FOREIGN MINISTER OF IRAN OUTLINES INITIATIVE TO REDUCE TENSION IN SOUTH ASIA AFTER NUCLEAR TESTS BY INDIA AND PAKISTAN
Press Release
DCF/338
FOREIGN MINISTER OF IRAN OUTLINES INITIATIVE TO REDUCE TENSION IN SOUTH ASIA AFTER NUCLEAR TESTS BY INDIA AND PAKISTAN
19980604 Foreign Minister of Iran Partly Blames Lack of Action on Nuclear Disarmament for Crisis(Reissued as received.)
GENEVA, 4 June (UN Information Service) -- The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iran, Kamal Kharrazi, this morning outlined an initiative to reduce tension following a series of nuclear tests by India and Pakistan last month.
Speaking to member States of the Conference on Disarmament, Mr. Kharrazi said there was no doubt in his mind that lack of serious attention and absence of concrete action on nuclear disarmament had been a contributing factor to the situation. The world should bear in mind that at least part of the blame rested on the insufficiency and insignificance of the response to demands for genuine moves on nuclear disarmament. South Asia was faced with a situation of heightened alert and the nuclear sword of Damocles was now hanging over the region by a slender thread.
The Iranian Minister outlined the main elements in his initiative which stressed the need for a renewed commitment by India and Pakistan to resume and continue a comprehensive dialogue on all outstanding issues, including peace and security, Jammu and Kashmir, confidence-building measures and nuclear issues, including the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). Those issues could be dealt with through a pre-arranged mechanism which included discussions at the highest possible levels.
He said there was also a need for a commitment to refrain from conducting any further nuclear tests for at least as long as the dialogue was under way, and a commitment to engage in immediate discussions with representatives of non-nuclear-weapon States and nuclear-weapon States which were parties to the NPT and CTBT on joining those treaties. The two countries should also be committed to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from any action that might aggravate the situation. They should avoid the assembly or deployment of nuclear weapons and should refrain from the transfer of weapon-related materials.
Statements
KAMAL KHARRAZI, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iran, said his country had listened and noted carefully the causes and reasons that had given rise to the decision to go ahead with the nuclear tests in India and Pakistan. It had also tried to maintain focus on the potential risks and dangers and what could be considered as possible ways to avoid aggravation of the situation and to move towards reducing tension. There was no doubt in his mind that lack of serious attention and absence of concrete action on nuclear disarmament had been a contributing factor to the situation. The indefinite extension of the NPT was to have led to definite moves towards a nuclear-weapon-free world. Instead, matters remained stalemated. Alarm was particularly raised when some nuclear-weapon States, in defending their position against the near-universal consensus on illegality of the use of nuclear weapons, claimed permanent right to possession of nuclear weapons, basing their argument on the permanent extension of the NPT. That, along with the refusal to agree on commencing negotiations on nuclear disarmament at this Conference and the failure to address some of the legitimate concerns raised by non-nuclear-weapon States during formation of the CTBT, yielded the grounds fertile for regrettable actions.
He said the world should bear in mind that at least part of the blame rested on the insufficiency and insignificance of the response to demands for genuine moves on nuclear disarmament. Iran wanted to make clear that to conduct nuclear tests was a misconduct, in layman's terms, and the ensuing responsibilities could not be evaded. All States had the legitimate and sovereign right to seek and develop all means necessary to preserve their national security, but when it came to nuclear weapons, it was evident that they bred instability and killed confidence. It was not evident that they enhanced security, rather, it seemed more likely that the reverse was the case. South Asia was faced with a situation of heightened alert and the nuclear sword of Damocles was now hanging over the region by a slender threat. There was a need to move to help defuse tension and prevent further escalation.
Mr. Kharrazi said there seemed to be a growing trend of States deploring the tests and imposing sanctions on India and Pakistan as a means of exerting pressure. The statement read out in the Conference on behalf of a large number of member States was only an indication. However, it would be wise to realize that the Conference should seek and accentuate the positive, however modest or meagre, rather than remain fixated on the negative.
The Iranian Minister said it was his impression, with a reasonable level of confidence, that there were a number of areas which represented common elements and a basis for initiatives that might be explored by India and Pakistan. Those included a renewed commitment to resume and continue a comprehensive dialogue on all outstanding issues, inter alia, peace and security, Jammu and Kashmir, confidence-building measures and nuclear issues,
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including the NPT and CTBT. Those issues could be dealt with through a pre- arranged mechanism which included discussions at the highest possible levels. There was also a need for a commitment to refrain from conducting any further nuclear tests for at least as long as the dialogue was under way, and a commitment to engage in immediate discussions with representatives of non-nuclear-weapon States and nuclear-weapon States which were parties to the NPT and CTBT on joining those treaties. The two countries should also be committed to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from any action that might aggravate the situation; should avoid the assembly or deployment of nuclear weapons; and should refrain from the transfer of weapon-related materials.
Those elements, he said, were not intended to be sufficient on their own, but provided a broad-enough basis to start a process and open the way for further moves. Iran intended to remain ready to continue regular exchanges with India and Pakistan because, after all, it was part of the neighbourhood and its security and stability were prominent to it. Before concluding, he said those recent developments had underlined the necessity of ensuring the universality of the NPT. That was not only of paramount important to South Asia, but also to the Middle East where the refusal by Israel to accede to the NPT and accept safeguards set by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) gravely endangered the security of the entire region. It was necessary for all to accept the will of the international community to take practical steps for the establishment of a zone free of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East.
IFTEKHAR AHMED CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh) said he had listened with great attention and interest to the Foreign Minister of Iran and thanked him for his briefing, analysis and constructive initiative he had undertaken in New Delhi and Islamabad. Bangladesh believed that it was efforts like those, rather than ritualistic wringing of hands, which would help. The tests had already taken place, and now the countries had to see how to work together to create effective confidence-building measures so that an uncontrolled crisis did not develop. It must be ensured that reason prevailed at all times, and Bangladesh would contribute to the process with positive actions.
The representative of Swaziland said he belonged to the African region which was a good example as it had signed a nuclear-free-zone treaty last year. Africa hoped the rest of the world would follow its footsteps. Africa, with its friends in Asia, would remain available to share the merits, hope, and message of truth that could be achieved when a nuclear-free zone was signed and adhered to by all parties. Swaziland also appealed to the President of the Conference on Disarmament to enhance whatever methods were necessary to support the initiative presented by the Government of Iran. Swaziland expressed its profound gratitude for that initiative.
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ANTONIO DE ICAZA (Mexico) thanked the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iran for his analysis of the situation and his very interesting initiative. The nuclear tests carried out by India and Pakistan had already been condemned by his Government. Only two months ago, the Under-Secretary of Foreign Relations of Mexico had warned the Conference on Disarmament of the probability that nuclear weapons could be used intentionally with catastrophic results. Now, various governments were echoing the same sentiments. Mexico viewed as positive that the Conference on Disarmament had come out of its drowsiness and complacency; it had to understand the nature and scope of the crisis and had to try and find a solution. Mexico believed there were two inter-related crisis going on. The first was between the two South Asian countries where complex old tensions had been aggravated by a nuclear dimension. A peaceful solution must be sought and, though the Conference on Disarmament was not the appropriate forum to seek a settlement, it could take certain steps. The Foreign Minister of Iran had pointed to interested paths which could be explored. There was already an encouraging aspect in that both India and Pakistan had explained they did not intend to start a nuclear arms race.
Mr. de Icaza said the second dimension, which was clearly pertinent to Mexico and incumbent to the Conference, was the crisis of the nuclear non- proliferation regime which had discouraging cracks. That regime was essential to international peace and security. It was formed by regional and international treaties and depended on their full respect and universality. The nuclear- weapon tests of last month cast doubts on the possibility of those treaties becoming universal. It should also be noted that nuclear-weapon States had undertaken not to help or encourage any State that did not possess nuclear weapons to produce or acquire them. Over the past weeks, queries had been raised about the way certain nuclear-weapon States performed that obligation. The credibility of the nuclear non-proliferation regime was at stake. It should also be stressed that renouncing the nuclear-weapon option was not renouncing peaceful nuclear technology, and countries which renounced the first should have access to the second. However, justified doubts had risen about how that right was carried out.
He said the non-proliferation regime was basically based on credibility, and its objective was to eliminate nuclear weapons. Resistance to that within the Conference on Disarmament had raised deterrence. Nuclear monopolies could not be accepted. The nuclear non-proliferation regime was destined to have a precarious and unstable future. Serious doubts and changes of views and attitudes were necessary. It was essential that States which gave up nuclear weapons should receive binding guarantees against the threat of use of those weapons against them, but none of the guarantees provided so far fulfilled that. Next week, Mexico intended to officially initiate the work of the ad hoc committee on security assurances in the Conference. The nuclear non- proliferation regime was essential for international peace and security. Since the risk that nuclear weapons might be used increased in direct proportion to their dissemination, the efficiency of the regime depended on
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the fact that nuclear weapons were not acquired by non-nuclear-weapon States and that nuclear-weapon States did not increase their arsenals.
In conclusion, he said the non-proliferation regime must be preserved and its credibility re-established. The Conference States parties must undertake urgent talks on nuclear disarmament to make the world free of nuclear weapons. It was urgent to intensify work and establish an ad hoc committee primarily for the systematic analysis of the South Asia crisis in order to defuse the situation and re-establish the credibility of the Conference.
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