Engaging parliamentarians in the process to achieve a Middle East Zone free from Nuclear Weapons and other Weapons of Mass Destruction Alyn Ware Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament

Vital role of parliamentarians Elected representatives of civil society Help shape government policy Parliaments as a public arena

More freedom than governments Don’t have to always focus on entrenched government positions Able to put forward ‘smart’ approaches to provide possibility of success

Varied arenas of action Nationally – encourage good faith participation by their government Regionally – demonstrate possibility of agreement between Middle East actors Internationally – demonstrate global concern, importance of the issue and strength of global support

Regional and Global Middle East Zone as a diplomatic approach to preventing proliferation – a viable alternative to the use of force or to accepting proliferation

Actions - National Questions Debates Resolutions Statements – party, individual

Actions – Regional and International Resolutions –Parliamentary Assembly for the Mediterranean –Inter Parliamentary Union –OSCE PA, NATO PA Civil society meetings Intergovernmental meetings –NPT, UN General Assembly Joint statement

Joint Parliamentary Statement for a Middle East Zone Free from Nuclear Weapons and all other Weapons of Mass Destruction Drafted after consultations with parliamentarians and disarmament experts from Israel, Egypt, Iran and globally; Based on UN General Assembly resolution and IPU 2009 resolution Released at the PNND Assembly in Bern, Oct 2011 Available in – Arabic, English, French, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Greek, Spanish Opportunities to present at NPT, UN General Assembly etc…