CONFERENCE
ON DISARMAMENT HEARS STATEMENTS FROM DIGNITARIES FROM COLOMBIA,
NETHERLANDS, KAZAKHSTAN, ROMANIA, IRAN, SLOVAKIA AND NORWAY
4 March 2008
The Conference on Disarmament this morning heard statements
by the Vice President of Colombia and the Ministers of Foreign
Affairs of the Netherlands, Kazakhstan, Romania, Iran, Slovakia
and Norway.
Santos Calderón, Vice President of Colombia, said
that, in Colombia, the issue of illicit traffic in arms and
the danger of their falling into the hands of terrorist groups
was not an academic question; it was part of their everyday
reality. Yesterday the National Police had submitted a preliminary
report concerning two computers found in the possession of
Raul Reyes, second in command of the Revolutionary Armed Forces
of Colombia (FARC), who had been killed last Saturday. According
to preliminary findings, FARC had been negotiating for radioactive
materials, the primary basis for generating "dirty"
weapons of mass destruction. That information showed that,
with the resources made available by drug trafficking, terrorist
groups constituted a serious threat not just to Colombia,
but also to the whole Latin American and Andean region. If
all States showed the will and the commitment to implement
fundamental international disarmament non-proliferation measures,
they could drastically reduce the chance that such arms would
fall into the hands of terrorist groups and could avoid the
suffering of millions of persons.
Maxime Verhaegen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands,
noted that the concerns of the international community regarding
Iran's nuclear programme had led the United Nations Security
Council to adopt a third resolution on Iran yesterday. Iran
would have to abide by that newly adopted resolution; if it
did not, additional measures would have to follow. Progress
on nuclear disarmament required intensive political will,
particularly for the two States that possessed 95 per cent
of the world’s nuclear stocks: the United States and
the Russian Federation. The Netherlands called on those parties
to embrace their responsibilities and show renewed commitment
to the process. It equally hoped for a constructive attitude
from the Non-Aligned Movement, which stood to benefit from
disarmament and non-proliferation, as they all did. It was
time for a strategy on both disarmament and non-proliferation,
jointly strengthening the two of them.
Marat Tazhin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan,
began by recalling the decree, on the eve of independence,
by President Nazarbayev to close the Semipalatinsk nuclear
test site. That had been the first step in what later became
the essence of Kazakhstan's disarmament policy. Among others,
in 1993 Kazakhstan had ratified the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT); and, in 2006, Kazakhstan had signed the Treaty
on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Asia. However, the
NPT had failed to prevent the spreading of nuclear weapons
and the appearance of new de facto nuclear States. Inequality
in the core of the NPT had resulted in the fact that the nuclear
powers saw no point in observing their disarmament obligations.
It was necessary to develop mechanisms of effective leverage
on the possessor States acting outside of the NPT legal framework,
and to provide instruments that would put pressure on those
countries that would try to leave the treaty in the future.
Adrian Cioroianu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania,
noted that the Conference on Disarmament was a sensitive barometer
to gauge international political tensions. That was yet another
reason that Romania had joined with the majority in the Conference
in the hope that their efforts could break the present deadlock.
Of course, with 65 members it was difficult to achieve consensus,
but it was not impossible. Romania had always endeavoured
to reach common ground and as one of the six presidents of
the Conference in 2006, and it was very much aware of the
challenges of creating unity in that body and to reactivating
multilateral consensus on the issues of disarmament and non-proliferation.
In Romania's view, the package of documents from the 2007
session (CD/2007/L.1, and CRP.5 and CRP.6) represented a solid
basis for re-launching the work of the Conference.
Manouchehr Mottaki, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran,
identified unilateralism and unilateral measures as the major
threat to the international community's peace and security.
Iran wished to inform the Conference that, on 4 February 2008,
Iran had successfully launched its first research rocket,
"Kavoshgar 1" into space in order to prepare the
ground for putting its first domestically engineered satellite
named Omid into orbit for peaceful uses. Iran intended to
enter outer space solely to get some data to prevent natural
catastrophic events such as earthquakes and improve telecommunications
systems for peaceful ends as other capable countries did the
same. As for recent developments in Iran's nuclear programme,
the recent report of the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) had confirmed for the eleventh time that there had
been no diversion in the peaceful nuclear activities of Iran.
Jan Kubis, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia, said
that, while mechanisms outside of the Conference on Disarmament
could also be used to advance the goals of non-proliferation
and disarmament, such as had been done in the Ottawa Mine
Ban Convention, the fact that the Ottawa Convention did not
have universality and lacked the participation of certain
key countries, convinced Slovakia that the Conference should
remain the principle multilateral body for negotiating agreements
critical to international security. Here, Slovakia wished
to reiterate its position that the six Presidents proposal
(CD/2007/L.1 and CRP.5 and CRP.6) was a well thought out organization
of existing priorities into a logical sequence. The longer
the Conference delayed on that proposal the more it would
postpone progress on the issues identified as ripe for action
by the Conference. As Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon had said,
it was the time for Conference members to seize this historic
opportunity that has been crystallizing for some time.
Jonas Gahr Store, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway,
said Norway assembled a conference of about 100 participants
from 29 different countries in Oslo last week which focused
on the vision of a world free of nuclear weapons. Five key
principles that emerged from the Nuclear Weapons Conference
in Oslo. The first principle called for more committed leadership
from the highest levels, who should engage with key domestic
stakeholders and the general public. The second principle
was the need for immediate concrete and implementable steps
towards disarmament. The third principle was the need to achieve
consensus among all States. The fourth stipulated the importance
of being faithful to the principle of non-discrimination.
The final principle was transparency, which he argued must
be at the heart of these global efforts, to build confidence
and trust amongst all States.
In 2007, the Conference was not able to reach agreement on
a programme of work and so was unable to start work on substantive
issues. A Presidential Draft Decision (CD/2007/L.1**) was
submitted as a basis for an agreement to begin substantive
work in the Conference, and successive Presidents conducted
intensive consultations with a view to reaching agreement
on it. Presidential draft decision CD/2007/L.1** calls for
the appointment of four Coordinators to preside over substantive
discussions on the issues of nuclear disarmament; prevention
of an arms race in outer space; and negative security assurances;
and to preside over negotiations on a treaty banning the production
of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive
devices. The Complementary Presidential Statement, CD/2007/CRP.5*,
reflects an understanding of the Conference on the implementation
of the Presidential decision, and the third text CD/2007/CRP.6*
is a short decision stating that when the Conference adopts
the Presidential decision, it will be guided by the Presidential
statement in its implementation. At the end of the 2007 session,
it was decided that the documents before the Conference would
be held over for consideration at the 2008 session.
The next plenary of the Conference will be held at 3 p.m.
this afternoon, when the Conference will hear addresses by
the Deputy Foreign Ministers of Turkey and Ukraine and the
Vice Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Japan and the Republic
of Korea.
Statements
MAXIME VERHAEGEN, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands,
noted that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had said he was "deeply
troubled" by the lack of progress when he had spoken
to the Conference a little over a month ago. The Netherlands
shared that view. The Secretary General had also called on
foreign ministers and political leaders to come to Geneva
and encourage a return to productive work – and he had
heeded that call. To achieve international peace and security,
both disarmament and non-proliferation were indispensable.
The continued proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
posed a threat to global security; and the presence of large
nuclear stockpiles did little good, while entailing diverse
risks. It was their joint responsibility to reduce and ultimately
eliminate those dangers. All countries needed to work together
on achieving those goals, and such initiatives had to go beyond
the Euro-Atlantic area. The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
could be part of that push forward, and all States were urged
to ratify that instrument. The upcoming Review Conference
of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 2010 would
also be an important milestone and would afford an opportunity
to intensify international cooperation and to find a common
ground on disarmament, non-proliferation, and the peaceful
uses of nuclear energy. The Netherlands fully supported talks
within the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as a
means to effectively implement the NPT and supported an international
regime that was both non-discriminatory and strengthened non-proliferation
efforts.
Mr. Verhaegen was deeply concerned about Iran’s ongoing
nuclear programme. The concerns of the international community
had led the United Nations Security Council to adopt a third
resolution on Iran yesterday. In their statement, the Permanent
Members of the Security Council and Germany had underlined
their sincere intentions to offer everything reasonable to
re-establish a respectful relationship between Iran and the
international community. Iran would have to abide by that
newly adopted resolution. If it did not, additional measures
would have to follow. Progress on nuclear disarmament required
intensive political will, particularly for the two States
that possessed 95 per cent of the world’s nuclear stocks:
the United States and the Russian Federation. The Netherlands
called on those parties to embrace their responsibilities
and show renewed commitment to the process. It equally hoped
for a constructive attitude from the Non-Aligned Movement,
which stood to benefit from disarmament and non-proliferation,
as they all did. It was time for a strategy on both disarmament
and non-proliferation, jointly strengthening the two of them.
Turning to the programme of work of the Conference, one major
priority was a Treaty Banning the Production of Fissile Material
for use in Nuclear Weapons or Other Nuclear Explosive Devices.
Such a treaty would promote a fresh supply of plutonium and
highly enriched uranium for weapons production. All five NPT
nuclear weapon States should agree among themselves to cease
production of fissile material for weapons and open their
facilities to the IAEA safeguard inspections, building on
the practice of Euratom inspections in France and the United
Kingdom. The Netherlands was also prepared to engage in substantive
discussions on how to prevent an arms race in outer space.
A code of conduct or a set of best practices and guidelines
was a pragmatic and realistic way to enhance security in space
and would serve as a valuable confidence-building measure.
The European Union was currently in the process of drafting
such an instrument.
MARAT TAZHIN, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan,
said that, on the eve of Kazakhstan's independence, in August
1991, President Nazarbayev had signed the historic decree
on the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site. That
had been the first step in what later became the essence of
Kazakhstan's disarmament policy. In December 1993 Kazakhstan's
Parliament had ratified the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
(NPT), and a year later it had obtained security guarantees
from the nuclear powers in recognition of full and undisputable
implementation of its disarmament commitments. In 1996, Kazakhstan
had joined the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. The
significance of the decision on the non-nuclear status of
Kazakhstan and the elimination of the world's fourth nuclear
arsenal was all the more important if one considered the fact
that Kazakhstan had possessed the so-called "full nuclear
armament cycle" on its soil, including uranium mining
and processing facilities. In appreciation of those efforts,
Kazakhstan had been accepted into the Nuclear Suppliers Group
in 2002. Kazakhstan had also joined the International Code
of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation, the Proliferation
Security Initiative and the Global initiative to combat nuclear
terrorism, which had held its third meeting in Astana in 2007.
In September 2006, Kazakhstan had signed the Treaty on a Nuclear-Weapon-Free
Zone in Central Asia.
Kazakhstan regretfully noted the lack of real progress in
the Conference on Disarmament, which had been virtually paralysed
for the past decade. The NPT – the main instrument of
nuclear non-proliferation – had failed to prevent the
spreading of nuclear weapons and the appearance of new de
facto nuclear States. Inequality, which had been set in the
core of the NPT, had resulted in the fact that the nuclear
Powers saw no point in observing their disarmament obligations.
The worst of it was that it gave serious arguments to those
countries that aspired to possess weapons of mass destruction.
It was necessary to develop mechanisms of effective leverage
on the possessor States acting outside of the NPT legal framework,
and to provide instruments that would put pressure on those
countries that would try to leave the treaty in the future.
While Kazakhstan recognized the importance of the work done
by the United States and the Russian Federation to reduce
their nuclear arsenals, it was not enough to ensure the irreversibility
of that process. Taking into consideration priorities of the
disarmament agenda, Kazakhstan adhered to a realistic approach
with regard to the situation in the Conference. Kazakhstan
appreciated the efforts over the past two years that had led
to the 2007 six Presidents proposal (i.e. CD/2007/L.1 and
CRP.5 and CRP.6), and, for the sake of consensus, was prepared
to continue working on the basis of it. The initiative to
start negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty was
well timed; at the same time, that decision should not diminish
the importance of the three other core issues. Kazakhstan
highly appreciated the efforts of Russia and China with regard
to the prevention of an arms race in outer space treaty they
had presented. It had also repeatedly proposed to draft an
internationally binding instrument against the use or threat
of use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear countries, and
was interested in further discussion on that issue.
ADRIAN CIOROIANU, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania,
reaffirmed Romania’s commitment to the Conference on
Disarmament. It was unfortunate that the Conference had been
inactive for so many years. Nevertheless, it remained the
most appropriate body to deal with international disarmament
issues. In that regard, the Conference on Disarmament was
a sensitive barometer to gauge international political tensions.
That was yet another reason that Romania had joined with the
majority in the Conference in the hope that their efforts
could break the present deadlock. Of course, with 65 members
it was difficult to achieve consensus, but it was not impossible.
Romania had always endeavoured to reach common ground and
as one of the six presidents of the Conference in 2006, it
was very much aware of the challenges of creating unity in
that body and to reactivating multilateral consensus on the
issues of disarmament and non-proliferation. In Romania's
view, the package of documents from the 2007 session (CD/2007/L.1,
and CRP.5 and CRP.6) represented a solid basis for re-launching
the work of the Conference.
Mr. Cioroianu said that negotiation of a Fissile Material
Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT), and reviews of the current nuclear
disarmament situation and the prevention of an arms race in
outer space, were issues that were closely linked to global
security. The Conference on Disarmament was the ideal forum
to advance on those questions. Romania considered that the
time was now ripe for the commencement of negotiations on
an FMCT, which was the clear priority for many delegations.
An agreement on that subject would be an important step towards
nuclear disarmament. Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation
were both central and indivisible elements of the Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT). Progress on one meant progress on the other,
but the reverse was also true. Romania hoped that the Preparatory
Committee for the next NPT Review Conference, which was being
held in Geneva in 2008, would be the occasion to reaffirm
and to reinforce the measures adopted for the balanced and
comprehensive implementation of the NPT. Like the NPT, the
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty was also a fundamental
stage in the process of nuclear disarmament. Unfortunately,
that Treaty had not entered into force, despite great support
by many States; the recent ratifications by Colombia and Malaysia,
however, were a positive step. The future of global peace
and security would depend on the ability of all countries
to collaborate on the issues of global disarmament. For its
part, Romania would continue to support multilateral disarmament
efforts whether at the global or regional level and to implement
its obligations thereunder.
MANOUCHEHR MOTTAKI, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran,
identified unilateralism and unilateral measures as the major
threat to the international community's peace and security.
Military doctrines based on pre-emptive strikes were not justifiable
and were in clear contradiction of the letter and spirit of
the United Nations Charter. Added to the list were the imposition
of illegitimate and unjustifiable sanctions against other
nations, misuse of international bodies solely for self-interests,
and making baseless accusations against others under the pretext
of so-called proliferation concerns to create a smokescreen
to cover non-compliance with disarmament regimes and to deceive
public opinion. Nuclear weapons were as illegal as chemical
and biological weapons and the illegality of nuclear weapons
should be recognized through a legally binding Nuclear Weapons
Convention. Now was the time to completely ban and eliminate
all nuclear weapons and the Conference on Disarmament was
the only United Nations body that could deal with that issue
and conclude such an international instrument. It should establish
an Ad Hoc Committee with the mandate to begin multilateral
negotiations on such a convention. There was no doubt that
the five nuclear weapon States bore the primary responsibility
in that context and, pending the conclusion of that convention,
the non-nuclear weapon States should be granted effective
negative security assurances through an effective, legally
binding instrument. Moreover, one of the main goals and priorities
of Iran and the other States of the Middle East region had
been the universality of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
(NPT) and forcing the Zionist regime to abandon its production
and stockpiling of nuclear weapons.
In Iran's view, a comprehensive and balanced programme of
work for the Conference was one in which all the concerns
and priorities of Member States were addressed and all four
core issues were treated on an equal footing. Iran believed
that the Conference had a contribution to make on the issue
of the prevention of an arms race in outer space, and welcomed
the joint initiative by Russia and China on that subject submitted
to the Conference on 12 February 2008. In that connection,
Iran wished to inform the Conference that, on 4 February 2008,
Iran had successfully launched its first research rocket,
"Kavoshgar 1" into space in order to prepare the
ground for putting its first domestically engineered satellite
named Omid into orbit for peaceful uses. Iran intended to
enter outer space solely to get some data to prevent natural
catastrophic events such as earthquakes and improve telecommunications
systems for peaceful ends as other capable countries did the
same. As for recent developments in Iran's nuclear programme,
the recent report of the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) had confirmed for the eleventh time that there had
been no diversion in the peaceful nuclear activities of Iran.
It was worth recalling that the pretext that had brought the
Iranian nuclear issue to the agenda of the IAEA and then the
basis for unwarranted and unlawful actions of the United Nations
Security Council, had been the ambiguities and allegations
introduced by a few countries which, by magnifying those ambiguities,
had attempted to put into question the peaceful nature of
Iran's nuclear programme. However, the IAEA report of 22 February
2008 had clearly and manifestly declared that all remaining
issues had been resolved, and that Iran's answers had been
"consistent with the Agency's findings". In the
report, the IAEA had also declared that the current nuclear
activities of Iran were under its monitoring and the IAEA
had been able to continue to verify the non-diversion of declared
nuclear material and facilities in Iran.
JAN KUBIS, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia, said
that his presence at the Conference on Disarmament was a testament
to Slovakia’s commitment to the future of that body,
and Slovakia added its voice to other calls for a revitalization
of the Conference, to overcome its continued lack of productivity
and to replace discussion with negotiations. However, other
mechanisms outside of the Conference could also be used to
advance the goals of non-proliferation and disarmament. One
example of that had been the Ottawa Mine Ban Convention, which
although it had become an overwhelming success by many criteria,
remained the exception. Due to the fact that the Ottawa Convention
did not have universality and lacked the participation of
certain key countries, Slovakia remained convinced that the
Conference on Disarmament should remain the principle multilateral
body for negotiating agreements critical to international
security. Here, Slovakia wished to reiterate its position
that the six Presidents proposal (CD/2007/L.1 and CRP.5 and
CRP.6), was a well thought out organization of existing priorities
into a logical sequence. The longer the Conference delayed
on that proposal the more it would postpone progress on the
issues identified as ripe for action by the Conference. As
Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon had said, it was the time for
Conference members to seize this historic opportunity that
has been crystallizing for some time.
Having been a member of the UN Security Council in 2006,
Slovakia had presided over the Committee established pursuant
to its resolution 1540 (2004) (on non-proliferation of weapons
of mass destruction) and had contributed to United Nations
efforts to advance international peace. The cooperation surrounding
the implementation of resolution 1540 had demonstrated the
spirit of multilateralism in the area of non-proliferation.
As one of the first countries to ratify the Comprehensive
Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, Slovakia now supported negotiations
on a fissile material cut-off treaty as the ripest issue to
be addressed in the Conference on Disarmament. While that
was still pending, the Slovakia had endeavoured to organize
annual training courses and field experiments to simulate
on-site inspections. Progress also had to be made on a meaningful
verification method. Indeed, Slovakia was fully determined
to support all initiatives that aimed at improving the global
security environment.
SANTOS CALDERÓN, Vice President of Colombia, said
that, in Colombia, the issue of illicit traffic in arms and
the danger of their falling into the hands of terrorist groups
was not an academic question; it was part of their everyday
reality. Yesterday the National Police had submitted a preliminary
report concerning two computers found in the possession of
Raul Reyes, second in command of the Revolutionary Armed Forces
of Colombia (FARC), who had been killed last Saturday. According
to preliminary findings, FARC was negotiating for radioactive
materials, the primary basis for generating "dirty"
weapons of mass destruction. That information showed that,
with the resources made available by drug trafficking, terrorist
groups constituted a serious threat not just to Colombia,
but also to the whole Latin American and Andean region. The
major priority in Colombia was to re-establish security. For
that reason it had elected President Uribe in 2002, and on
the basis of his policy of democratic security an unprecedented
reduction in all forms of violence had been achieved. President
Uribe had then been re-elected in 2006 with the highest mandate
in Colombia's history. The Government had made major efforts
to prevent arms of all kinds from falling into the hands of
terrorist groups. Through peace and disarmament efforts, the
public security forces had recovered 18,000 arms from demobilized
groups. What was needed from the international community now
was the joint political will to implement the existing instruments
in the disarmament field, including the United Nations Programme
of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade
in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, which
contained important recommendations for effectively controlling
the illicit arms trade. According to Government sources, 80
per cent of the weapons that entered Colombia illegally were
intended for terrorist groups and 20 per cent for criminals.
That reinforced the need to ensure the full implementation
of the Programme of Action on Small Arms. Colombia also called
for the implementation of Security Council resolution 1540
(2004) on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
and prevention of their proliferation to illegal armed groups,
and supported the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy adopted
by the General Assembly in 2006. Mention should also be made
of resolutions on man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS)
by the Organization of American States and the United Nations,
and all countries were urged to abide by them to prevent those
arms from falling into the hands of terrorists. If all States
showed the will and the commitment to implement those fundamental
measures, they could drastically reduce the chance that such
arms would fall into the hands of terrorist groups and could
avoid the suffering of millions of persons.
Colombia was the second most mine-affected country in the
world, and illegal armed groups massively and indiscriminately
used those arms. From 1990 to today, 6,802 persons in Colombia
had been victims of mines and unexploded ordnance, 1,576 of
them having lost their lives. Those types of weapons did not
discriminate between soldiers and civilians and also impeded
the economic and social welfare of the population. Colombia
therefore had undertaken national commitments to implement
the Ottawa Mine Ban Convention. It would not be an easy challenge:
comprehensive action against anti-personnel mines was a long-term
process. Nevertheless Colombia would continue to move forward
to seek security and comprehensive development of all its
citizens. It would continue to provide care for victims, and
would pursue their rehabilitation and reintegration into social
life through productive projects. In that connection, Colombia
announced its candidacy as the host of the second Ottawa review
conference in 2009, and hoped that it would receive the support
of all in that regard.
JONAS GAHR STØRE, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway,
said Norway assembled a conference of about 100 participants
from 29 different countries in Oslo last week which focused
on the vision of a world free of nuclear weapons. It struck
him during this conference that while a new common ground
had emerged to address these critical issues, such concerns
had glided down the scale of international attention and resolve,
perhaps giving way to the prominence of other emerging issues
such as the fight against poverty, climate change and global
health. The Mutually Assured Destruction paradigm of the Cold
War had been replaced by a less tangible and more complex
nuclear threat scenario. In this light, Norway commended the
Government of Kazakhstan as one nation that had demonstrated
that national security need not depend on the possession of
nuclear weapons. Acknowledging that the road towards the abolition
of nuclear weapons would be long, the Minister reminded all
delegates not to expect short-term results.
In support of a nuclear weapons-free world, Mr. Store commended
Latin America for declaring itself a nuclear weapons free
zone, which he argued allowed the continent to improve security
and give priority to development agendas for the benefit of
the public. He then addressed the five key principles that
emerged from the Nuclear Weapons Conference in Oslo. The first
principle called for more committed leadership from the highest
levels, who should engage with key domestic stakeholders and
the general public. The second principle was the need for
immediate concrete and implementable steps towards disarmament.
These steps could be taken unilaterally and to ensure necessary
confidence, States must be willing to undertake binding agreements
with credible verification. The third principle was the need
to achieve consensus among all States. The fourth stipulated
the importance of being faithful to the principle of non-discrimination.
In this regard, the Minister defended the concept of a fuel
reserve under the aegis of the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA). The IAEA considered that $150 million would
be needed to make a fuel reserve available. One hundred million
dollars had already been obtained and last week Norway pledged
$5 million (or 10 per cent of the remaining 50 million). The
final principle was transparency, which he argued must be
at the heart of these global efforts, to build confidence
and trust amongst all States.
Mr. Store also took the opportunity to encourage the new
leadership in Russia and the new incoming leadership in the
United States to reduce its significant nuclear arsenal and
to be the bastions of this new era of non-proliferation, as
an example to other emerging military States. In conclusion,
the Minister listed the ten policy recommendations made by
the Chairman of the most recent Oslo Conference. They were
as follows: national leaders should seek to engage experts;
the United States and Russia should reduce their nuclear arsenals
to measure in the hundreds instead of the thousands; non-nuclear
weapon States should cooperate with nuclear weapon States
to develop technology needed for verification; all States
with nuclear weapons must make every effort to reverse their
reliance on these weapons; entry into force of the CTBT would
be crucial to preventing a nuclear arms race; a Fissile Material
Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT) was vital to advancing disarmament and
preventing proliferation; eliminating nuclear arms required
a robust and credible non-proliferation regime; all States
must take the necessary measures to ensure that their nuclear
weapons do not fall into the hands of terrorist organizations;
there needed to be a creation of a non-discriminatory system
of nuclear fuel supply in collaboration with the IAEA; and
the final recommendation was that States should consider convening
a high-level Intergovernmental Panel on Nuclear Disarmament.
In conclusion, Norway would continue to work with all multilateral
and bilateral stakeholders for the advancement of nuclear
disarmament, non-proliferation, a ban on cluster munitions
and would push for greater cross-regional cooperation in the
area.
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