CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT CONTINUES HIGH-LEVEL SEGMENT
The Conference on Disarmament this morning continued its high-level segment during which it heard statements by dignitaries from Finland, Egypt, Cuba, Brazil, Ireland, Qatar, India and Belarus.
Speakers underscored the achievements of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and noted that, over several decades, the Conference had played a central role in promoting the rule of law in disarmament. Some dignitaries expressed support for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, stressing its complementarity with the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Efforts to make a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction and to prevent the militarization of outer space were also amongst topics broached, with speakers urging additional efforts towards these goals.
Addressing the Conference this afternoon were Pekka Haavisto, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland; Ihab Mouhamed Moustafa Fawzi, Assistant Foreign Minister for Multilateral Affairs and International Security Affairs of Egypt; Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba; Fabio Marzano, Secretary for National Sovereignty and Citizenship Affairs of Brazil; Simon Coveney, Deputy Head of Government (Tánaiste) and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland; Lolwah Rashid Al-Khater, Assistant Foreign Minister and Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar; Pankaj Sharma, Permanent Representative of India to the Conference on Disarmament; and Yury Ambrazevich, Permanent Representative of Belarus to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
Speaking in the right of reply were the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea and the United States.
The Conference will continue its high-level segment at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 25 February.
Statements
PEKKA HAAVISTO, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, said the Non-Proliferation Treaty was a remarkable story: it had effectively curbed the proliferation of nuclear weapons, provided an internationally recognized basis for peaceful uses of nuclear energy and it contained a legally binding commitment to pursue disarmament in good faith. Russia and the United States, which possessed by far the largest arsenals of nuclear weapons, must take the lead in reviving the much-needed dialogue; the extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty would be a concrete demonstration of this much-needed leadership.
The upcoming Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference should deepen the discussions on nuclear doctrines and declaratory policies to limit the role of nuclear weapons in security doctrines. It should allow States to engage in a structured dialogue to assess, minimize and address nuclear risks, address challenges posed by the entanglement of conventional and nuclear weapons systems and take measures to reverse such developments. The Minister called for the strengthening of the negative security assurances and supporting ongoing efforts to develop multilateral nuclear disarmament verification capabilities.
IHAB MOUHAMED MOUSTAFA FAWZI, Assistant Foreign Minister for Multilateral Affairs and International Security Affairs of Egypt, said that his country supported the call for a special session of the United Nations General Assembly to find a solution to the current deadlock in the Conference. Nuclear deterrence continued to be part of military doctrines, which undermined legal obligations pursuant to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and its article VI. Disarmament was not only necessary to a peaceful international environment; it was also a legal obligation that did not hinge on political considerations. A legally binding instrument that provided guarantees to non-nuclear weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons should be adopted, Mr. Fawzy said and stressed that for any nuclear disarmament instrument to be effective, it must cover the existing stockpiles of fissile materials.
Outer space should not become another area of conflict and arms race; thus the negotiation of a legally-binding instrument was important to prevent its militarization. The creation of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction was a priority for Egypt because the path to peace in the region required a focus on collective security and not “selective security”. In that regard, he underscored that Israel was the only country in the region that was not a party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
BRUNO RODRÍGUEZ PARRILLA, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, said it was alarming that every year exorbitant sums were invested in the industry of war instead of being earmarked for peace, combating hunger and poverty and implementing the 2030 Agenda. In 2018, the global military budget had reached 1.8 billion US dollars. Cuba rejected the decision of the United States to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed with the Soviet Union in 1987 and its withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran.
The international community must not remain passive nor silent in the face of the threat posed by the United States revision of its nuclear strategy, which had brought down the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons, including in response to so-called “non-nuclear strategic threats”. Cuba denounced the United States campaigns against left-wing leaders and progressive governments in Latin America and the Caribbean and rejected the “unconventional war” it was waging to overthrow the Government of Nicolas Maduro. The Government of Donald Trump persisted in trying to destroy the Cuban Revolution through the economic suffocation of the Cuban people.
FABIO MARZANO, Secretary for National Sovereignty and Citizenship Affairs of Brazil, emphasized that the indefinite extension of Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1995 could not be understood as a warrant for the perennial possession of nuclear weapons. The implementation of Article VI by nuclear-weapons States was a condition sine qua non condition for the Treaty’s future. Brazil was calling on countries of Annex II to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, Mr. Marzano added.
Halting the enrichment of fissile material for nuclear weapons and explosive devices would not achieve the results if the issue of existing stockpiles was not addressed. To bridge the positions, Brazil reiterated its proposal on a framework agreement underpinned by two protocols dealing with existing and future stocks, respectively. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons complemented and was consistent with the Non-Proliferation Treaty, Mr. Marzano said. Brazil believed in preventing the weaponization of outer space and was open to discussing the elaboration of legally-binding instrument prohibiting anti-satellite weapons testing.
SIMON COVENEY, Deputy Head of Government (Tánaiste) and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland, stressed the obligation to the people and the planet to make progress on the real challenges in the area of disarmament and that multilateralism still offered the only real hope for cooperative engagement and for maintaining peace and security. It was deeply regrettable that the Conference was unable to adopt a programme of work or reach agreement on membership expansion for 20 years. In the face of common challenges, the international community must urgently rebuild a common vision for international security and disarmament, and this should involve a reinvigorated Conference on Disarmament.
Ireland was deeply concerned by the repeated use of chemical weapons and the increasing humanitarian harm by the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. The current situation and the heightened international tensions placed a greater moral responsibility to engage with multilateral methods, frustrating and imperfect as they might be. The 2020 Review Conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, one of the major success stories of multilateral diplomacy, would be an opportunity to celebrate and recommit to this treaty. Ireland was proud of its role in negotiating the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which recognized the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons and their disproportionate impact on women and girls and indigenous peoples.
LOLWAH RASHID AL-KHATER, Assistant Foreign Minister and Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, said that Qatar’s clear national policy on disarmament was underpinned by a belief in international peace and security. The Qatar National Committee for the Prohibition of Weapons had been set up in 2004 to advise the Government on arms embargo and disarmament. Stressing the importance of membership enlargement, the Assistant Minister called upon the Conference to appoint a special rapporteur on the issue and reiterated her country’s willingness to become a Member State.
The 2020 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference would be an opportunity for the Member States to reaffirm their commitment to this historic treaty and to the goals of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Moving forward with a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction was consistent with the international community’s obligations and responsibilities. This was a necessary step towards achieving the universality of the comprehensive safeguard system and a comprehensive regional system to address non-proliferation. The failure to do so would notably affect the credibility of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and its review process, and the entire non-proliferation regime.
PANKAJ SHARMA, Permanent Representative of India to the Conference on Disarmament, said India remained steadfastly committed to the goal of universal, non-discriminatory and verifiable nuclear disarmament. It also called for a complete elimination of nuclear weapons through a step by step process. As a responsible nuclear-weapon State, India was committed as per its nuclear doctrine, to maintain credible minimum deterrence, with the posture of no-first-use and non-use against non-nuclear weapon States. India supported the immediate commencement of negotiations in the Conference of a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty basis on the CD/1299 and the mandate therein.
The prevention of an arms race in outer space was another issue of critical importance. The work of the Governmental Group of Experts concluded in March could serve as a basis for negotiations on a legally binding instrument and transparency and confidence-building measures. Having faced the scourge of terrorism for several decades, India was deeply aware of the perilous consequences of the transfer of weapons of mass destruction to non-State actors and terrorists. The only way to prevent and effectively resolve conflicts was through dialogue based on mutual trust and understanding, Mr. Sharma said.
YURY AMBRAZEVICH, Permanent Representative of Belarus to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said the approach of the P6 had shown its effectiveness from the very first week of the 2020 session of the Conference and regretted that it was unable to adopt a programme of work. Belarus was concerned by the dismantling of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty as it increased security risks in Europe, the worrying signals regarding the extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty and the Open Skies Treaty and the involvement of States in an arms race in outer space. These trends highlighted the need to resume comprehensive negotiations on all issues of importance to international peace and security without delay.
The time had come for the Conference on Disarmament to stop breaking down the programme in key issues and other issues, because, in today’s conditions, the growing threat of use of science and technologies, such as artificial intelligence, by non-State actors was also worrying. It should, therefore, consider the issue of new technologies with the same level of seriousness as nuclear weapons. Belarus had developed an initiative for the adoption of a resolution by the United Nations General Assembly to prevent the development of weapons of mass destruction by non-State actors. It had also worked on an initiative on the non-placement of intermediate-range nuclear weapons in Europe to fill the gap left by the dismantlement of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. This could be a first step for the universal ban of such weapons.
For use of the information media; not an official record
DC20.010E