CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT HEARS STATEMENTS BY DIGNITARIES FROM CHILE AND ITALY ON NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT

The Conference on Disarmament this morning heard statements by the Vice Foreign Minister of Chile and the Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Italy on the issue of nuclear disarmament. Also speaking today on the same issue was the Czech Republic, on behalf of the European Union.

Alberto Van Klaveren, Vice Foreign Minister of Chile, said that after too many years of deadlock, the confluence of auspicious circumstances seemed to be generating the critical mass of political support required for re-launching the multilateral disarmament agenda. The global financial crisis, the energy crisis and climate change required all available resources to be canalized towards reactivation of the economies and adequate response to the social needs. International security, national security and well being went hand in hand. Chile welcomed with expectation the statements recently made by representatives of the great powers and other relevant actors at the multilateral scene as well as the ideas that were circulating on the revitalization of nuclear disarmament and the renovation of this process.

Vincenzo Scotti, Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Italy, said that nuclear disarmament was a priority for the international community. Italy welcomed the recent statements on the resumption of nuclear weapons reduction talks between the United States and the Russian Federation and encouraged both to continue along this road. Turning to the paramount role of the Conference on Disarmament, he said that it needed to focus on two main agreements: the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which had not yet entered into force, and the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Among the most useful tools existing today to help the Non-Proliferation Treaty to meet its objectives was the Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty. There was a general consensus on these negotiations being long overdue and no objections had been registered against the conclusion of such a treaty.

The Czech Republic, speaking on behalf of the European Union, said that the European Union had repeatedly stated that it attached a clear priority to the negotiation, without preconditions, in the Conference on Disarmament, of a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, as a means to strengthen nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. The European Union was convinced that such a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty would contribute significantly to nuclear disarmament efforts. Such a treaty constituted the next multilateral instrument to be negotiated in the nuclear disarmament field and would complement the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.


The next plenary of the Conference on Disarmament will take place at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 5 March.

Statements

ALBERTO VAN KLAVEREN, Vice Foreign Minister of Chile, said that, since its admission as a Member State in 1996, this was Chile’s first political high-level participation in the debates of the Conference on Disarmament. It had been their wish to do so at this particular international conjecture in which, after too many years of deadlock, the confluence of auspicious circumstances seemed to be generating the critical mass of political support required for re-launching the multilateral disarmament agenda.

There were many good reasons that raised the need for this re-launching. The global financial crisis, the energy crisis and climate change required all available resources to be canalized towards reactivation of the economies and adequate response to the social needs, which could not be put off, said Mr. Van Klaveren.

The 2005 United Nations World Summit Outcome Document had acknowledged that peace and security, development and human rights were the pillars of the United Nations system. These pillars were the foundations of collective security and well-being. International security, national security and well-being went hand in hand. Nuclear disarmament constituted not only the most important issue of the common agenda but its materialization was the keystone for achieving security of all States, said Mr. Van Klaveren.

Chile welcomed with expectation the statements recently made by representatives of the great powers and other relevant actors at the multilateral scene as well as the ideas that were circulating on the revitalization of nuclear disarmament and the renovation of this process. Mr. Van Klaveren underscored the readiness manifested by President Obama of moving towards ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, as well as the flexibility showed right from the start by the new US Administration when it had re-established the speedy negotiation of a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty. This would be a transcendental step towards the final objectives of complete nuclear disarmament.

Today it was crucial to work with determination on strengthening the fight against nuclear proliferation. A successful Non-Proliferation Treaty review process was needed and would be a test for the determination of the key actors. Mr. Van Klaveren said that the expected ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty by the United States should make way for a virtuous circle, which should foster a speedy entry into force of the said instrument. A climate of cooperation between all nuclear powers was both possible and desirable.

Mr. Van Klaveren noted that it was also necessary to start, as soon as possible, negotiations on an instrument for the prohibition of fissile material for military purposes. After the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, this was the natural step to be taken. Chile held that verification had a political entity of its own, which was part of the very essence of disarmament instruments and hoped that the flexibility of the United States position would result in the initiation of a negotiation process aimed at elaborating a treaty which would effectively contribute towards the objectives of disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation.

Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation were the two sides of the same coin, said Mr. Van Klaveren. It was necessary to advance on both sides, always keeping in mind that the final objective was the complete elimination of nuclear weapons. Also, there were no good proliferators versus bad proliferators; any proliferation was negative and all nuclear weapons generated unacceptable risk for international security.

The achievement of progress in such crucial areas as nuclear disarmament called for the leadership and commitment of the great powers. One thing was to safeguard privileged security interests requiring consensus in order to enter into the final stage of a disarmament negotiation. But something quite different was to block the initiation of any negotiation or the mere establishment of a subsidiary organ to set the stage for such a negotiation. This rigid interpretation of the rule of consensus contributed to the Conference‘s deadlock, said Mr. Van Klaveren.

International security was based on the principle of its indivisibility. All states bore part of the responsibility of preserving it. The decade which was coming to end showed that not even a superpower could protect efficiently its security interest when acting unilaterally. The sound thing to do was to render the Conference on Disarmament more democratic. The Conference was not an end in itself: it was only an instrument, said Mr. Van Klaveren.

The Conference needed to be renewed and expanded in order to become the more legitimate, more inclusive and more transparent organ that was needed. Chile therefore supported all initiatives and exercises of reflection on the renewal of the Conference. The restructured conference should also definitely incorporate an appropriate participation of the civil society in its work, said Mr. Van Klaveren.

The message he wished to deliver to the conference was that the time had come to search for results. The conjuncture was propitious to get back to work. The big challenges civilization faced called for more and better multilateralism, said Mr. Van Klaveren.

VINCENZO SCOTTI, Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Italy, said that he was honoured to address this assembly bearing in mind its noble statutory aim: banning or limiting war’s most deadly instruments. Nuclear disarmament was a priority for the international community. Italy, as current President of the G-8, was looking forward to address, together with its partners, this important issue. They were heeding the calls of many political leaders and outstanding persons in favour of a world free of nuclear weapons. Italy also welcomed the recent statements on the resumption of nuclear weapons reduction talks between the United States and the Russian Federation and encouraged both to continue along this road.

Turning to the paramount role of the Conference on Disarmament, Mr. Scotti said that they needed to focus on two main agreements: the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which had not yet entered into force, and the Non-Proliferation Treaty. They could not allow the upcoming PrepCom in New York in May and the Review Conference next year to fail. To be politically successful, the PrepCom and the Review Conference had to deal with disarmament, non-proliferation and peaceful use of nuclear power in a structured and balanced way. A consequence of any strongly perceived imbalance in the enforcement of the Non-Proliferation Treaty’s provisions would be the encouragement of proliferation.

Among the most useful tools existing today to help the Non-Proliferation Treaty to meet its objectives was the Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty. There was a general consensus on these negotiations being long overdue and no objections had been registered against the conclusion of such a treaty. By stopping, through appropriate safeguards, all production of weapons-grade fissile materials and encouraging the conversion of their manufacturing plants to civil use, a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty would drain away the supply of the main components of nuclear warheads. Such a treaty would make nuclear disbarment irreversible, said Mr. Scotti, but it needed reliable safeguards to prevent illegal diversions of fissile materials or use of civil installations for military purposes.

Italy’s view was that such a treaty needed credible provisions on verification. Experience had shown that no treaty on disarmament could endure without a credible and workable verification mechanism. His Government was well aware that other serious matters had to be tackled with before concluding a successful Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty, said Mr. Scotti. Not least among them was the issue of stockpiles and Italy believed it should be dealt with during negotiations.

The other useful tools to give a renewed relevance to the cause of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation were the Negative Security Assurances, noted Mr. Scotti. The topic had been discussed and had appeared in the final documents of the 1995 and 2000 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review conferences. Italy considered the attention given by the Conference on Disarmament to negative security assurances both topical and timely.

Turning to the field of conventional weapons, Mr. Scotti said that the fundamental rights of countries to ensure their self-defence, as enshrined in the United Nations Charter was not open to debate. What the Conference on Disarmament was called upon was to reinforce rules on the safety of non-combatants and on the rescue and treatment of civilian victims of warfare.

IVAN PINTER, (Czech Republic), speaking on behalf of the European Union, said that the European Union had repeatedly stated that it attached a clear priority to the negotiation, without preconditions, in the Conference on Disarmament, of a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, as a means to strengthen nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. The European Union was convinced that such a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty would contribute significantly to nuclear disarmament efforts. Such a treaty constituted the next multilateral instrument to be negotiated in the nuclear disarmament field and would complement the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. It also constituted a priority ripe for negotiation.

Mr. Pinter said that the European Union appealed to all delegation of the Conference on Disarmament to show flexibility and to make consensus possible on the basis of this proposal. The European Union had also repeatedly called on all states concerned, pending the entry into force of a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty, to declare and uphold an immediate moratorium on the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons. The European Union had also called on all States to dismantle their capacities dedicated to the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons.

The European Union further welcomed the rich discussions that had taken place the last years during formal and informal thematic sessions on a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty in the Conference on Disarmament, said Mr. Pinter. They also welcomed and were encouraged by recent statements made by the new US Administration to lead a global effort to negotiate a verifiable treaty ending the production of fissile materials for weapons purposes. The European Union was convinced that this would bring new impetus to the issue of a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty.

The European Union also considered that it would be useful to continue to look at additional ways in the Conference to facilitate and prepare the start of negotiations, including ways to make better use of the knowledge of experts on issues related to such a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty. Mr. Pinter said that the European Union called on all parties to make these negotiations possible, keeping in mind the positive impact this would have on the Non-Proliferation Treaty review process and thus on international security.


For use of the information media; not an official record

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