinejad, director-general for Political and International Affairs of Iran's Foreign Ministry, said.

Baeidinejad, who attended the 20th anniversary of CTBT in Vienna, said that insistence of certain Western countries in placing Israel in the Middle East and South Asia group has caused discomfort of the countries also in that group, Mehr news agency reported.

He also claimed that the group members do not recognize legitimacy of Israel.

The 20th anniversary of the CTBT was held at the ministerial level in Vienna on June 13, with participation of 110 countries.

The CTBT is a multilateral treaty by which states agree to ban all nuclear explosions in all environments, for military or civilian purposes. It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 September 1996 but has not entered into force as eight specific states have not ratified the treaty yet.

It will come into force only if the United States and other holdouts among the 44 countries that are designated "nuclear capable" - China, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, North Korea and Pakistan - ratify.

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