The State of Qatar has confirmed the need to remove the root causes of the nuclear terrorism challenge through a serious progress in the context of nuclear disarmament and the achievement of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as well as the creation of nuclear weapons-free zones in the Middle East. Qatar has also alerted to the challenges posed by the quantitative and geographical expansion of energy reactors in ensuring a peaceful and sustainable use of nuclear energy, calling for strengthening nuclear security measures at all levels. In a statement before the International Ministerial Conference of Nuclear Security held in Vienna, the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali Khalfan Al Mansouri urged all countries to support the IAEA and improve their capabilities to strengthen the legal framework to prevent nuclear terrorism and raise public awareness of the importance of nuclear energy and nuclear security measures. Al Mansouri called on the IAEA to enhance its technical assistance to other States for the establishment of an effective nuclear security and safety system, stressing the need of implementing their regional and international obligations and joining the relevant international conventions, particularly the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material. He also called the IAEA to establish a regional and international cooperation network to assist the countries to implement their obligations and to reassure the international community, especially neighboring countries, on the strength of its nuclear security system, according to a report of Qatar News Agency (QNA).
