CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT MARKS FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ENTRY INTO FORCE OF THE NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY

The Conference on Disarmament this morning marked the fiftieth anniversary of the entry into force of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, hearing from its President and several delegations. It had also heard an address by the Assistant Foreign Minister of Viet Nam and a presentation of the Franco-German initiative on nuclear disarmament verification.

In his statement, Ambassador Carlos Mario Foradori of Argentina, President of the Conference on Disarmament, said that the fiftieth anniversary of the entry into force of the Non-Proliferation Treaty was an opportunity to renew and strengthen the commitment to its implementation, which was essential for further progress and cooperation between the countries.

Pham Quang Hieu, Assistant to the Foreign Minister of Viet Nam, who addressed the Conference at the beginning of the plenary, said that the upcoming Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference was a perfect opportunity to give a new impetus to global disarmament and non-proliferation mechanisms.

Ever since 5 March 1970, the Treaty had contributed substantively to global security through the promise of total elimination of nuclear weapons, but its full implementation was still to be accomplished, other speakers said. The continued and intensive accumulation of nuclear weapons and the ensuing trend towards an arms race should encourage the States to do more and seriously pursue the obligation to finally fully implement Article Vl of the Treaty.

Germany and France presented the joint initiative on nuclear disarmament verification, an example of the much-needed pragmatism, constructive thinking and goodwill to improve nuclear disarmament verification, which was a crucial element in reaching complete disarmament.

Morocco, Austria, Netherlands, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Australia, Brazil, Cuba and Russia also took the floor.

The Conference will hold its next public plenary on Tuesday, 10 March at 10 a.m.

Statement by the Assistant Foreign Minister of Viet Nam

PHAM QUANG HIEU, Assistant to the Foreign Minister of Viet Nam, in his address to the Conference on Disarmament, said that among the challenges pressing the world today, disarmament and non-proliferation issues continued to be among the most daunting. Viet Nam was deeply concerned by recent departures from and current status of adherence to global disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control mechanisms and the deterioration in the global security landscape, he said.

In those difficult times, the Conference on Disarmament was the sole negotiating forum in which both nuclear and non-nuclear weapon States participated. It had succeeded in developing the current disarmament regime, which was evidence of the role of multilateralism in bridging the differences and finding solutions to global challenges. The Assistant Minister stressed the urgency of adopting a programme of work and starting the discussions on substantive issues. Viet Nam welcomed the revised package and stand ready to engage meaningfully with the presidency to move the discussions forward.

Highlighting the importance of giving a new impetus to global disarmament and non-proliferation mechanisms, Mr. Pham noted that the upcoming Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference was a perfect opportunity to do so. He underlined his country’s unwavering support to this Treaty and the importance of full and balanced implementation of its three pillars, including ensuring the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

In conclusion, the Assistant Minister said that, as the 2020 Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in 2020-2021, Viet Nam prioritized disarmament and non-proliferation and was ready to contribute to sustainable peace and future for all nations.

President’s Statement on the fiftieth anniversary of the entry into force of the Non-Proliferation Treaty

Ambassador CARLOS MARIO FORADORI of Argentina, President of the Conference on Disarmament, said that the fiftieth anniversary of the entry into force of the Non-Proliferation Treaty was an opportunity for all to renew and strengthen their commitment to peace, security and development in all countries. The next Review Conference would be held in the context of growing concern and uncertainty, in which international challenges could not be ignored.

It was vital that the Conference on Disarmament found solid ground for progress in all areas covered by the Non-Proliferation Treaty. The fiftieth anniversary was an opportunity to review its implementation, as the Treaty was essential for further progress and cooperation between the countries. Encouraging all States parties to the Non-Proliferation Treaty participate in the Review Conference with the ambition to achieve progress wherever possible, Mr. Foradori said that Argentina would spare no efforts to lead and collaborate to ensure a successful outcome.

Presentation of the Franco-German initiative on nuclear disarmament verification

Germany said that international arms control and disarmament architecture was under severe strain. Pragmatic, practical and realistic steps were needed to rebuild trust and to re-create a positive momentum in international political processes, including in the Conference on Disarmament. Currently, the focus was on facilitating a productive and positive outcome of the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference 2020, as effective verification of nuclear disarmament could be a crucial element to building confidence and trust. Germany’s close collaboration with France on this initiative was an example of the much-needed pragmatism, constructive thinking and goodwill to improve nuclear disarmament verification as a concrete, practical and tangible contribution to nuclear disarmament efforts.

The positive experience and lessons learnt from the initiative would hopefully enable a more constructive dialogue in the Non-Proliferation Treaty community and in the Conference on Disarmament. The exercise had united experts and government representatives from 13 countries and had shown that nuclear and non-nuclear weapon States could contribute to nuclear disarmament verification and so increase its legitimacy and reliability. The initiative focused on the dismantlement phase of a nuclear warhead as a crucial moment during any disarmament process, a moment in which non-proliferation and national security concerns had to be brought into a sensitive balance. The exercise had shown that it was possible.

France said that the exercise had shown that the inspection procedure was able to detect the diversion of the fissile material during the nuclear warhead dismantlement and had identified areas of improvement. There was an interest in having practical exercises in building knowledge in nuclear disarmament. The main challenge was to find out how non-nuclear weapon States could participate in the verification of nuclear disarmament without the risk of proliferation. Indeed, any initiative in the area of nuclear disarmament verification should take into account the safety and security obligations of the country that had nuclear weapons and be fully in line with non-proliferation obligations as defined by the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Secondly, a nuclear disarmament verification regime could not be established in abstract and should relate to a specific disarmament treaty and be adapted for each individual country. The exercise had shown that it was possible to work on nuclear disarmament verification in full compliance with non-proliferation obligations and national security interests. All parties to the Non-Proliferation Treaty shared the objective of nuclear disarmament under strict and effective international control as reflected in article VI. Therefore, effective nuclear disarmament verification was a crucial element in reaching complete disarmament.

Statements

Morocco was encouraged by the intensity of the discussions in the Conference which showed that, despite the differences in views, there was a strong will to overcome the deadlock. The 2020 Review Conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty was taking place in the climate of mistrust and fear, Morocco said and stressed that the Treaty was the only guarantee to achieve a world free from nuclear weapons. The continued and intensive accumulation of nuclear weapons should serve as an encouragement to do more to respect the Treaty and its provisions.

Reiterating the special responsibility of the five nuclear-weapon States in the area of non-proliferation and dismantling their arsenals, Morocco welcomed the conclusions of the P5 process that had stressed the need to continue the regular exchange of views. The Franco-German joint initiative showed that the imperative of nuclear disarmament could be achieved, and Morocco called for broadening of such cooperation to preserve the achievements and move forward. Morocco stressed that the strengthening of the Conference on Disarmament was linked to its capacity to negotiate multilateral treaties; this ambition should be referenced in a programme of work.

Austria recalled that the Non-Proliferation Treaty had been born in a time of heightened tensions, but out of the conviction that cooperation served security interests better than national, unilateral actions; that amassing even larger arsenals and developing ever more lethal weapons did not increase security, but worsened it for everyone. Ever since 5 March 1970, the Treaty had contributed substantively to global security through the promise of total elimination of nuclear weapons; yet today, despite its ambition of a world free of nuclear weapons and the legal obligation contained in Article VI, full implementation of the Treaty remained to be accomplished. The fiftieth anniversary was a moment to renew the commitment and stand up together in its support.
Reversing the increased investments in nuclear arsenals and the ensuing trend towards an arms race was of critical importance. Achievements of previous years must not be dismissed, rather, the obligation to finally fully implement Article Vl of the Treaty needed to be pursued seriously. Recent developments, including the termination of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and the potential non-extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, must be a wake-up call. The end of such essential agreements had momentous consequences for regional and international security - too much was at risk to accept such backtracking. Austria continued to hope that the fiftieth anniversary of the Treaty could inspire true commitment and ambition.

Netherlands thanked France and Germany for their useful initiative on nuclear disarmament verification, which was crucial for nuclear disarmament. Over the past 50 years, the Non-Proliferation Treaty had been truly essential to global security, and with that, to human security. The broader non-proliferation and disarmament regime that it underpinned had been at the heart of the common security. While today's anniversary was a good occasion to look back to the successes of the past 50 years, it was also important to plan ahead for the success of the next 50 years. This must be the goal of the upcoming Review Conference, said the Netherlands and stressed that the successful outcome required ambitious realism and taking responsibility by all delegations.

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea said that its position on the withdrawal from the Non-Proliferation Treaty had been clear and stressed the importance of knowing why the nuclear issue had been raised on the Korean Peninsula.

Australia said it would work hard with States parties to the Non-Proliferation Treaty to strengthen this very important Treaty and mark its important achievements, as well as to look forward. As one of the presidents of the Conference on Disarmament in the 2020 session, Australia intended to bring substantive work into this body and would discuss its proposals within the P6 in the coming days.

Brazil congratulated Germany and France on their nuclear disarmament verification initiative and hoped that it could be the first step towards something very important for the world - a nuclear-weapons-free zone in Europe.


For use of the information media; not an official record


DC20.015E