Russia blames 'US' hardline stance' for NPT review conference ending without consensus

The final document at the NPT review conference was not approved ''due to certain unresolved issues stemming from the US' hardline stance,'' the Russian Foreign Ministry said Saturday.

The Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) held at the United Nations, which started on April 27, concluded on Friday without adoption of a final consensus document.

The review conference was held amidst escalating global tensions between the US, Israel and Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme. The US and Israel launched a joint strike on Iran on February 28 claiming the war is to prevent the Iranian side from building a nuclear weapon. Iran, which has enriched uranium, claims its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only.

Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, Do Hung Viet, chaired the conference.

''Thanks to the efforts of Ambassador Do Hung Viet and the support of other responsible states, a number of difficult compromises were achieved, and a draft final document close to consensus was developed.

''However, due to certain unresolved issues stemming from the rigid positions of the US and its allies, the document was not submitted to the conference for approval,'' the Foreign Ministry noted in a statement.

TASS quoted the ministry statement to say, ''In doing so, the chairman managed to avoid another round of political confrontation, which would have created a negative backdrop for the next review cycle.''.

The absence of a final document from the review conference does not call into question the relevance of the treaty itself, the ministry said. ''This outcome of the conference was not unexpected. It reflects the current state of international relations, including within the framework of the NPT.''.

''We are convinced that the absence of a document in no way calls into question the treaty's relevance, as it remains the cornerstone of international security and the nuclear non-proliferation regime. The main thing is that the NPT review took place,'' the ministry's statement added.

On Friday, at the United Nations, President of the Conference Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations Ambassador Do Hung Viet told reporters at a late evening press conference: ''I have to say that I am disappointed that the review conference was unable to reach consensus on an outcome document and really seize this critical opportunity to make our world a safer place.''.

The conference is held every five years and brings together nearly all 191 countries party to the treaty to assess NPT implementation in three main areas: non-proliferation, nuclear disarmament, and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

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