FRANCE, UNITED KINGDOM AND UNITED STATES ANNOUNCE TO FIRST COMMITTEE INTENTION TO SIGN ON TO TREATY OF RAROTONGA
Press Release
GA/DIS/3027
FRANCE, UNITED KINGDOM AND UNITED STATES ANNOUNCE TO FIRST COMMITTEE INTENTION TO SIGN ON TO TREATY OF RAROTONGA
19951020 The Governments of France, the United Kingdom and the United States will sign on to the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Rarotonga) during the first half of 1996, the representative of France announced this afternoon, as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) continued its general debate.Reading out a joint declaration issued today by the three States, she said they affirmed the contribution of nuclear-weapon-free zones to international peace and security and recognized that such zones could not be maximally effective without the support of all the nuclear-weapon States. Consequently, they would sign the relevant protocols to the Treaty.
Responding to that announcement, the representative of Australia welcomed the three State's joint declaration, by which they joined Russia and China, which had previously signed on. Ratification by all the nuclear-weapon States would help drive the comprehensive test-ban treaty negotiations towards completion in the first half of 1996, he said.
The representative of South Africa also welcomed the declaration and looked forward to similar announcements on an African nuclear-weapon-free zone.
Also this afternoon, the representative of Israel said establishment of a credible nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East would be the seal on durable peace, but could not possibly precede it -- particularly at a time when there were States in the region which considered themselves to be in a state of war with his country.
The representative of Libya expressed support for a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East, but said Israel's nuclear facilities, which were not subject to controls, created an intolerable situation in the Middle East.
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Israel must abide by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), subject its facilities to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspection, and develop a timetable for destruction of its nuclear stockpiles.
Statements were also made by the representatives of Canada, Oman, Burkina Faso, Togo, Qatar, Syria, Turkmenistan, Lithuania and Turkey. The representative of Mongolia, the Committee Chairman, speaking in his capacity as Chairman of the Disarmament Commission, introduced that body's report.
The First Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, 25 October, to continue its general exchange of views.
Committee Work Programme
The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) met this afternoon to continue its general exchange of views on a wide range of disarmament initiatives and a number of international disarmament agreements. Those include the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons Tests in Outer Space and Under Water (partial test-ban Treaty), the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons (chemical weapons Convention), and the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction (biological weapons Convention).
Other agreements under discussion include the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects (Convention on indiscriminate conventional weapons), the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (Treaty of Tlatelolco), the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Rarotonga), and the Treaty on the Prohibition of the Emplacement of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction on the Seabed and the Ocean Floor and in the Subsoil Thereof (Seabed Treaty).
Other matters being considered by the Committee include the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the States parties to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, negotiations aimed at concluding a comprehensive nuclear test ban, the Register of Conventional Arms, and the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the international non-proliferation regime. The Committee was also likely to consider such bilateral agreements as the Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START). (For background, see Press Release GA/DIS/3020 of 11 October.)
Statements
JOELLE BOURGOIS (France), speaking also for the United Kingdom and the United States, read out their joint statement concerning the Rarotonga Treaty. They considered that freely negotiated nuclear-weapon-free zones could contribute to international peace and security. The 1995 NPT Conference had encouraged the establishment of such zones as a matter of priority. The Conference also recognized that such zones would not be maximally effective unless all nuclear-weapon States cooperated. The three countries would sign the relevant protocols of the Rarotonga Treaty during the first half of 1996.
LUVSANGIIN ERDENECHULUUN (Mongolia), Committee Chairman, speaking in his capacity as Chairman of the Disarmament Commission, introduced the report of the Commission (document A/50/42). He said that although bilateral progress
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in nuclear disarmament had been made with START I and II, and unilateral disarmament measures had been taken, multilateral forums had yet to conclude specific agreements in nuclear disarmament.
Specifically, he added, the Commission had failed to reach agreement on its item concerning nuclear disarmament, as a result of the mixed legacy of the 1995 NPT Conference. Such a legacy had similar impact on those nuclear issues inherent in the item on the review of the Declaration of the 1990s as the Third Disarmament Decade. However, a good foundation was laid for guidelines on international arms transfers -- an item which should be concluded successfully in 1996.
YEHIEL YATIV (Israel) said the international community had recently witnessed remarkable momentum in the peace process in the Middle East. He cited the signing of the declaration of principles of September, 1993; the Gaza-Jericho Agreement of May, 1994, and the interim agreement on September 28, 1995 that prescribed the gradual broadening of Palestinian self- government in the West Bank.
He said all States in the region should join the working group on Regional Security and Arms Control which was dedicated to seeking cooperative solutions to security problems in the region. He called for the establishment of a credible nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East, as the seal on durable peace, but it could not possibly precede it. There were still regional states that considered themselves in a state of war with Israel, so the nuclear issue had to be "free from any premature attempt to apply an agenda or timetable that does not reflect the reality in the region".
He said progress on nuclear issues was based on the following principles: comprehensiveness; a regional framework; a step-by-step approach, including confidence and security-building measures; peace relations; conventional and non-conventional arms control; and the primacy of the peace process as conducted in the bilateral and multilateral talks now under way. The challenges to Israel's security, and the volatility of the region, cautioned Israel against any precipitate renunciation of its agenda for arriving at a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the region. Israel would not jeopardize its security.
Where appropriate, he went on, global arrangements could complement regional agreements, he said. Israel's accession to the chemical weapons Convention demonstrated that regional security, arms control and disarmament agreements in the Middle East could be complemented by global arrangements. Israel hoped that all States in the Middle East would join that Convention, as an important step towards regional security and stability.
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Of all the post-conflict crises, he said the global land-mines issue was the most widespread and pernicious. They were, in effect, real weapons of mass destruction, preventing both reconciliation and reconstruction.
In order to maintain a constructive and positive role towards the chemical weapons Convention, he went on, Israel had repeatedly called for the elimination of chemical weapons and the establishment in the region of a zone free of chemical weapons. Unfortunately, several States of the region still armed themselves with chemical weapons. It was sincerely hoped that this would stop. On negotiations for a comprehensive test ban, Israel said each party should exercise its rights on an equal and non-discriminatory basis.
MARK J. MOHER (Canada) stressed the importance of reinforcing progress made in transforming the confrontational global agenda into one of cooperation. Progress must continue in reducing risks of conflict posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Efforts must also continue to reduce the risk of conventional conflict and to build cooperative structures. That required mutually reinforcing national and multilateral action.
The number of weapons of mass destruction must be reduced and their spread prevented, he said. The statement of Principles and Objectives for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament of the NPT Conference should be fully implemented. Nuclear testing by all States must cease now, and a comprehensive test ban be attained by mid-1996. Progress should continue towards banning the production of fissionable material for weapons purposes. The two major nuclear Powers must continue reducing their nuclear inventories -- a process in which other States must join. The establishment and reinforcement of nuclear-weapon-free zones must be encouraged. He urged all States to ratify the chemical weapons Convention and welcomed work aimed at strengthening the biological weapons Convention.
He said it was deeply disappointing that the Review Conference on the conventional weapons Convention had not succeeded in broadening its scope to include internal conflicts, prohibitions concerning land-mines, provisions governing transfers, and an appropriate inquiry-compliance mechanism. Progress must be made in those areas. The Register of Conventional Arms should become universal and made more effective. It should be expanded to include military holdings and procurement through national production. In view of the link between military expenditures and development, measures were needed to reduce the risks posed by regional and internal tensions and to restrain arms expenditures.
MOHAMED AL-HASSAN (Oman) said the work of the committee should go beyond the ceremonial aspects of the United Nations fiftieth anniversary. In spite of a world that was much safer today than it was fifty years ago, the international situation remained "tense, chaotic and less stable",
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characterized by small-scale wars and conflicts that seemed to exists in many parts of the world. He said that since the inception of Oman's modern development beginning in the 1970s, Oman had followed a policy of peaceful relations with all nations of the world based on mutual coexistence, non- interference in the internal affairs of others and the resort to peaceful means and dialogue to resolve outstanding differences.
Given the extension of the NPT this year, he went on, it was ironic that some States still clung to nuclear weapons, mistakenly believing they were viable means of self-defence, or that they provided an element of balance. In fact, they were a destabilizing element. In support of an early conclusion of a comprehensive test-ban treaty no later than 1996, Oman called upon nuclear- weapon States to exercise utmost restraint pending the treaty's entry into force. The time had come, he added, for a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East. Peace in the Indian Ocean, an area of particular interest to Oman, needed more work.
MINATA SAMATE (Burkina Faso) said that 50 years after the founding of the United Nations, and five years after the end of the cold war, general and complete disarmament was far from accomplished. Her country welcomed the indefinite extension of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and appealed to the nuclear-weapon States to reduce their arsenals, with the aim of the total elimination of nuclear weapons. However, the peaceful use of nuclear energy, particularly in its development applications, must be maintained and promoted. Cooperation in that field must be encouraged; countries possessing such technology should broaden the traditional "radius of cooperation".
She said a moratorium on nuclear testing would help speed up the negotiation and conclusion of a comprehensive nuclear test ban in 1996. There should be a convention prohibiting the production of fissionable material for weapons purposes. She appealed to the nuclear Powers to support efforts to create an African nuclear-weapon-free zone.
The manufacture, sale and use of anti-personnel land-mines must be prohibited, she said. There must be a halt of laser weapons, particularly those which caused irreversible blindness. Her country had been prey to the illicit traffic in small arms, which posed a serious threat to the populations of the region. Burkina Faso wholeheartedly endorsed the control of weapons at the regional level but opposed closing the regional centres for disarmament.
KOMI MENSAH AFETO (Togo) said that while the consensus to extend the NPT was welcomed, it should not be considered an end in itself. More edifying results were needed to achieve the true goal of the treaty. Nuclear tests should prompt speedy negotiations on a comprehensive test-ban treaty, and efforts should be redoubled so that the treaty could become a reality before
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the end of the current session. Regarding the banning of fissile materials for nuclear weapons, it was hoped that nuclear powers would devote greater attention to this issue.
He said the establishment of denuclearized zones and the adoption of the final text of a treaty for such a zone in Africa currently before the Committee, was welcomed. Adoption of the Treaty of Tlatelolco was also welcomed, along with negotiations on a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East. The intention of France, United Kingdom, and the United States to sign the Treaty of Rarotonga was also acknowledged. With respect to chemical disarmament, Togo would proceed to its ratification shortly. He spoke of the existence of anti-personnel land-mines, which each day caused suffering to countless civilians throughout the world, and regretted the lack of progress on the subject in Geneva.
He said the Register on Conventional Arms was useful and he hoped its scope would be extended to include other data and categories of weapons.
It was essential, he said, to infuse new dynamism into the activities of regional centres for disarmament. The case of the Centre for Africa was particularly alarming; it had made huge efforts, to which only a handful of governments had contributed. It was in danger of closing because of the financial difficulties of the United Nations.
ABDELHAMEED ALKUBAISI (Qatar) said the process of disarmament was lengthy and difficult, but it was indispensable if there was to be lasting peace and security. Security and stability were connected with economic and social development. Such development required financial and other resources which had been swallowed up by military expenditures.
The creation of zones free from weapons of mass destruction was a matter of the highest importance. A nuclear-weapon-free zone should be established in the Middle East, as an important measure towards limiting arms in the region.
He said no State could establish its security by its own resources alone, he said. Similarly, the maintenance of regional peace and security was the responsibility of all States of the region. All States which had not done so should join the NPT, renouncing nuclear weapons and placing all their nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. Qatar shared the IAEA's concerns about the threats to peace and security arising from nuclear activities in the Middle East which were not solely for peaceful purposes.
A nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East should be effectively verifiable, he said. Establishing such a zone would also involve economic and social benefits for the States in the region.
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TAMMAM SULAIMAN (Syria) said it was necessary to establish a clear link between extension of the NPT and the end of proliferation by all countries without exception. The issue of security assurances assumed great importance since the Treaty did not provide for the necessary confidence.
He said the possession of nuclear weapons by any State represented a source of concern to peoples of the region, and Israel's possession of nuclear weapons was such a danger, along with its failure to comply with recent achievements. The NPT did represent a vital step towards declaring the Middle East a region free of weapons of mass destruction. A treaty banning the production of fissile material was also a step in the right direction towards completing nuclear disarmament. It was hoped a comprehensive test-ban treaty would be achieved by the end of 1996, considering its importance.
Expansion of the Register of Conventional Arms was important, he said. It should include weapons of mass destruction and other conventional weapons and should be applied in a balanced, non-discriminatory manner.
He said the failure of Israel to adhere to agreements was a challenge to the Arabs and the rest of the world. It proved Israel did not see a lasting peace, such as the United States intended in its recent initiative towards such a comprehensive and lasting peace.
AKSOLTAN ATAEVA (Turkmenistan) said the vestiges of the cold war, in the form of regional and local conflicts, must be overcome. Such related problems as weapons transfers and illegal drug trafficking must also be addressed. Turkmenistan was a small, peace-loving nation that was not involved in any of the existing conflicts or disputes on the United Nations agenda. Good-neighbourliness and neutrality remained fundamental tenets of its foreign policy. However, history abounded in bitter situations in which small States like her own had become involved in the whirlwind of conflicts against their will.
Turkmenistan had chosen to follow a policy of permanent, constructive neutrality, she said. It intended to be an active participant in peace-making processes carried out under the auspices of the United Nations, and had become a full-fledged member of the Non-Aligned Movement. It also intended to develop mutually beneficial relations with all States, and above all with its neighbours.
ATTIA MUBARAK (Libya) said the United Nations sought to promote international peace and security through collective efforts based on human values. Such values ruled out hegemony, intolerance and racism. Weapons of mass destruction posed a grave threat to international peace and security. The persistence and build-up of such weapons was a matter of great concern.
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Libya had opposed the indefinite extension of the NPT, he said. The Treaty was not universal, and its extension would not promote nuclear disarmament. Serious measures should be taken by the nuclear Powers, including the cessation of nuclear tests and the conclusion of a comprehensive test-ban treaty. The nuclear-weapon States should abandon limits placed by nuclear States on the transfer of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
Israel's nuclear facilities, which were not subject to controls, created an intolerable situation in the Middle East, he said. Agreement on the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East was important and should be supported. The great Powers which possessed such weapons must advise Israel to abide by the NPT, subject its nuclear facilities to IAEA inspection and develop a timetable for destruction of its nuclear stockpiles. In the Mediterranean region, peace and security required the withdrawal of foreign military fleets and dismantling the military bases in the region of the large Powers.
GINTE DAMUSIS (Lithuania) said her country's full integration into European political, economic and collective security structures was a high priority. In spite of the easing of East-West tensions, great risks to international peace and security remained. Regional and subregional issues had acquired additional urgency and importance in the field of disarmament and international security.
Despite important advances, military expenditures and weapons sales continued to increase at an unbridled rate, she said. New tensions and conflicts had arisen among individual States and regions, such as the bloody excesses in the former Yugoslavia and former Soviet Union and in Central Africa. Progress in disarmament now must focus on preventive measures, that included the highest possible degree of transparency and confidence among States.
The traditional approach to disarmament needed to be supplemented by new dimensions of diplomacy. That dual approach, with an emphasis on regional arrangements, was one of the key objectives in creating a new, international security system.
HUSEYIN E. CELEM (Turkey) said that with the end of the cold war, the prospects for arms control and disarmament had improved considerably. The decision to extend the NPT indefinitely was an achievement of historic significance, and progress had been made towards universal adherence to the Treaty. It was expected that nuclear tests would not adversely affect the timely conclusion of a comprehensive test ban. Turkey supported the conclusion of such a universal and verifiable ban no later than 1996. The next priority should be agreement on banning the production of fissile
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material for weapons purposes. In addition, responsible policies and mechanisms were needed to control the transfer of nuclear material -- a process in which the IAEA had a fundamental role to play.
The proliferation of any type of weapons of mass destruction posed a serious threat to international peace and security, he said. The chemical weapons Convention and the biological weapons Convention were significant instruments. Turkey supported the strengthening of the biological weapons Convention through additional verification provisions. The eruption of ethnic conflicts had amply demonstrated the importance of regional arms control and disarmament. The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe had established a stable and secure balance at lower levels of conventional armed forces; violation of such a critical international legal instrument would certainly create an atmosphere of distrust.
The chances of broadening the scope of arms control and other security- building measures in the Middle East were now greater than ever, he said. It was also hoped that cooperation and confidence-building in Asia would succeed and contribute to international security. Turkey also strongly supported expansion of the membership of the Conference on Disarmament.
Right of Reply
PATRICK COLE (Australia), speaking in right of reply, welcomed the joint announcement by France, United Kingdom and the United States of their intentions to sign the relevant protocols to the Treaty of Rarotonga in early 1996, thereby joining Russia and China, which had previously signed the two protocols open to them. It bode well for the further development of international peace and security in the aftermath of the NPT Review Conference, he said, and gave nuclear-weapon-free zones a boost. Ratification by all nuclear-weapon States had been a major objective for the South Pacific, for which Australia had been working for a long time. By signing on to the Treaty's protocols, the United States, France, and the United Kingdom would send a positive message of non-proliferation that would help drive the comprehensive test-ban treaty negotiations towards completion in the first half of 1996.
MR. MARKRAM (South Africa), in right of reply, also welcomed the joint statements of the signing of the protocols to the Treaty of Rarotonga and said he looked forward to similar announcements by nuclear-weapon States with regard to an African nuclear-weapon-free zone, and the prompt signing of the relevant protocols as soon as they became available.
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