UN chief calls for effort to establish nuclear-weapon-free zone in Middle East [Video]

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East.

In his video message to the fifth session of the conference on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, Guterres said that the idea of such a zone stretches back across decades, but with regional conflicts raging and tensions reaching a boiling point, this goal is becoming more urgent by the day, Xinhua news agency reported.

For over a year, Gaza has experienced a non-stop nightmare that threatens to engulf the entire region. And we are all alarmed by the escalation in Lebanon, he noted.

The UN chief called on the international community to mobilise for an immediate ceasefire, and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and the beginning of an irreversible process towards a two-State solution.

“At the same time, true, sustainable security — in the Middle …