At the 2010 conference Ireland's head of delegation, Ms Alison Kelly, chaired complex talks on the implementation of the 1995 Middle East resolution which called for an "effectively verifiable Middle East zone free of weapons of mass destruction, nuclear, chemical and biological, and their delivery systems". This work needs to be focused on and emphasised. The 2012 conference on implementation of the zone is of paramount importance as it takes on a renewed sense of urgency as negotiations with Iran stall and deteriorate. The impact of EU sanctions on Iranian oil production from 1 July may help to spur progress, but the 20% uranium enrichment level reached by Iran brings the prospect of armed conflict closer.

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