I"A REPRESENTATIVE OUTLINES SHIFT IN AGENCY'S SAFEGUARDS REGIME TO INCLUDE DETECTION OF UNDECLARED NUCLEAR PROGRAMMES
Press Release
DC/2603
IAEA REPRESENTATIVE OUTLINES SHIFT IN AGENCY'S SAFEGUARDS REGIME TO INCLUDE DETECTION OF UNDECLARED NUCLEAR PROGRAMMES
19980408 Cites Discovery of Iraq's Secret Nuclear Programme, Changed Security Perceptions, in Statement to Disarmament CommissionThe safeguards regime of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had changed from a classical system based on declared nuclear materials to one which required that the Agency develop its capacity to detect undeclared nuclear programmes, the Representative of its Director-General said this afternoon, as the Disarmament Commission continued its general debate.
The discovery in the aftermath of the Gulf War that Iraq, a party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), had a secret nuclear programme, had highlighted the limitations of the old system and changed the international community's expectations with respect to safeguards, he said. The Agency had, therefore, approved a comprehensive catalogue of measures aimed at ensuring much greater transparency about the nuclear activities of States.
The strengthening of the IAEA's safeguards system also owed much to changed perceptions about nuclear security, reflecting geopolitical changes resulting from the end of the cold war, he said. It made any diversion of nuclear materials from peaceful purposes more difficult and so contributed to international security.
Speakers today welcomed the extension of nuclear-weapon-free zones throughout the world and highlighted the need for such zones in South Asia and the Middle East. The representatives of Egypt and Iran cited Israel's refusal to accede to the NPT or to place its nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards as obstacles to the establishment of such a zone in the Middle East.
The representative of Pakistan said his country's call for such a zone in South Asia was part of comprehensive approach to resolving the problems in the region, while the representative of India cited her country's proposal for the immediate conclusion of an internationally binding agreement prohibiting the use of nuclear weapons, pending their complete elimination.
A number of speakers drew attention to Mongolia's decision to declare itself a single-State nuclear-weapon-free zone. Noting that his country was
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as large as Central Europe, the representative of Mongolia said its decision was intended as a contribution to reinforcing stability in that strategically sensitive region.
Statements were also made by the representatives of Peru, Uruguay, Kazakhstan, Philippines, Viet Nam, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kyrgyzstan, Chile, Ukraine and Jamaica.
The Disarmament Commission will meet again at a date to be announced in the Journal.
Commission Work Programme
The Disarmament Commission met this afternoon to continue its general exchange of views. During its current session, the Commission will consider three key issues: the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones; a fourth special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament; and guidelines on conventional arms control, limitation and disarmament.
Statements
FERNANDO GUILLEN (Peru) said it was a great source of satisfaction that the Commission was considering an item on nuclear-weapon-free zones, an area in which Latin America had been a pioneer. Peru hoped that the four existing zones could be joined by one in Central Asia, and commended Mongolia's initiative in that direction. What was being established was more than a theoretical doctrine, but a network of concrete international agreements involving an ever-growing number of Member States, including those with varying levels of nuclear development.
The advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice concerning nuclear weapons had supported the majority view, he said. Favouring the maintenance of nuclear arsenals ran counter to that view, and voluntary security assurances regarding the use or threatened use of such weapons were insufficient. Peru had agreed to the indefinite extension of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and was one of first countries to have signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). However, the lack of progress in nuclear disarmament reinforced its dilemma over having signed that agreement.
He said that the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms was neither obligatory nor perfect. Regional measures for the control and limitation of those weapons in Latin America should not depend on actions taken at the global level. Among measures undertaken by Peru was the ratification of Protocol II of the Convention on Certain Excessively Dangerous Conventional Weapons. Peru was gratified that Latin America had taken the initiative in developing an Inter-American Convention to prohibit illicit traffic in small arms.
The General Assembly's adoption by consensus of a resolution on the convening of a fourth special session on disarmament represented a goal which the major Powers could not allow to fail. The document drafted last year by the Chairman of the Commission's working group on the special session formed a solid basis for work on its objectives and agenda. It was imperative that a rationalization of the objectives between the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security), the Disarmament Commission and the Conference on Disarmament should not dilute the aims and vital interests of States, particularly the developing, non-aligned and non-nuclear countries.
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JORGE PEREZ-OTERMIN (Uruguay) said it was unfortunate that the end of the cold war had not rid the world of conflicts. Uruguay attached great importance to the declaration of the year 2000 as the year of the culture of peace. As Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs Jayantha Dhanapala had stated, the twentieth century had seen the development of nuclear weapons, but the twenty-first century must witness their destruction.
The majority of conflicts today were internal, he said. They often stemmed from poverty, intolerance and environmental factors, and were fuelled by the proliferation of arms. The Disarmament Commission must be revitalized. Member States should make concrete suggestions on disarmament. Disarmament should be the legacy of the present generation. The establishment of nuclear- weapon-free zones should be complementary to the central objective of the elimination of nuclear weapons.
AKMARAL KH. ARYSTANBEKOVA (Kazakhstan) said that the extension of the NPT had become one of the most important events in strengthening the non- proliferation regime. Nevertheless, further progress was urgently needed. To that end, the creation of nuclear-weapon-free zones, which had recently gained momentum, deserved serious attention. Such zones strengthened the non- proliferation regime, as well as global and regional peace and security.
Central Asia could make the next real contribution to ensuring global security, she said. History had shown that nuclear-weapon-free zones could truly reduce tension and create propitious conditions for regional development. Their establishment, however, required careful, meticulous work. In Central Asia, special attention should focus on issues of ecological security, as well as on environmental problems resulting from years of nuclear weapons tests and uranium mining.
The international community faced the very complex task of slowing down the proliferation of conventional weapons, especially small arms and light weapons, she said. The discussion of guidelines for the control of those weapons was important and timely. In addition, strengthening the principle of transparency, as set forth in the United Nations Register of Conventional arms, was broadly supported by Member States, including her own. Kazakhstan had provided the Register with the essential information from the very beginning.
FELIPE H. MABILANGAN (Philippines) said it would be tragic if nuclear- weapon-free zones became a tool for justifying the continued existence of nuclear arsenals instead of being used to promote nuclear disarmament. The world had already heard quite a bit about the requirements which some States sought to impose on the creation of nuclear-weapon-free zones. There should be a full discussion of the issue.
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He said the Philippines supported the holding of a fourth special session on disarmament, as well as the calls for it to have a balanced agenda. The issue of nuclear disarmament in all its aspects should be prominent on that agenda. The cause of global and regional stability and security would be greatly served if the amount of conventional arms in the world were limited or reduced. Tensions would be reduced and confidence built. Distrust would give way to trust, and misunderstanding would not give rise to conflicts. While the Philippines favoured a comprehensive approach to that issue, it would support moves to give particular attention to the issue of small arms and light weapons.
SAVITRI KUNADI (India) said the elimination of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction were the most important objectives on the international disarmament agenda. While the international community had made considerable headway towards the disarmament of chemical and biological weapons, efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons would continue to require decisive action. The world must work towards a universal, indivisible prohibition of the use of all weapons of mass destruction. It could not allow the successes achieved in the elimination of chemical and biological weapons to serve as justification for the continued retention and possible use of nuclear weapons against the perceived threat of other weapons of mass destruction.
She said India attached the highest priority to nuclear disarmament. It had proposed the immediate conclusion of an internationally binding agreement prohibiting the use of nuclear weapons, pending their complete elimination. The reluctance of some States to jettison the cold war mental baggage of viewing nuclear weapons as a legitimate currency of international power, and their attempts to freeze an unequal and untenable international order based on special rights and privileges for those possessing nuclear weapons, had paralysed the debate on nuclear disarmament.
A fourth special session on disarmament would offer the international community an opportunity to review the current international situation and to assess the most critical aspects of the disarmament process, she said. The session should address priority disarmament issues and come up with a positive and forward-looking programme, to provide an organic continuum between the tasks agreed upon in the past and a programme of action for the future. There was a need to reaffirm the priorities in disarmament negotiations as set out by consensus in the Final Document of the first special session, with a view to preserving and building upon its achievements while seeking ways and means of addressing the unfinished tasks.
MAGED A. ABDEL AZIZ (Egypt) reiterated Egypt's strong support for the convening of a fourth special session, based on the need to reflect fundamental changes in international relations following the end of the cold war. The latest achievements of the international community in the field of
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disarmament, along with its aspirations in the field of small arms and light weapons, should reflect the priorities set forth in the first special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament, at which nuclear disarmament was accorded the highest priority.
He said the priorities therefore should be nuclear weapons; weapons of mass destruction, including chemical weapons; conventional weapons, including any which might be deemed to be excessively injurious or to have indiscriminate effects; and the reduction of armed forces. The Commission should try to reach general agreement on an agenda and set an exact date for the convening of the Assembly's special session. That necessitated finalizing its work at the present session and presenting recommendations to the General Assembly on organizational and substantive issues. The flexibility demonstrated by the Non-Aligned Movement at the Assembly's recent session in not insisting on fixing an exact date should not be perceived as a gambit. Rather it was aimed at ensuring an atmosphere more conducive to the convening of the special session.
Egypt's proposal to establish an ad hoc committee on nuclear disarmament in the Conference on Disarmament remained valid, he said. Entrusting the Conference with the task of pursuing intensive consultations on that issue would represent a modest step forward. Yet its responsibility in that regard was undeniably clear. Those nuclear-weapon States which continued to obstruct the goal of nuclear disarmament should adopt a more constructive attitude.
The preparatory committee for the NPT Review Conference in the year 2000 had agreed that the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones enhanced global and regional peace and security, he said. Egypt welcomed the establishment of two such zones in Africa and South-East Asia, as well as the serious efforts of the Central Asian States to establish such a zone there. Likewise, Mongolia's initiative to establish a single State zone deserved special attention.
The Cairo declaration adopted at the signing ceremony of the Pelindaba Treaty emphasized that the establishment of those zones, such as in the Middle East, enhanced global and regional peace and security. Unfortunately, the Middle East was still far behind. Israel was the only State in the region which had not acceded to the NPT or placed its nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. Its operation of an ambiguous nuclear programme was cause for alarm among the States of the region. It also persisted in obstructing regional discussions on the issue. The Disarmament Commission bore an extremely important role on that subject by not limiting its deliberations to the formulation of guidelines, but also formulating specific recommendations based on practical assessments of existing zones, with a specific focus on the Middle East.
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The item on conventional weapons must be tackled in a careful manner in order to avoid duplication between the Commission and the Panel of Governmental Experts on small arms and light weapons, established by the Secretary-General. Work in the conventional weapons sphere also touched on various aspects of the work of United Nations as a whole, especially concerning countries in transition, where efforts towards peacekeeping, post- conflict peace-building, and preventive diplomacy were under way. Those were often areas where no concrete definition had been agreed upon. Consideration of the item in the Commission, therefore, should be restricted to a pure disarmament scope, keeping a distance from areas not within its mandate.
RAVJAA MOUNKHOU (Mongolia) said his country welcomed national and regional efforts to strengthen the existing nuclear-weapon-free zones in various parts of the world. The creation of the zones should be encouraged and supported as they enhanced national, regional and global peace and security and contributed to the objective of non-proliferation and disarmament. Mongolia supported ongoing efforts by South-East Asian countries towards establishing a new zone in that region. By declaring its territory a nuclear-weapon-free zone, Mongolia, which was as large as Central Europe, was trying not only to ensure its security by political means, but also to contribute in its own way to reinforcing stability and enhancing predictability in its strategically sensitive region.
The convening of a fourth special session of the General Assembly on disarmament was long overdue, he said. The post-cold war security environment had made it possible to draw up a new, more exacting disarmament agenda. Progress in conventional disarmament was possible only in the context of nuclear disarmament. Conventional arms control constituted an indispensable part of disarmament efforts and promoted national, regional and international peace and security. Conventional arms control and disarmament could be truly effective if they addressed the root causes of instability and served the interests of development.
KHALID AZIZ BABAR (Pakistan) said the creation of several nuclear- weapon-free zones over the past few years was a welcome development. While Pakistan's proposal for the establishment of such a zone in South Asia predated several of those initiatives and despite repeated calls of the General Assembly, no progress had been achieved in that area. Pakistan's proposal was part of its effort to promote a comprehensive approach to resolving the problems in that region, including the resolution of disputes and the promotion of security.
He said there was an urgent need to hold a special session of the Assembly on disarmament to take stock of post-cold war developments and to chalk out an effective plan of action consistent with the principles of the Final Document of the first special session. There was a unique opportunity to achieve significant progress, and any attempt to undermine the consensus so
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painstakingly negotiated at the first special session on disarmament would be counter-productive. It was hoped that the Commission would be able to achieve consensus on important issues related to the convening of the special session.
Assurances by nuclear-weapon-States to non-nuclear-weapon States should be unconditional and legally binding, he said. Pakistan did not accept the new doctrines envisaging the threat or use of nuclear weapons against non- nuclear-weapon States. The International Court of Justice in its advisory opinion said that those doctrines were in contravention of international law.
Consideration of conventional arms should take into account the legitimate security interests of all States, he said. The matter should be pursued primarily at the regional and subregional levels, where a conscious endeavour was required to ensure against the creation of serious arms imbalances. The threat to international peace and security could not be removed without addressing the underlying causes of tensions at the regional and subregional levels. The United Nations should play a role in the creation of conditions necessary to reach agreement on conventional arms control, as well as in providing a framework for such agreements.
PHAM QUANG VINH (Viet Nam) said the end of the cold war had made it clearly unjustifiable to maintain nuclear arsenals and other weapons of mass destruction. The world must do away with those horrible weapons. Lasting peace and security for all must be constructed on an equal basis. It was unfair for a few countries to maintain absolute superiority while many others continued to live with insecurity. While welcoming efforts to further reduce nuclear arsenals, Viet Nam urged the world to free itself from the burden of nuclear weapons; it must ban them completely.
He said the United Nations and other multilateral forums had an important role to play in disarmament. In the efforts to revitalize and reform those institutions, their roles must be strengthened. The Disarmament Commission in particular had a unique role to play as a multilateral deliberative body on disarmament and had made great contributions over the years to the formulation of guidelines on disarmament. Its role and capacity should be enhanced.
Viet Nam supported the convening of the fourth special session of the Assembly on disarmament, he said. It should take stock of developments relating to the world's political and security environment. It must review the past and look into the future with a view to developing the objectives and principles of disarmament in the context of a new world.
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NASTE CALOVSKI (The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) said the maintenance of international peace and security depended on the advancement of the disarmament process. The preventive effects of that process were of particular importance. The cardinal mission of the United Nations could not be advanced without disarmament.
He said the international community should promote the goal of creating a world without nuclear weapons to further strengthen the NPT regime. However, it was not realistic to hold the fourth special session on disarmament during the current century. The best way to proceed would be to start discussing the agenda. In order to reach a consensus, the agenda should be of a general nature. It was possible that a special session in 2001 could adopt the disarmament agenda for the twenty-first century. The fifty-third session of the General Assembly should decide the date of the special session in 2001 and establish a preparatory committee for it.
The control of conventional arms had become an important priority, he said. The production of conventional arms and their stockpiling and trade should be controlled. The issue must be dealt with much more decisively. Establishing guidelines was not enough. No State could feel secure if it was surrounded by conventional weapons in excess of what was legitimate and reasonable for self-defence. The world must control conventional weapons and eliminate their negative effects on security.
MEHDI DANESH-YAZDI (Iran) said that the end of the cold war provided a golden opportunity for the Commission to fulfil its mandate by advancing the cause of disarmament. Iran attached great importance to the convening of the fourth special session. It was regrettable, however, that despite the resolutions of recent years, the session had not yet materialized. The Commission in 1997 had failed to reach agreement on the special session's agenda and objectives. That session should have a balanced agenda which would remain faithful to the priorities established by the fourth special session on disarmament.
He said that the positive developments in chemical and biological weapons provided a historic opportunity to take new steps towards the fulfilment of the priorities of the first special session and to set the future course of action, he said. It was imperative to continue efforts towards the elimination of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, as well as towards a reduction of the production and transfer of conventional weapons.
The creation of additional nuclear-weapon-free zones constituted an important confidence-building and disarmament measure which enhanced both regional and global peace and security, he said. The establishment of such a zone in the Middle East was stalled by the refusal of Israel to adhere to the NPT. Its reported possession of nuclear weapons, along with its refusal to
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accept NPT obligations and IAEA safeguards, had a destabilizing effect on the region. It was imperative to direct all efforts to make that region a zone free from weapons of mass destruction.
The Commission should take account of a number of principles, including the need to promote the universality of the NPT, to identify and remove obstacles that hindered the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones in sensitive areas such as the Middle East, and to prohibit the use or threatened use of nuclear weapons under any circumstances. Also important was the need to provide guarantees for all States to acquire and develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes; to emphasize the role of nuclear-weapon States in rendering assistance for the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones; and to encourage States to place all their nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards.
He said that arresting the flow of conventional arms was a disarmament matter requiring an international solution. General Assembly resolution 51/45 N should guide the Commission's work in order to attain a tangible result. The recommendations of the Panel of Governmental Experts on small arms might also be a useful source for the Commission's further deliberation on the issue.
MARAT OUSSOUPOV (Kyrgyzstan) said the idea of establishing a nuclear- weapon-free zone in Central Asia demonstrated the continuing commitment of the world to disarmament. Kyrgyzstan hoped that a consultative meeting on the creation of the zone by experts of the region in Bishek would further advance that positive development.
He said Kyrgyzstan was convinced that the process of establishing nuclear-weapon-free zones should be in line with the United Nations Charter and the principles of international law. Every step in the direction of the final goal should be well thought out and consistent. Kyrgyzstan welcomed Mongolia's initiative to declare a single State nuclear-weapon-free zone. It was a further practical and logical step in the direction of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
JUAN LARRAIN (Chile) said that while there had been setbacks within the Commission, its was entrusted with the responsibility to pave the way for progress on issues important to world security. Chile reaffirmed its support for the position expressed by the Non-Aligned Movement on the convening of a fourth special session of the Assembly on disarmament. Its content should reflect the fundamental changes on the international scene since the convening of the previous special session, as well as progress achieved in the disarmament field. The fourth session should give special attention to new ideas, including the participation of such interested parties as non- governmental organizations in the disarmament process.
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The inclusion of the item on nuclear-weapon-free zones on the Commission's agenda reflected the growing importance of that vital concept, he said. Together with the NPT and the CTBT, those zones constituted the cornerstone of the non-proliferation regime. The objectives of nuclear- weapon-free zones need to be consolidated, and progress should advance with respect to the four existing zones. The recognition by the international community of the emergence of the southern hemisphere as nuclear-weapon free was a significant step forward. In the vast context of those zones, the special importance of regulating the international maritime transport of radioactive waste in accordance with the highest levels of safety and security should be highlighted.
VOLODYMYR Y. YEL'CHENKO (Ukraine) said that illicit trade in small arms and light weapons and their excessive accumulation in certain countries and regions should be constantly monitored by the United Nations. The legitimate arms requirements of countries should be in line with the efforts of the international community to promote arms control and transparency in arms transfers. The United Nations Register of Conventional Arms was an effective mechanism for ensuring transparency and confidence-building. All States were encouraged to support it by providing all the necessary information.
He said Ukraine was strictly committed to its 1995 national moratorium on the export of anti-personnel landmines and was determined to prolong it further. Although his country had not signed the Ottawa Convention, it fully supported the spirit of that important document.
He said the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones should be supported by all the countries concerned, including the nuclear-weapon States. Those States should not only respect the status of the nuclear-weapon-free zones, but should also meet their obligations to provide security assurances for the States covered by those zones. The zones should provide an effective mechanism for verification of the obligations assumed by the parties, including the application of full-scope IAEA safeguards to all peaceful nuclear facilities in the zones.
WAYNE ST. JOHN McCOOK (Jamaica) said that a highly focused fourth special session on disarmament would provide an important opportunity to review the framework of disarmament efforts in its broadest context. The international community should take advantage of the momentum regarding small arms and certain other conventional weapons, as well of heightened global concern at the threat posed by nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. Preparations for the fourth special session must put all issues on the table and to be meaningfully addressed.
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Jamaica hoped that those regions which had not yet reached an agreement on the mechanism for creation of a nuclear-weapon-free zone would continue to work towards it, he said. There should be restraint in the arms trade. Adoption of new and innovative measures to limit the flood of guns in the international market would contribute greatly to the promotion of peace and security at the national and international levels. Arms-producing nations must assume special responsibility. Consideration must be given to the role of suppliers in fueling conflicts by supporting arms build-ups in areas of tension. Careful attention must also be paid to the laxity in the sale of deadly weapons and the inadequate controls over their export, which ultimately contributed to increased crime and terrorism and the destabilization of certain societies.
BERHANYKUN ANDEMICAEL, Representative of the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that the selection of the subject of nuclear-weapon-free zones for in-depth consideration by the Commission reflected the general significance attributed to regional non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament endeavours. It also reaffirmed the conviction expressed at the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the NPT that the establishment of such zones, particularly in regions of conflict, enhanced global and regional peace and security.
While specific security concerns varied from region to region, common features defined existing nuclear-weapon-free-zone arrangements, he said. Those included the prohibition of the possession, development, acquisition or deployment of nuclear weapons within the area of the Treaty's application; the provision of negative security assurances to non-nuclear-weapon States; and a control system to verify compliance with the legal obligations assumed by the parties. Each control system offered a combination of complementary global and regional recourses. In the global context, parties to the zone were obligated to accept comprehensive IAEA safeguards as a central element. In the regional context, arrangements were crafted to address special or exceptional circumstances.
Although safeguards were neither the first nor the only barrier to proliferation, they provided the international community with assurances about the exclusively peaceful use of nuclear materials and activities, he said. Safeguards made any diversion from peaceful uses more difficult and thus contributed to the security of States and of the international community. The strengthening of the IAEA's safeguards system owed much to changed perception about nuclear security, reflecting the geopolitical changes resulting from the end of the cold war.
He said that the post-Gulf War discovery that Iraq, a party to the NPT, had a secret nuclear programme highlighted the limitations of the classical safeguards system with its emphasis on declared nuclear material. It also changed the expectations placed upon that system by the international
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community. Most important was the recognition that to function more effectively, the Agency needed a capacity to detect undeclared nuclear programmes. With that key consideration in mind, its policy-making organs approved a comprehensive catalogue of measures aimed at ensuring much greater transparency about the nuclear activities of States, as a means to more effective verification.
The new measures aimed to strengthen the effectiveness and improve the efficiency of the safeguards system, he said. The 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference called upon States parties to support and implement measures to strengthen the Agency's safeguards system. Parties to safeguards agreements would be taking a major step in that direction by concluding with the IAEA a Protocol additional to their respective Safeguards Agreement, for which the Agency had drafted a model text.
Regionally, changing perceptions about what constituted nuclear security also resulted in an expansion of the role of the IAEA in verifying compliance with nuclear-weapon-free-zone obligations, he said. The first such zones, both in uninhabited and populated zones, were created against the backdrop of the narrower, military definition of security and represented the regional or zonal approach to military denuclearization.
Following a detailed comparative review of the four existing treaties, he drew attention to concerns about the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East, given the military potential of nuclear energy in that region. There was general agreement that the establishment of such a zone was key to ensuring against nuclear proliferation there, and would constitute an important step towards the creation of a zone free of all weapons of mass destruction. With the mandate of preparing model agreements as a necessary step towards the establishment of a Middle East nuclear-weapon- free zone, the IAEA secretariat had engaged in consultations with all States of the region. In order to develop meaningful model verification agreements, it needed a clearer idea of the obligations that the parties to a future treaty would be willing to undertake.
Overall, security-related verification arrangements needed to be the most intense in areas marked by deep conflict and mistrust, he said. A future nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East would, therefore, seem to call for rigorous, intrusive verification. However, those arrangements would be up to the parties to such a zone to decide upon.
He said the proposal for a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia demonstrated further how notions of security had changed from more traditional, military definitions to a broader concept responsive to other immediate regional concerns. The five Central Asian States had endorsed the creation of a such a zone, underscoring both the relevance of fully effective IAEA safeguards and the importance to them of environmental safety as a
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strategic component of national security. The IAEA had been invited to participate in a further meeting of the States concerned at the next meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the Review Conference of the parties to the NPT in the year 2000, to be held soon in Geneva.
The concept of nuclear security had evolved progressively, he said. Depending on the special circumstances of a region, the control mechanism might now include not only the central function of safeguards as a means of verifying compliance with peaceful-use undertakings, but also such elements as anti-dumping provisions, the prohibition of armed attack on nuclear installations, nuclear safety provisions, export control measures, and the destruction or conversion of any facilities previously used for manufacturing nuclear explosives. Recent nuclear-weapon-free-zone treaties had entrusted the IAEA with an expanded verification role applicable to all the provisions of those treaties.
Fundamental to all, however, was effective verification of legal commitments freely entered into, he said. The Agency had the flexibility to tailor verification measures to specific requirements. It had done so in the past and stood ready to do so in the future. It was also necessary for the effectiveness of nuclear-weapon-free-zone treaties and of the non- proliferation regime that the parties conclude full-scope safeguards agreements with the Agency. The IAEA would continue to facilitate that process.
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