UNOG Library Talk Launch of the PIR Center White Paper “Ten Steps towards a Weapons of Mass Destruction-Free Zone in the Middle East”

Distinguished Panellists and Participants
Ladies and Gentlemen:

First of all, I would like to say that it is a real pleasure to welcome you to our UNOG Library Talk and the launch of the PIR Center White Paper “Ten Steps towards a Weapons of Mass Destruction-Free Zone in the Middle East”.

I appreciate hosting our event in the margins of the NPT Preparatory Committee this week here at the Palais des Nations. Geneva is the world’s disarmament capital and the Palais des Nations is both a practical and highly symbolic platform for the United Nations’ disarmament work in Geneva. I have no doubt that the particular “spirit of Geneva”, as a city of peace, will provide inspiration for a successful Prep Comm.

The success of the historic 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference was made possible by a package of decisions. An essential part of this package was a resolution co-sponsored by the three NPT depositary States – the Russian Federation, the UK and the United States – calling for “the establishment of an effectively verifiable Middle East zone free of weapons of mass destruction, nuclear, chemical and biological, and their delivery systems”.

As you know, progress in implementing the 1995 resolution has so far been elusive, as the countries of the region continue to have diverging views on the terms and sequence of steps required.

The successful 2010 NPT Review Conference endorsed a number of steps to make progress towards implementing the 1995 resolution, including a decision to convene a conference in 2012 on the establishment of a zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East. The conference was “to be attended by all states of the Middle East,” and the zone is to be established “on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at by States of the region and with the full support and engagement of the nuclear-weapon States”. Even if the conference has been postponed until a later date, the United Nations – as one of its co-conveners – is determined to work toward its convening without delay, in support of Ambassador Laajava of Finland as facilitator. We hope to see it take place in Helsinki without delay.

In this respect, preparatory consultations are clearly needed in order for the countries of the region to agree on the modalities, rules of procedure, agenda and timing of the conference, which is to be freely arrived at by the States of the region. The United Nations would encourage all parties to participate in these important consultations, as they will be a vital step toward convening a successful conference.

Frustrations on the postponement are understandable but we need to focus on how we can move forward. We must all ask what we can do to help and to facilitate this work. In this respect, I welcome the PIR Center’s contribution to the collective reflection process, with practical suggestions that merit review and study in support of the NPT.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

A world without nuclear weapons is the ultimate objective. It is our shared mission. A strong non-proliferation treaty is part of the effort to achieve that goal. And so is progress in the Conference on Disarmament – the world’s single, standing multilateral disarmament negotiating body. The long stalemate in the Conference is simply unacceptable for the entire international community, and I take this opportunity to call on States to redouble their efforts to overcome the impasse, in the interest of a safer and more secure world for all. To be sustainable, non-proliferation must be accompanied by disarmament, including of the multilateral kind that the CD has so successfully delivered in the past.

This is a priority for the Secretary-General and for the United Nations. For me, it is also a priority that is shaped by personal experience. Coming from a country where 456 nuclear tests of atomic and thermonuclear devices were conducted over 40 years, I have witnessed the potentially devastating effects of nuclear weapons. As Foreign Minister, I had the privilege of signing the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and the Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia, which both represented significant steps forward. I also took part in the successful NPT Review Conference in 1995 and later in the 2005 Review Conference, which ended, unfortunately, in disappointment. We cannot allow that to happen again. This week, the world is looking to Geneva for a positive outcome for their security. And it is a responsibility and a solemn obligation to honour their expectations.

I have no doubt that the discussions here today will provide practical points for discussion and guide us towards action. And I thank our distinguished panellists for taking the time to share their views and engage in debate on these critical topics.

Thank you very much.