United Nations A/C.1/57/L.2

General Assembly Distr.: Limited

1 October 2002

Original: English

02-61405 (E)    011002    

*0261405*

Fifty-seventh session

First Committee

Agenda item 66

General and complete disarmament

Brazil, Egypt, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa and Sweden: draft resolution

Reductions of non-strategic nuclear weapons

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolution 55/33 D of 20 November 2000,

Taking into account the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons, issued on 8 July 1996, A/51/218, annex; see also Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons, Advisory Opinion, I.C.J. Reports 1996, p. 226. and its unanimous conclusion that "there exists an obligation to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control",

Stressing the unequivocal undertaking by the nuclear-weapon States in the Final Document of the 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals leading to nuclear disarmament, a goal to which all States parties to the Treaty are committed under its article VI, 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Final Document, vol. I (NPT/CONF.2000/28 (Parts I and II)), Part I, Article VI and eighth to twelfth preambular paragraphs, para. 6 under para. 15.

Reaffirming the necessity of strict compliance by all parties with their obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the necessity of upholding their commitments in associated decisions and final documents agreed at the 2000 and 1995 Review Conference,

Noting the importance attached to the issue of reducing non-strategic nuclear weapons by the Secretary-General of the United Nations in his report to the Millennium Assembly, See A/54/2000.

Stressing the commitment made in the Final Document of the 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to the further reduction of non-strategic nuclear weapons, See 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Final Document, vol. I (NPT/CONF.2000/28 (Parts I and II)), Part I, Article VI and eighth to twelfth preambular paragraphs, para. 9 under para. 15.

Concerned that the total number of nuclear weapons deployed and in stockpile still amounts to many thousands,

Reiterating the particular responsibility of the nuclear-weapon States for transparent, verifiable and irreversible reductions in nuclear weapons leading to nuclear disarmament,

1. Agrees that the further reduction of non-strategic nuclear weapons should be accorded priority;

2. Agrees also that the reduction and elimination of non-strategic nuclear weapons should be included as an integral part of the nuclear-arms reduction and disarmament process;

3. Agrees further that the reduction of non-strategic nuclear weapons should be carried out in a transparent and irreversible manner;

4. Agrees on the importance of preserving, reaffirming, implementing and building upon the 1991 and 1992 Presidential Nuclear Initiatives of the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics/Russian Federation on non-strategic nuclear weapons;

5. Calls upon the Russian Federation and the United States of America to codify the Presidential Nuclear Initiatives into a legally binding treaty;

6. Calls for further confidence-building and transparency measures to reduce the threats posed by non-strategic nuclear weapons;

7. Calls also for concrete agreed measures to further reduce the operational status of non-strategic nuclear weapons systems;

8. Calls upon the Russian Federation and the United States of America to initiate negotiations on an effectively verifiable agreement on significant reductions of non-strategic nuclear weapons;

9. Agrees on the importance of special security and physical protection measures for the transport and storage of non-strategic nuclear weapons;

10. Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report to the General Assembly at its fifty-eighth session containing the views of Member States on the issue of reductions of non-strategic nuclear weapons;

11. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-eighth session an item entitled "Reduction of non-strategic nuclear weapons".