پیام محمدرضا شاه پهلوی به سازمان ملل متحد در خصوص ایجاد خاورمیانه عاری از سلاح اتمی

Twenty-ninth session

REQUEST FOR THE INCLUSION OF AN ITEM IN THE PROVISIONAL AGENDA OF THE TWENTY-NINTH SESSION

ESTABLISHMENT OF A NUCLEAR-WEAPON-FREE ZONE IN THE REGION OF THE MIDDLE EAST

Note by the Secretary-General

By a letter dated 16 September 1974, the Permanent Representative of Iran to the United Nations transmitted to the Secretary-General the text of the following message by His Imperial Majesty, the Shahanshah Aryamehr, with the request that it be circulated as an official document of the General Assembly:

“As the United Nations sits in plenary again to discuss world problems, it can draw upon the experience of almost three decades of peace-making effort.

“What we unhappily learn from that experience is that world problems are often too complex to be managed by pre-ordained rules and principles no matter how noble and well-conceived these ideas and principles may be. Charter principles must be translated into solid structures that together and in combination could provide a safeguard for peace.

“In a world still gripped by the legacy of past rancour and adversities, a rapid diffusion of nuclear technology with all its potential for military application may have dire portents. Atomic science represents man’s best hopes for survival and his worst fears of doom. If coming generations are to enjoy the blessing of that technology and be free of its burdens, if we want to open new doorways to peace, we must be as bold and as imaginative in curbing the spread of nuclear arms as we have been in creating them.

“The world of today is precariously poised on the threshold of a new age in which countries will increasingly move from the use of the more traditional sources of energy to that of nuclear energy source. New and less costly methods of processing the fissile material, matched by a wider dissemination of scientific knowledge, would make acquisition of nuclear weapons a far less burdensome undertaking for an increasing number of States. Within the political setting of our region this might mean more than a mere involvement of adversaries in a senseless and wasteful nuclear arms race.

“It was in this spirit with such concerns, hopes and expectations – that Iran called for the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the region of the Middle East. The support we have received from many Governments, both within and outside our region, suggests that the concerns that underlie our proposal are justified and are widely shared.

“While encouraged by this support, and by the success of a similar undertaking in Latin America, we nevertheless have not been oblivious of the difficulties that make realization of the scheme in our region problematic. With resolve and patience, and with the support and assistance of the United Nations, however, I am confident we shall finally succeed.

“Allow me to convey through you my best wishes for the success of the work of the Assembly.

Mohamad-Reza Pahlavi”