General Statement on behalf of the European Union by Tomáš Pojar, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
Preparatory Committee for the 2010 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, Third session, New York, 4 - 15 May, 2009.
Mr. Chairman,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union.
The Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia (*) and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova align themselves with this declaration.
We support you in your endeavours as the Chairman of this Preparatory Committee at its third session as well as your wise request to limit statements and avoid repetitions.
Mr. Chairman,
1. The NPT, based on the three mutually reinforcing pillars of non-proliferation, disarmament and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, represents a unique and irreplaceable framework for maintaining and strengthening international peace, security and stability. Given the current challenges in the field of international security, in particular the risk of proliferation, we are convinced that the NPT is more important now than ever. It is our duty to maintain and strengthen its authority and integrity, to continue to advocate its universality. To this end, the EU will continue to promote all the objectives contained in the Treaty.
2. The EU is conscious of new opportunities for the NPT, in particular with the renewed US-Russia engagement, renewed commitment to ensure the entry into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and to international negotiations for a verifiable Treaty to end the production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons (FMCT). The EU also notes with interest the renewed international public debate on ways to advance all the objectives enshrined in the Treaty.
3. The year 2009 presents serious proliferation challenges for the NPT and will be decisive in finding negotiated solutions especially for the Iranian nuclear issue.
4. The EU calls upon all States Parties to live up to both challenges and opportunities and work constructively towards reaffirming the fundamental principles underlying the Treaty, in particular through renewed consensus on ways to strengthen it.
Mr. Chairman,
5. The EU has come to this meeting with a clear vision of the 2010 review cycle. The current review cycle should help us to foster the sense of common purpose among States parties and create a more secure international context by expressing renewed support from the entire international community for the NPT´s goals and obligations, by addressing the main issues at stake, and by demonstrating the capacity of the review cycle to give appropriate responses to these challenges. We are ready to continue to work for its successful outcome, with a view to strengthening the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, in particular all three pillars of the Treaty, as underlined in the EU Common Position of 25 April 2005.
6. We continue to support the decisions and the resolution on the Middle East adopted at the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference as well as the Final Document of the 2000 NPT Review Conference and shall bear in mind the current situation. We continue to work towards the universality of the NPT and call on those States not yet party to the NPT to join the Treaty as a Non Nuclear Weapon State.
7. To this end, the EU intends to work together with all States Parties at this session of the PrepCom
- on agreement during this PrepCom on the provisional agenda and rules of procedure for the 2010 Review Conference and the nomination of the President,
- on identifying areas of convergence under each of the three pillars where concrete progress could be made,
- aiming at achieving consensus wherever possible on realistic, balanced and effective recommendations from the Preparatory Committee to Review Conference.
8. Our vision for a meaningful outcome of the review process comprises the following principles:
- A balanced approach of the Review Process between the three pillars is essential.
- The 2010 Review Conference should adopt a set of concrete, effective, pragmatic, and consensual measures for stepping up international efforts against proliferation, pursuing disarmament and ensuring a responsible development of peaceful uses of nuclear energy by countries wishing to develop their capacities in this field.
Mr. Chairman,
9. To achieve these goals, the EU has elaborated a set of forward-looking proposals on all three pillars of the NPT, to be part of an action plan adopted by the RevCon. We will address those elements in a detailed manner in our cluster statements. Let me briefly comment on their main axis.
Non-proliferation
10. Strengthening the non-proliferation regime is a key priority for us. We shall continue to promote the universalisation and effective implementation of rules and instruments preventing the proliferation of WMD and their means of delivery.
11. If we want to preserve the central role of the NPT in promoting security for all, we must reaffirm that all States Parties must take concerted and resolute action to ensure strict compliance with their non-proliferation obligations and respond quickly and effectively to non-compliance. Non-compliance and the proliferation of nuclear weapons undermine the security of all nations. They imperil prospects for progress on disarmament, in particular for nuclear disarmament. They hurt prospects for expanding international nuclear co-operation.
12. The proliferation risks presented in particular by the nuclear programs of Iran and DPRK continue to be a matter of ongoing serious concern to us. A negotiated solution to the Iranian nuclear issue is of cardinal importance for the EU, since if Iran were to acquire a military nuclear capability, this would constitute an unacceptable threat to regional and international security.
13. Universalisation and strengthening of the IAEA safeguards system including the Additional Protocol are of particular importance to us.
14. To be effective, our action against proliferation must also be based on resolute operational cooperation. To this end in 2008, the EU adopted “New Lines for Action by the EU in Combating the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems” which will further enhance the effectiveness of the EU´s 2003 Strategy against proliferation of WMD.
Disarmament
15. The EU is committed to the pursuit of nuclear disarmament and the final objective enshrined in Article VI of the NPT. This issue is of particular relevance to the EU, two of whose members have nuclear weapons. We are working for general disarmament and notably nuclear disarmament. Keenly aware of the fact that its own security benefits from the pursuit of global disarmament efforts, the EU is prepared to do more. Our ambition extends to every aspect of disarmament.
16. The EU highly appreciates the reductions of strategic and non-strategic nuclear weapons and their delivery systems since the end of the Cold War. We warmly welcome the commitment expressed by the USA and Russia to replace START with a new legally binding treaty before it expires in December 2009. The EU has already done much for disarmament. The EU supports the nuclear disarmament measures taken by the two EU nuclear-weapon states and welcomes their new initiatives in this field.
17. The EU calls on the international community to work on promoting the concrete and realistic disarmament initiatives endorsed by our 27 Heads of State and Government which we submitted to the United Nations General Assembly in 2008. It is in particular essential in the short-term to achieve the entry into force of the CTBT and to launch negotiations without preconditions in the Conference on Disarmament on a FMCT including verification provisions.
Peaceful uses of nuclear energy
18. In accordance with Article IV of the NPT, the EU reaffirms its support for the inalienable right of all Parties to the Treaty to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, without discrimination and in conformity with Articles I, II and III of the Treaty. In this regard, the EU supports the important activities of the IAEA in the field of technical cooperation and assistance. The EU is the prime contributor to the IAEA's technical cooperation fund.
19. It is important that the development of nuclear energy for peaceful uses takes place in the best safety, security and non-proliferation conditions. The EU is committed to strengthened international cooperation in this respect both within the next NPT Review Conference and in other fora. The EU supports and financially assists the work of the IAEA related to assisting states to develop the adequate infrastructures in these areas. The EU has also set up an important Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation to help countries benefit from its important experience in this field.
20. International efforts aimed at establishing multilateral mechanisms, by helping to strengthen energy security, can also offer a credible alternative to the development of national capabilities for sensitive fuel cycle technologies. We have taken specific measures along these lines, with our announcement that the European Union stands ready to contribute financially up to EUR 25 million to the creation of a nuclear fuel bank under the control of the IAEA. This proposal is complementary to other proposals for supply guarantees or multilateral installations developed by some EU Member States and other NPT State Parties. We welcome their further elaboration and look forward discussing them.
Mr. Chairman,
21. We reaffirm our full support for the work of the IAEA as a unique and indispensable organization for peaceful nuclear co-operation, nuclear safety, preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and countering new threats of nuclear terrorism.
Regional Issues, including with respect to the Middle East and implementation of the 1995 Middle East Resolution
Mr. Chairman,
22. The EU also remains committed to the full implementation of the resolutions on the Middle East adopted by the United Nations Security Council and the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference, and the IAEA General Conference. The EU calls upon the States of the region to establish an effectively verifiable zone free of nuclear weapons, as well as of other weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery. We will refer to this issue in more detail in a separate statement.
Mr. Chairman,
23. In conclusion, we must not fail to seize the opportunity of the 2010 Review Conference to move toward a safer world, one in which it is possible to meet all the objectives enshrined in the NPT, whether they be disarmament, non-proliferation, or the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. We should advance on all fronts, pragmatically, so that we can achieve a successful and balanced conclusion of the review process in 2010.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
(*) Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.
Last update: 16.8.2011 15:24
