Reaching Critical Will

Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

Conference on Disarmament

General Assembly First Committee

UN Disarmament Commission

Special Session on Disarmament

Statement by Mr Abel La Rose Domínguez of Cuba to the Conference on Disarmament 17th June 2008

Unofficial Transcript

Thank Mr. President.

First of all my delegation would like to thank the UK for their endeavors thus far in connection with the document CD 1840.

Mr. President, we are about to conclude the second part of this years CD and it risks running the same fate as previous sessions and I would like to place on record a number of comments, the first in relation to document CD/1840 as follows.

My delegation will not oppose the document CD/1840 if consensus is reached on this proposal. We are aware that its adoption would mean that we could finally have something resembling a program of work which would enable this body to do serious work. However, we also feel it is essential to share some further views of our current position.

For Cuba, Nuclear Disarmament is the highest priority in Disarmament as all member states in the UN agreed in final document in the First General Assembly Special Session on Disarmament in 1978. As long as we don’t make progress in that area, we cannot continue to delay the adoption of a universal legally binding instrument without conditions which would provide security guarantee for non nuclear weapons states. We therefore urge those nuclear powers and other states who are today stressing non proliferation to the detriment of nuclear disarmament that they should unambiguously face up to the obligation upon all state parties to the NPT under article 6 which includes the commitment to hold negotiations in good faith to come up with effective measures to put an end to nuclear arms race in the near future and to achieve nuclear disarmament.

It is very disappointing that we are giving way to the real politic which is imposed on us in this unfortunate area which we live in terms of disarmament and arms control. The stubbornness and power of a few should not lead us down an easy part to accommodate their own interest while efforts are redirected of issues of secondary or tertiary importance. Having said that, my country would just like to say that they are more optimistic about the future, things will change sooner rather than later.

Thank you.