M'sia Never Proposed Nuclear-Free Zone For West Asia, Says Syed Hamid
M'sia Never Proposed Nuclear-Free Zone For West Asia, Says Syed Hamid
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27 (Bernama) - Malaysia has never proposed declaring the whole of West Asian region a nuclear weapon-free zone, Wisma Putra said Monday.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar was quoted out of context when Bernama on Feb 19 reported that "Malaysia has proposed declaring the whole of West Asian region a nuclear weapon-free zone as the best solution to ease western concerns over Iran's nuclear programme", Wisma Putra clarified in a statement.
Bernama published the article following an interview with the minister on the sidelines of the Third US-Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar.
Wisma Putra explained: "The point the Foreign Minister intended to convey was actually an implied one rather than an explicit statement of a proposal. Malaysia has never made such a proposal.
"The statement made by the Foreign Minister merely intended to reflect that for stability and security to become a reality in the West Asian region, the issue of Iran's nuclear programme must be seen within the regional context, specifically vis-à-vis the question of Israel's possession of nuclear weapons.
"And he (Syed Hamid) thought one of the ways to achieve regional peace and stability would be to establish a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone (NWFZ). Incidentally, Egypt is one of the main proponents of the NWFZ idea of the region."