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As 2021 draws to a close, METO is very happy to report back on all the work done surrounding the Second Session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction (the November Conference).

1. METO's report for Reaching Critical Will: “One step closer” to eliminating WMD from the Middle East
2. METO's article for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: Pathways to a WMD-free zone in the Middle East
3. METO's internal report: METO in New York
4. Report by In Depth News on the November Conference. Middle East Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone, Long Elusive, is Making Progress, say Experts
5. Contribution by Tariq Rauf with recommendations for conference delegates. Achieving The Possible Against the Odds: “A Middle East Nuclear and WMD Free Zone”.
6. Questions posed by Jean Pascal Zanders to conference delegates. "Trying to picture a treaty for a Middle East Zone free of non-conventional weaponry"

On the same day that the November Conference started, talks resumed in Vienna on the Iran Nuclear Deal and we also had things to say about that.

7. Emad Kiyaei in Middle East Monitor: 'We had a choice - war or diplomacy'
8. Paul Ingram on TRT World: Can Talks in Vienna Salvage the Iran Nuclear Deal?

And in other news...

9. Issue 2 of The Bright Side is now available.

Please do consider making a donation to help us with our work. With best wishes from everyone at METO.

“One step closer” to eliminating WMD from the Middle East

The Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction (the November Conference) held its second meeting at UN headquarters from 29 November to 3 December 2021. This annual conference will be held until a legally binding treaty establishing a Middle East Zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction (WMDFZ or the Zone) has been negotiated on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at by the states of the region. Despite the absence of Israel and the United States at the conference and at an earlier session in 2019, this year’s meeting could lead to significant progress towards a WMDFZ, given recent changes in the Middle East security situation.

Pathways to a WMD-free zone in the Middle East

This week, the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) is holding its second meeting at UN headquarters. Despite the absence of Israel and the United States at the conference and at an earlier session in 2019, this year’s meeting could lead to significant progress toward a WMD-free zone given recent changes in the Middle East security situation.

METO in New York

The USA is not an easy place to enter at the last minute if you’re a Middle Easterner. You can’t just decide one day that you’re going to go. There are interviews to go through, paperwork to submit, and waiting to be done. So when METO decided that it would be really useful to have someone in New York during the November Conference [the annual conference at the UN convened for states of the region to negotiate a treaty to eliminate weapons of mass destruction] despite the UN not allowing civil society representatives in the building, and when the funding opportunity appeared, we sent Tony Robinson, our operations director.

Middle East Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone, Long Elusive, is Making Progress, say Experts

A longstanding proposal for a nuclear-weapons-free zone in the politically and militarily volatile Middle East remains elusive. Since 1967, five nuclear-weapon-free zones (NWFZ) have been established worldwide—in Latin America and the Caribbean, South Pacific, Southeast Asia, Africa and Central Asia.

Achieving The Possible Against the Odds: “A Middle East Nuclear and WMD Free Zone”

In normal times, the second session of the “United Nations Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction”, scheduled to take place from 29 November to 3 December 2021, would have been an in-person event at the United Nations in New York.

Trying to picture a treaty for a Middle East Zone free of non-conventional weaponry

On 30 November, the Middle East Treaty Organisation (METO) – a coalition of civil society activists and practitioners – organised an informal virtual discussion round with Middle Eastern diplomats participating in the Second Session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction under the auspices of the UN Office of Disarmament Affairs. That session should have taken place last year, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced postponement of in-person UN diplomatic gatherings.

'We had a choice - war or diplomacy'

Middle East Monitor sat down with Emad Kiyaei of the Middle East Treaty Organisation to discuss the significance of the nuclear talks

Can Talks in Vienna Salvage the Iran Nuclear Deal?

Diplomats from Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany are talking with Iran in the Austrian capital of Vienna, trying to find a way to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal. But a hardline approach from Iran and its demand to lift all sanctions is making many sceptical if the United States would agree to that. So, is the Iran nuclear deal on the verge of collapse? Guests: Borzou Daragahi International Correspondent for The Independent, Mohammad Marandi Political Analyst and Professor at Tehran University, Paul Ingram Leading Nuclear Disarmament Consultant, and Dave Jonas Adjunct Law Professor at George Washington University

Issue 2 - December 2021

"The Middle East is jumping on the bandwagon of a renewable energy revolution. This is definitely a big turn for the region as most of the region relies heavily on fossil fuels for both income and energy."

Read about advances in renewable energy in the region and many other subjects in this bulletin brought to you by the METO University Network.

The Middle East Treaty Organization is a civil society organization founded with the goal to eradicate weapons of mass destruction from the Middle East.

Our Vision  |  A peaceful, integrated and thriving Middle East built on human and environmental security.

Our Mission  |  Eradicate WMDs, broker peace and build security in the Middle East.

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