UNITED NATIONS – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Monday for an immediate ceasefire and the creation of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East.

In his video message to the fifth session of the conference on establishing a zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, Guterres said the idea of ​​such a zone dates back to decades, but with regional conflicts raging and tensions reaching a boiling point, this goal becomes more urgent by the day.

For more than a year, Gaza has been living an incessant 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 mobilize for an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and the start of an irreversible process towards a two-state solution.

“At the same time, genuine and lasting security – in the Middle East and around the world – depends on pursuing our disarmament goals,” he said.

The Future Compact adopted in September includes a new global commitment to a world free of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, Guterres said. “A zone in the Middle East would represent an important step toward this goal.”

He said the recent awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo, an organization of survivors of the atomic attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, demonstrated new global momentum for the elimination of nuclear weapons, once for all.

Guterres stressed the importance of establishing nuclear-weapon-free zones, saying the conference’s work is essential to building a more peaceful future for all, in the Middle East and around the world.