Soltanieh, who is currently the chairman of the Group of 77, read out a statement on behalf of the group at the recent technical meeting of CTBTO in Vienna, calling for revision of the organization’s plans for preparing the CTBT’s verification regime.
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) bans all nuclear explosions in all environments, for military or civilian purposes. It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on September 10, 1996 but it has not yet gone into force.
CTBTO is an international organization headquartered in Vienna which was established to create the CTBT’s verification regime, including establishment and provisional operation of the network of monitoring stations around the world, the creation of an international data centre, and development of the On Site Inspection capability.
Soltanieh has also said that the G-77 is the largest group of like-minded developing countries in the world, so CTBTO should take the viewpoints of this group’s representatives into consideration.
Elsewhere in remarks, the Iranian ambassador criticized the current structure of the organization.
He said most of the experts and workers of the organization are from the Western countries, adding that the current situation should be rectified and experts from the developing countries should be employed.
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MNA