CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT CONTINUES HIGH-LEVEL SEGMENT

The Conference on Disarmament this morning continued the high-level segment of its public plenary. Conference President Vaanchig Purevdori of Mongolia welcomed Foreign Ministers and Secretaries of State from the Democratic People's Republic Of Korea, Germany, Austria, Spain, United Kingdom, Cuba and Japan and invited them to address the Conference.

Ri Su Yong, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, said the Korean Peninsula was a touch-and-go nuclear powder-keg where the largest and youngest nuclear weapon States of the world were sharply confronted in a state of war. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea had been compelled to pursue nuclear possession because of the hostile policy of the United States towards it for more than half a century, and now had the power to deter the United States and conduct a pre-emptive strike if necessary, he said.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany, said the world needed a new order based on rules and law, reliability and trust given the large number of international crises it faced today, including the Ukraine conflict, Syria, Iraq, the advance of the ISIS terrorist group in the Middle East, and Boko Haram in Africa. He spoke about Ukraine, Russia and the Budapest Memorandum, saying security guarantees were a key task of the Conference and must be protected. He condemned in the strongest possible terms the repeated use of chlorine gas as a weapon in Syria.

Sebastian Kurz, Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs of Austria, said the nuclear weapon threat persisted and may even be increasing. The consequences of one single nuclear explosion would be global and result in an immediate humanitarian emergency of enormous scale. We need to challenge old thinking, we need to listen to the findings and warnings of science, and we need much more global awareness, he urged.

Ignacio Ybanez Rubio, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Spain, said Spain very much regretted the situation of entrenched stagnation in the Conference and asked Member States to consider increasing membership or allowing participation of civil society. Spain supported the Conference’s mandate to begin negotiations on a treaty prohibiting fissile materials for the use of nuclear weapons; it hoped that a conference on a Middle East nuclear-weapons-free-zone would be convened as a matter of urgency.

Baroness Anelay, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom, said the United Kingdom had long been clear that it would only consider using nuclear weapons in extreme circumstances of self-defence, or in defence of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies. The United Kingdom had met its commitment to reduce the number of deployed warheads, said the Minister, also speaking about the issue of verification of nuclear disarmament.

Bruno Rodriquez Parrilla, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cuba, said in 2013 world military expenditure increased to the astronomical figure of US$1.75 trillion dollars while the survival of human kind was continuously jeopardized by the continued existence of more than 16,000 nuclear weapons. The millions that were being spent on weapons should instead be invested in promoting peace, economic and social development and a decent life for all human beings. Nuclear disarmament could not be a goal whose achievement was continuously postponed.

Takashi Uto, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, said 2015 marked 70 years since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Atomic bomb survivors were growing old and many believed that 2015 may be their last chance to witness progress in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. He also said that Japan was deeply concerned by the ballistic missile launched conducted by North Korea yesterday, Monday 2 March, in clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Ministers of Democratic People's Republic Of Korea, Germany, Austria, Spain, United Kingdom, Cuba and Japan made statements in this morning’s plenary. Representatives of Russia, United States, Canada, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Japan and Germany, took the floor in right of reply.

The Conference on Disarmament will next meet in public at 3.30 p.m. on Tuesday, 3 March to hear statements from dignitaries of Georgia, Myanmar and Mexico.

High-Level Segment

RI SU YONG, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, said today nuclear disarmament was at a crossroads. The number of nuclear States had increased almost twofold since the Non-Proliferation Treaty was adopted in 1968 and the nuclear map had changed significantly. Few members of the press or academia paid attention to the issue of nuclear disarmament, said the Minister, and it was hard to foresee a breakthrough in revitalizing the work of the Conference unless the selfish and double attitudes of some countries were corrected. If the Conference remained unable to fulfil its mandate there was a risk that the issue of nuclear disarmament may disappear for good from the United Nations agenda.

The Korean Peninsula was a touch-and-go nuclear powder-keg where the largest and youngest nuclear weapon States of the world were sharply confronted in a state of war, said the Minister. The United States’ nuclear threat to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was not just an abstract but a physical matter. Strategic nuclear bombers flew non-stop from the United States mainland or Guam Island to the Korean Peninsula and staged drills of dropping nuclear bombs several times every year, said the Minister. Aircraft carriers and submarines loaded with nuclear missiles constantly entered the waters in and around the Korean Peninsula and took part in nuclear war exercises aimed to occupy Pyongyang. The joint military exercises being staged across ‘south Korea’ from March 2 were unprecedentedly provocative in nature and had an especially high possibility of sparking off a war.

While intentionally bringing about the danger of a nuclear war, the United States and its subordinate ‘south Korea’ were crazy to think they could survive the war by setting up a missile defence system, the Minister said. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea had been compelled to pursue nuclear possession because of the United States’ hostile policy towards it for more than half a century. Now the Democratic People's Republic of Korea had the power to deter the United States and conduct a pre-emptive strike if necessary, the Minister said.

The Minister said 2015 marked seventy years since the Korean nation was divided by outside forces, and as long as the Korean nation remained divided, lasting peace on the Korean peninsula and regional security could not be ensured. He recalled the words of respected leader Kim Jong Un, First Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, who in his new years’ address underscored that the north and the south should achieve great national unity true to the principle of ‘By Our Nation Itself’ to resolve the unification issue. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea would not spare any effort in bringing about great change in inter-Korean relations this year, the Minister concluded.

FRANK-WALTER STEINMEIER, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany, said the world today faced a large number of international crises, including the Ukraine conflict, Syria, Iraq, the advance of the ISIS terrorist group in the Middle East, and Boko Haram in Africa. Was it a coincidental accumulation of concurrent crises or a systematic eruption of forces and tensions in a world in which structures of order were increasingly losing influence? A world that was changing at increasing speed and becoming more closely interconnected needed a new order, said the Minister, an order based on rules and law, reliability and trust. In that difficult task international politics could learn from the field of disarmament and arms control which had applied the most important principle of an international order – multilateralism – for many decades.

In the midst of the Cold War the Conference on Disarmament overcame the rifts between the East and West to encourage cooperation between States. It elaborated rules and tools for an international peaceful order which was so urgently needed today. The Non-Proliferation Treaty, President Obama’s proposal in Berlin in 2013 to embark on a new round of disarmament talks, and the E3+3 talks with Iran were positive examples. The Joint Plan of Action adopted here in Geneva in 2013 was being implemented and further progress in negotiations would give the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference urgently needed impetus.

Trust and international cooperation had been shaken by Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its activities in eastern Ukraine. In view of that, we could not simply return to business as usual, said the Minister. The Budapest Memorandum gave Ukraine a guarantee of territorial integrity after it had renounced its nuclear weapons. Russia too had an obligation to honour that pledge. Security guarantees were a key task of the Conference and they must be protected, he said. The Foreign Minister appealed to his Russian colleague who addressed the Conference yesterday [Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov] and said the path of multilateralism needed responsible action from all sides – especially those who as members of the United Nations Security Council were particularly accountable.

The prohibition of an entire category of weapons was a milestone in disarmament history, said the Minister about the Chemical Weapons Convention, which had proved its worth in Syria. The last 360 tons of mustard gas from Syrian chemical weapons stocks would soon be destroyed in Germany. He condemned in the strongest possible terms the repeated use of chlorine gas as a weapon in Syria, saying it was a monstrous crime and calling for those responsible to be brought to justice. Minister Steinmeier noted with regret that the Arms Trade Treaty, as well as other important treaties, had to be negotiated outside of the very body that the international community envisaged for that purpose – the Geneva Conference on Disarmament. Given new threats such as cyber-attacks, the use of Outer Space and anti-satellite weapons, and the issue of new automated weapons systems, the world needed a strong Conference on Disarmament, he emphasized.

SEBASTIAN KURZ, Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs of Austria, said in the post-Cold War atmosphere nuclear weapons had been seen as a relic from the past, an abstract danger, but today the nuclear weapon threat persisted and may even be increasing. The conclusions of the three international conferences in Norway, Mexico and Austria on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons were clear and alarming. The consequences of one single nuclear explosion would be even more terrifying and long-lasting than had previously been thought. The consequences would be global and result in an immediate humanitarian emergency of enormous scale.

Nuclear weapons, through their very existence, endangered the security of us all, said the Minister. In the interests of the survival of humanity nuclear weapons should never be used again, in any circumstances. That was why Austria declared at the Vienna Conference a clear national commitment – the “Austrian Pledge” – to build momentum for urgent action to achieve a world without nuclear weapons. Earlier this year the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists moved the famous Doomsday Clock forward to three minutes to midnight, he noted, citing a ‘failure to act’ of world leaders. That failure to act was particularly evident in the Conference on Disarmament, a forum which did not deliver on its mandate to negotiate legally binding instruments to address that threat, said the Minister.

Nuclear-weapons-possessing States considered them important for their security, believing that nuclear weapons deterred war precisely because of their destructive force. The conclusion was clear, said Mr. Kurz, such a mind-set had to change if proliferation was to stop and a world without nuclear weapons be achieved. We need to challenge old thinking, we need to listen to the findings and warnings of science, and we need much more global awareness, he concluded.

IGNACIO YBANEZ RUBIO, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Spain, said it was an honour to address the Conference on Disarmament in the Council Chamber of the Palais des Nations, a room donated by Spain back in 1936. Spain very much regretted the situation of entrenched stagnation in the Conference and asked Member States to seek consensus and find constructive solutions to benefit present and future generations. It should find new ways to breathe life into the body, such as increasing membership or allowing participation of civil society, said Secretary Rubio.

Spain supported the Conference’s mandate to begin negotiations on a treaty prohibiting fissile materials for the use of nuclear weapons, and urged States that hadn’t already done so to declare a moratorium on the production of such fissile material. Spain also supported the establishment of new nuclear-weapons-free-zones based on the agreements between States of the regions concerned, as they were one more step towards the ultimate goal of disarmament. Regarding Outer Space, Spain believed that an international code of conduct for activities in the sphere was essential to build confidence and trust.

Challenges ahead in 2015 included the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference taking place in New York in April. Secretary Rubio said Spain was frustrated by the fact it had not yet been possible to hold a conference on a nuclear-weapons-free-zone in the Middle East, and hoped that initiative could proceed urgently. The humanitarian dimension encompassed in the Non-Proliferation Treaty was of the utmost importance, he said. We must not forget other weapons of mass destruction, including chemical and biological weapons, said Secretary Rubio, voicing support for the work of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in Syria and other places. Spain also highlighted the need to maximise all precautions to avoid weapons of mass destruction falling into the hands of terrorist groups.

BARONESS ANELAY, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom, said as a nuclear weapon State the United Kingdom knew it had particular responsibilities. Its nuclear weapon policies were last reviewed in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review to ensure they were in keeping with an ever-changing political and security landscape. The United Kingdom had long been clear that it would only consider using nuclear weapons in extreme circumstances of self-defence, or in defence of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies. Part of that review considered the United Kingdom’s security assurances; said the Minister. The United Kingdom promised not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear States parties to and compliant with their obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

On 20 January 2015 the United Kingdom announced to Parliament that it had met its 2010 commitment to reduce the number of deployed warheads on each submarine to 30 and the number of operationally available warheads to no more than 20. Maintaining and renewing elements of the United Kingdom’s nuclear deterrent capability, such as its submarine programme, were fully consistent with its international obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty. As long as the global security environment made it necessary for the United Kingdom to retain nuclear weapons it had a responsibility to maintain the safety and reliability of all elements of its nuclear weapons programme, said the Minister, including through replacement and updating of obsolete elements of the system as they reached the end of their operational life.

Last month the United Kingdom hosted the London P5 Conference to consider issues including nuclear disarmament, said the Minister, noting that for the first time representatives from non-nuclear weapon States were invited to a session, and that an outreach event with civil society took place. Addressing the sensitive issue of verification of nuclear disarmament was one of the more challenging hurdles to overcome in seeking a world without nuclear weapons. The United Kingdom’s ground-breaking work with Norway showed that verification, without revealing sensitive information or technology, was not easy and the United Kingdom was acutely aware of the need to avoid any hint of proliferation itself. The United Kingdom continued seeking those answers, and welcomed the launch of the International Partnership on Disarmament Verification by the United States.

The United Kingdom shared the frustration of others that the Conference on Disarmament had been unable to agree a Programme of Work since 1996, and welcomed efforts last year, including informal discussions on Preventing an Arms Race in Outer Space. It looked forward to this year’s working groups building on last year’s progress. The United Kingdom’s priority was starting negotiations on the early conclusion of a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty. Ceasing the production of fissile material required to make nuclear weapons was an obvious and necessary step towards disarmament. The Conference must show leadership and work together to find the solutions that promoted a safer world. We must deliver on our responsibilities together, concluded the Minister.

BRUNO RODRIQUEZ PARRILLA, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cuba, said 70 years ago the United Nations proclaimed its purpose as maintaining international peace and security and preventing the scourge of war. In order to do so the United Nations proposed the promotion of friendly relations among nations based on the respect for the principals of equal sovereignty and self-determination of peoples. Nevertheless in 2013 world military expenditure increased to the astronomical figure of US$1.75 trillion dollars while the survival of human kind was continuously jeopardized by the continued existence of more than 16,000 nuclear weapons. The millions that were being spent on weapons should instead be invested in promoting peace, economic and social development and a decent life for all human beings. The issues related to disarmament which were the subject matter of the Conference were of the utmost importance and demanded greater attention.

On 26 September Cuba for the first time commemorated the International Day for the Total Eradication of Nuclear Weapons and welcomed broad international support to that initiative. The Minster quoted the words of the historical leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, who said: “In a nuclear war the collateral damage would be the life of humanity. Each and every Government in the world has the obligation to respect the right to life of every nation. Peoples have an obligation to demand from their political leaders the right to live. Nobody can afford the luxury to be indifferent. Not one minute can be lost in demanding respect for that right. Tomorrow would be too late – it is high time for the world to choose the path to peace.” Nuclear disarmament could not be a goal whose achievement was continuously postponed, commented the Minister.

Concrete actions were required to achieve the nuclear-weapon-free world everybody hoped for, said the Minister, noting that the Non-Aligned Movement had called on the Conference on Disarmament to urgently adopt a comprehensive and balanced programme of work which took into account urgent priorities. If the Conference fulfilled its mandate it could make a decisive contribution to break the status quo and overcome the paralysis of disarmament machinery which only benefitted only the powerful. Cuba demanded respect for the inalienable right of States to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. It also asked Members of the Conference to support the convening of an International High Level Conference of the United Nations on Nuclear Disarmament, by 2018 at the latest. A new world order based on peace, solidarity and social justice was vital, he concluded.

TAKASHI UTO, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, said 2015 marked 70 years since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In such a milestone year it was crucial that the international community achieved concrete progress on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Atomic bomb survivors were growing old and many believed that 2015 may be their last chance to witness such progress. He urged Members of the Conference to take advantage of developments such as the substantial discussions of the United Nations Group of Governmental Experts on a future Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty. The Vice-Minister also emphasized Japan’s commitment to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

Japan was deeply concerned by the ballistic missile launched conducted by North Korea yesterday, Monday 2 March, in clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, said the Vice-Minister. In light of such security environments Japan believed it was important to adopt realistic and practical measures to advance nuclear disarmament, for which political will was essential. The Vice-Minister spoke about the activities of the Non-proliferation and Disarmament Initiative, a cross-regional and action-orientated group of countries, including Japan, which shared political will to achieve nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, and had submitted 17 working papers to the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference to take place in spring. Japan has also contributed to the promotion of peaceful uses of nuclear technology through technical cooperation, said the Vice-Minister, and stressing the importance of safety, security and safeguards, when peacefully using nuclear technology.

As the only country to have ever suffered atomic bombing in war Japan attached important to discussions on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons. Japan believed that it had a special mission to convey across national borders and generations the reality of the devastation that occurred in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It had exerted various efforts over the year in that regard, including supporting the international activities of atomic bomb survivors and translating their testimonies into several languages. As it marked 70 years since those bombings, Japan planned to host the next United Nations Conference on Disarmament Issues in Hiroshima in August 2015, followed by a Pugwash Conference in Nagasaki in November. Japan hoped for political will to return the Conference to a negotiating forum and for the success of the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference.

Right of Reply

Russia, speaking in a right of reply, commented on the statement by the Foreign Minister Germany and his comments on the issue of negative security assurances. He said that Russia had not threatened anyone with the use of nuclear weapons nor had it ever applied the use of nuclear weapons against anyone. In that context Russia had fully complied with its obligations under the Budapest Memorandum. Correspondingly the statement made by Foreign Minister Steinmeier was completed unfounded. The Foreign Minister also mentioned respect for the territorial integrity of Ukraine, and noted that Russia had for many years respected it, but the Budapest Memorandum did contain obligations on acknowledging an anti-constitutional, anti-state overturn of power. There was no obligation to recognize the consequences of such uprisings as ones which led to the division of any part of Ukraine. The Budapest Memorandum did not contain any obligation to restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Regarding the annexation of Crimea, Russia said there was a clear lack of coherency. He reminded the Conference that Ukraine lost Crimea as the result of an anti-constitutional, anti-State ‘push’ in the country and the events which followed that. Russia had played no role whatsoever in that, but Germany did because Mr. Steinmeir was one of three European Union Member State Ministers who signed the 21 February agreement to ensure a transfer of power in Kiev, pursuant to the constitution. Crimea became a part of Russia as a result of the freely expressed will of the population of that region. It was doubtful that more than 90 per cent of the population, two million people, who voted in favour of that step, could have been forced to do so, he said. Regarding Russia’s actions in eastern Ukraine, Russia was not preventing humanitarian access to the peaceful, suffering population of Ukraine who were dying from hunger, but on the contrary had sent in convoys of aid which had allowed people to survive. Just a few days ago Russia delivered natural gas to Donetsk and Luhansk, after the authorities in Kiev closed off the gas supply to Donbass.

United States, speaking in a right of reply with regard to the statement of the Foreign Minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, called upon the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to immediately cease all threats, reduce tensions and take the necessary steps to denuclearization and to assume credible negotiations. The United States would not accept ‘North Korea’ as a nuclear-armed State and would do what was necessary to defend itself and its allies. The United States continued to urge ‘North Korea’ to comply with its international obligations and commitments. Multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions required ‘North Korea’ to abandon all nuclear weapons programmes and immediately cease all related activities, recalled the United States.

Canada, speaking in a right of reply with regard to the statement of the Foreign Minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, said it considered it regrettable that ‘North Korea’ chose to come into this Chamber which was dedicated to disarmament to speak about its efforts to develop nuclear weapons in deliberate contravention of its international obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Canada called upon ‘North Korea’ to cease its provocative threats to international peace and security, including continued nuclear programmes and ballistic missile testing, and to return to full compliance with its obligations as outlined in numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Democratic People's Republic of Korea, speaking in a right of reply with regard to the replies of other delegations concerning the Foreign Minister’s statement this morning, said the joint military exercises had been more provocative this year than ever before. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea had set forth flexible proposals to create a peaceful environment on the Korean Peninsula and had made sincere efforts for the realization of peace. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea was willing to respond with a moratorium on nuclear tests and expressed that it was always ready to sit with the United States at the negotiating table. Increasing nuclear threat from outside would only compel the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to bolster its nuclear deterrent. Speakers were advised to look into the root cause of why the Democratic People's Republic of Korea withdrew from the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Regarding Japan’s statement in reference to the launch of missiles, the representative said it was an exercise of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s right to self-defence. If the launches were a provocation what would it call the joint military exercises staged in ‘South Korea’ in ever-growing numbers? If Japan was really concerned with achieving stability on the Korean Peninsula it should look into the root cause in a fair and unbiased way in accordance with the Stockholm agreement.

United States, speaking in a right of reply regarding the remarks of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, said its annual joint military exercises with the Republic of Korea were transparent, defence-orientated, and had been carried out regularly and openly for the last 40 years. The exercises were planned months in advance and involved participants from 10 United Nations States Members. They were carried out in the spirit of the 1 October 1953 Mutual Defence Treaty and were carefully monitored in full compliance with the armistice. They in no way posed any kind of a threat.

Japan, speaking in a right of reply regarding the statement by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and in reference to missile launching, said the international community must be reminded that it was the Democratic People's Republic of Korea that continued its nuclear and missile programmes in contravention of United Nations Security Council resolutions and the Six Party Talks. It was imperative that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea took complete actions to denuclearize and return to International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards and the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Germany, speaking in a right of reply recalled the wording of its Foreign Minister’s statement about the Budapest Memorandum and the territorial integrity of Ukraine, and said he did not comment on any nuclear threat or any questions of natural gas or trucks with humanitarian supplies coming into Ukraine. The Minister just appealed to his Russian colleague to be aware of multilateralism and the task of acting responsibly in the context of security problems. There was and still was a security problem, and non-compliance with the Budapest Memorandum was evident in that context. The statement also referred to guarantees stated in the Budapest Memorandum which had to be observed and complied with.

Russia, speaking in a right of reply regarding Germany’s comments, said Russia respected the opinion of his German colleague who better knew what his Minister said and intended to say. Russia, referring to the German statement, said a key part of the Budapest Memorandum was the non-use of nuclear weapons and the non-threat of use of nuclear weapons. Regarding Russian activities in eastern Ukraine, the Russian representative said in a statement by such a high-ranking German every word had to be weighed.

Democratic People's Republic of Korea, speaking in a right of reply regarding the statement of the United States on military exercises, said his Government had already announced that if the United States and its allies really wanted to pursue military exercises why did they not stage military drills in other places instead of the vicinity of the Korean Peninsula where an already tense situation prevailed. The deliberate actions of the United States to escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula were aimed at preventing the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from achieving economic priorities. There was a limit to patience, said the representative.


For use of the information media; not an official record

DC15/015E