Working Paper Submitted by Mongolia

Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

Conference on Disarmament

General Assembly First Committee

UN Disarmament Commission

Special Session on Disarmament

Nuclear-weapon-free zones

Working paper submitted by Mongolia

Paragraph 6 of decision 2 of the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which dealt with "Principles and objectives for nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament", not only encouraged the "development of nuclear-weapon-free zones, especially in regions of tension, such as the Middle East, as well as the establishment of zones free of all weapons of mass destruction, ... as a matter of priority, taking into account the specific characteristics of each region", but also welcomed the "establishment of additional nuclear-weapon-free zones by the time of the Review Conference in the year 2000".

In 1992 Mongolia declared its territory a nuclear-weapon-free zone. That initiative was welcomed and supported by the international community as a measure promoting non-proliferation. Since then Mongolia took a number of measures to institutionalize its nuclear-weapon-free status. As a result of such measures, on 4 December 1998, the General Assembly adopted resolution 53/77 D, entitled "Mongolia's international security and nuclear-weapon-free status", in which it welcomed Mongolia's initiative and invited Member States, including the five nuclear-weapon States, to cooperate with Mongolia in taking the necessary measures to consolidate and strengthen its international security and nuclear-weapon-free status. In the same resolution, the Assembly also requested the Secretary-General and relevant United Nations bodies to provide the necessary assistance to Mongolia in strengthening its international security and nuclear-weapon-free status.

In implementation of that resolution, the State Great Hural (Parliament) of Mongolia adopted, in February 2000, legislation on its nuclear-weapon-free status. That unilateral measure was welcomed and supported by the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, at its Ministerial Conference in April 2000 in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, as a concrete contribution to the international efforts to strengthen the non-proliferation regime. The legislation was also welcomed by the Secretary-General.

Adoption of legislation on its nuclear-weapon-free status is considered by Mongolia and its supporters as a step that should eventually lead to the institutionalization of its status at the international level, reflecting its unique geopolitical location. It is believed that, in order for the single State status to be more credible and effective, Mongolia's broader security questions should be appropriately addressed, as implied in General Assembly resolution 53/77 D.

Bearing the above in mind, Mongolia proposes the following provision to be included in the final document of the Review Conference:

"The States Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons welcomed and supported Mongolia's nuclear-weapon-free status and the recent adoption by the Mongolian parliament of legislation defining the status as a concrete step towards strengthening the global non-proliferation regime and a practical contribution to promoting political stability and predictability in the region. The status reflects Mongolia's unique location. Therefore, its single State status should be duly taken into account when providing it with the necessary security assurances."