SPEAKERS AT CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT WELCOME ESTABLISHMENT OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS FREE ZONE IN CENTRAL ASIA

The Conference on Disarmament this morning heard from speakers who welcomed the signing of a treaty on 8 September on the establishment of a nuclear weapons free zone in Central Asia by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

Kazakhstan said the idea of the nuclear weapons free zone in Central Asia traced its roots back to 1993 when a formal proposal was made by Uzbekistan during the UN General Assembly. Nine years of work by regional experts had resulted in the agreement which explicitly prohibited production, acquisition and deployment of nuclear weapons and its components or other nuclear explosive devices in Central Asia. The treaty was no doubt an important step in the development of peaceful use of nuclear energy and environmental rehabilitation of contaminated areas.

The Russian Federation said this was an important step to strengthen the nuclear non-proliferation regime and hoped that it would help to consolidate peace and security in Central Asia, and that it would play a role in stopping terrorism and stopping nuclear technology from falling into the hands of non-state actors.

China said it respected and supported efforts by countries to create nuclear weapons free zones. The establishment of such zones was good for nuclear non-proliferation and the establishment of peace and stability in the relevant regions. China and the five Central Asian countries maintained friendly relations and China supported their efforts to establish this nuclear weapon free zone and welcomed its signing.

Belarus echoed the sentiments of other delegations in welcoming the signing of the Semipalatinsk treaty to establish a nuclear weapons free zone in Central Asia.

Ecuador, speaking about the stalemate in the Conference, said Ecuador opposed all forms of arms races wherever and fostered action at the regional and global level to strengthen a regime of non-proliferation and disarmament. Ecuador also condemned all forms of terrorism, including State terrorism. Ecuador hoped that in 2007, the Conference would overcome its stalemate and begin substantive work.

Syria raised the issue of certain delegations submitting the idea of including new points on the agenda of the Conference in an attempt to deviate the Conference from its natural path and sometimes to waste its time. It said if this was opening the way for the Conference to discuss new points, then Syria had in the past submitted a group of points from its national perspective which it deemed to be extremely important and it now wanted to renew its request for the Conference to deal with the following points in the remaining time in the 2006 session and in the 2007 session.

The next plenary of the Conference will be held on Thursday, 14 September when the Conference will adopt its report to the General Assembly and close the third and last part of its 2006 session.

Statements

KAIRAT ABUSSEITOV (Kazakhstan) said on 8 September, the treaty on the establishment of the nuclear weapons free zone in Central Asia was signed by the Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, the First Deputy Foreign Minister of Tajikistan and the Ambassador of Turkmenistan to Kazakhstan. The idea of the nuclear weapons free zone in Central Asia traced its roots back to 1993 when a formal proposal was made by Uzbekistan during the UN General Assembly. Nine years of work by regional experts had resulted in the agreement which explicitly prohibited production, acquisition and deployment of nuclear weapons and its components or other nuclear explosive devices in Central Asia. The treaty was no doubt an important step in the development of peaceful use of nuclear energy and environmental rehabilitation of contaminated areas.

In order to enable the nuclear weapons free zone to enter into force, participants of the treaty would negotiate with nuclear powers the text of the protocol to the treaty committing all UN Security Council members to respect the non-nuclear status of Central Asia. These obligations included a provision not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against regional States.

MAURICIO MONTALVO SAMANIEGO (Ecuador), speaking for the first time in his capacity as Permanent Representative of Ecuador, expressed his appreciation to the President of the Conference and the other Presidents of the 2006 session as well as the Friends of Presidents for their efforts which had made it possible, despite the circumstances of which all were aware of, for the Conference to take up substantive issues like cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament; prevention of nuclear war; prevention of an arms race in outer space; effective international arrangements to assure non nuclear weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons; new types of weapons of mass destruction and new systems of such weapons, radiological weapons; comprehensive programme of disarmament; transparency in armament, and others. In this connection, Ecuador welcomed the openness and flexibility being shown by a significant number of delegations to discuss these issues after nine years of stalemate. At the same time, Ecuador noted with concern the major difficulties that existed which stopped States from reaching effective multilateral commitments that would lead to nuclear disarmament and the elimination of weapons of mass destruction and result in measures to foster transparency and confidence.

It was sad that in the past and during the cold war period, more progress had been made on disarmament. Today, the world was full of many weapons and States did not have the monopoly of use of force anymore as a result of the presence of new actors on the international scene like terrorist groups, insurgents and belligerents. Ecuador opposed all forms of arms races wherever and fostered action at the regional and global level to strengthen a regime of non-proliferation and disarmament. Ecuador also condemned all forms of terrorism, including State terrorism. It supported and gave its full endorsement to adopting a convention on combating terrorism within the United Nations. Ecuador hoped that in 2007, the Conference would overcome its stalemate and begin substantive work.

VALERY LOSHCHININ (Russian Federation) said the Russian Federation had expressed its support for the creation in various parts of the world of nuclear weapons free zones as one of the key elements to expand the geography of the world that was free of nuclear weapons and that would consolidate international peace and security. On 8 September, the representatives of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan had signed a treaty on the establishment of a nuclear weapons free zone in Central Asia with the help of the United Nations and according to the 1999 guidelines of the Disarmament Commission. This was an important step to strengthen the nuclear non-proliferation regime and Russia hoped that it would help to consolidate peace and security in Central Asia, and that it would play a role in stopping terrorism and stopping nuclear technology from falling into the hands of non-state actors. The Russian Federation supported the policy of the Central Asian States to establish this treaty and welcomed its signing.

CHENG JINGYE (China) thanked Kazakhstan for the briefing on the recent signing by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan of the treaty on the establishment of the nuclear weapons free zone in Central Asia. The principle behind the position of China on the issue of nuclear weapon free zones was consistent. China respected and supported efforts by countries to reach nuclear weapons free zones. The establishment of such zones was good for nuclear non-proliferation and the establishment of peace and stability in the relevant regions. China and the five Central Asian countries maintained friendly relations and China supported their efforts to establish this nuclear weapon free zone and welcomed its signing. China would always support the efforts of countries to establish nuclear weapon free zones.

HUSSEIN ALI (Syria) said since 2004 and just as the Conference on Disarmament was about to adopt a programme of work on the basis of the Five Ambassadors proposal, certain delegations had submitted the idea of including new points on the agenda of the Conference. At the time, Syria had believed and it continued to believe that these were an attempt to deviate the Conference from its natural path and sometimes to waste its time. Fortunately, in the past three years, the wisdom of the majority had conquered in the Conference and they had been able to adopt the agenda without amendments. Certain delegations had practised their right to raise certain issues not on the agenda, but Syria had dealt with this in a positive way and had expressed its position with regards to such submissions. The Conference was not the adequate forum for discussion of these points, particularly as these topics were being discussed in other fora, and especially as the Conference was unable to conclude its work on its own items. In the previous few days and during the discussion on the draft annual report, certain delegations had wanted to give equal treatment to these new issues as to the main points on the agenda which were the subject of consensus. This was an exaggeration on the part of these certain delegation and Syria categorically refused this position. However, if this was opening the way for the Conference to discuss new points, then Syria had in the past submitted a group of points from its national perspective which it deemed to be extremely important and it now wanted to renew its request for the Conference to deal with the following points in the remaining time in the 2006 session and in the 2007 session.

These points included vacating the Middle East from any nuclear weapons; submitting Israeli nuclear establishments to the comprehensive safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency; the issue of Israel dumping nuclear waste in the Syrian Golan; the fact that certain nuclear States were providing Israel with the latest nuclear military technology; and the fact that Israel had used cluster bombs and other prohibited weapons against Lebanese civilians. There were other topics related to these items which the Conference could also study, including the use by American and British forces of depleted uranium during the invasion of Iraq, and the use by Americans of phosphoric weapons during the attack on Faluja in Iraq. Although Syria believed that these topics were greatly related to the work of the Conference and formed an integral part of the agenda, it preferred for the Conference to concentrate on the main four issues on its agenda in order to adopt its programme of work which respected the priorities of all countries.

IVAN GRINEVICH (Belarus) echoed the sentiments of other delegations in welcoming the signing of the Semipalatinsk treaty to establish a nuclear weapons free zone in Central Asia.