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Statement by New York, 10 April 2006 Mr. Chairman, 1. First of all allow me to speak on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and to congratulate you on your unanimous election to preside over this year’s session of the United Nations Disarmament Commission (UNDC). We are confident that under your able guidance and leadership, the 2006 UNDC session will succeed in fulfilling the mandate entrusted to it by the General Assembly. The NAM would also like to extend its felicitations to the other members of the Bureau on their election and to the Chairs of the Working Group. 2. Let me avail of this opportunity to welcome the new Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, Ambassador Nobuaki Tanaka and to express our gratitude for his statement on various disarmament and international security issues. Mr. Chairman, 3. The NAM underlines the importance for all Member States of the United Nations to reaffirm their full commitment to the purposes of the Charter of the United Nations and their obligation to strictly observe its principles as well as other relevant and generally accepted principles of international law. 4. It is undeniable that the Commission has faced difficult times in the last few years. Its inability to reach consensus in the previous cycle was regrettable. Today, we are meeting against the backdrop of setbacks in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation, among others, as shown by the failure of the last NPT Review Conference to agree on substantive recommendations and the inability of the 2005 World Summit to make any reference on disarmament and non-proliferation in its outcome document. 5. Yet when times and situations are complex, the deliberative function of the UNDC continues to become all the more important. In this regard, the NAM reaffirms the importance of the UNDC as the specialized and deliberative body within the United Nations multilateral disarmament machinery that allows for in-depth deliberations on specific disarmament issues, leading to the submission of concrete recommendations to the General Assembly. 6. The NAM remains committed to the Commission’s basic purposes and principles. But since the last UNDC session in 2003, we are really concerned that the Commission was unable to play its role in meeting challenges of the current global environment. However, we recognize that the Commission has had very productive sessions, particularly in 1999, when it was able to reach consensus on guidelines for establishing nuclear-weapon-free-zones and for conventional arms control. 7. The work of the UNDC has greatly contributed to the emergence of global disarmament norms. Being strictly a deliberative forum, the Commission often encounters disagreements amongst its members over policies and priorities. This was reflected in the fact that it took almost three years for the Commission to agree on the two substantive agenda items for its session this year. Mr. Chairman, 8. The NAM emphasizes that progress in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation in all its aspects is essential to strengthening international peace and security, and we appeal to all States to pursue and intensify multilateral negotiations, as agreed by consensus in the Final Document of the SSOD-I, with a view to achieving nuclear disarmament under effective international control and strengthening the international disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation regimes. 9. With regard to agenda item 1 entitled “Recommendations for achieving the objective of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons”, the NAM reiterates its principled positions on nuclear disarmament and the related issue of nuclear non-proliferation that have been fully reflected in the relevant documents adopted by the Summits and Ministerial Meetings of NAM. We also believe that the vision and principles contained in the Final Document of the SSOD-I remain relevant. We also further maintain the need for all members of the Commission to fulfill their obligations in relations to arms control and disarmament and to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons in all its aspects. 10. The NAM reaffirms that in efforts towards the objective of nuclear disarmament, global and regional approaches and confidence building measures complement each other and should, wherever possible, be pursued simultaneously to promote regional and international peace and security. 11. The NAM expresses its concern at the slow pace of progress towards nuclear disarmament, which constitutes its primary disarmament objective and remains its highest priority. In this context, we underscore the need for the Nuclear-Weapon-States to implement the unequivocal undertaking to accomplish the total elimination of nuclear weapons and emphasize, in this regard, the urgent need to commence negotiations without delay. Mr. Chairman, 12. The NAM believes that the efforts of the international community aiming at non-proliferation should be parallel to the simultaneous efforts aiming at nuclear disarmament. We further believe that the most effective way of preventing terrorists from acquiring weapon of mass destruction is through the total elimination of such weapons. In this context, we underline the need for the threat posed by terrorists acquiring weapon of mass destruction to be addressed within the framework of the United Nations and through international cooperation consistent with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law. 13. The NAM also reiterates its long standing principled position for the total elimination of all nuclear testing and expresses concern over the lack of progress by the Nuclear-Weapon-States to accomplish the elimination of their nuclear arsenals leading to nuclear disarmament and the negative developments with regard to the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). 14. The NAM reaffirms that the total elimination of nuclear weapons is the only absolute guarantee against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons. We reiterate our conviction that, pending the total elimination of nuclear weapons, efforts for the conclusion of a universal, unconditional and legally binding instrument on security assurances to Non-Nuclear-Weapon States should be pursued as a matter of priority. 15. The NAM again calls for an international conference, at the earliest possible date, with the objective of arriving at an agreement on a phased programme for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons with a specified framework of time to eliminate all nuclear weapons, to prohibit their development, production, acquisition, testing, stockpiling, transfer, use or threat of use, and to provide for their destruction. In this context, we reiterate the resolve at the Millennium Summit by the Heads of State or Government as contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration to strive for the elimination of weapons of mass destruction, in particular nuclear weapons, and to keep all options open for achieving this aim, including the possibility of convening an international conference to identify ways and means of eliminating nuclear dangers. 16. The NAM continues to consider the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free-zones created by the Treaties of Tlatelolco, Rarotonga, Bangkok and Pelindaba as positive steps towards attaining the objective of nuclear disarmament. The NAM welcomes the efforts aimed at establishing new nuclear-weapon-free-zones in all regions of the world on the basis of arrangement freely arrived at among the States of the region concerned and and calls for cooperation and broad consultation in order to achieve this goal. 17. The NAM reiterates its support for the establishment in the Middle East of a zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, and to this end, it reaffirms the need for the speedy establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free-zone in the Middle East in accordance with the Security Council resolution 487 (1981) and the relevant General Assembly resolutions adopted by consensus. The NAM States parties recall that the 2000 NPT Review Conference reaffirmed the importance of Israel’s accession to the NPT and the placement of all its nuclear facilities under comprehensive IAEA safeguards, in realizing the goal of universal adherence to the Treaty in the Middle East. 18. The NAM States parties to the NPT remain fully convinced that the NPT is a key instrument in the efforts to halt vertical and horizontal proliferation of nuclear weapons and as the essential foundation for nuclear disarmament. The states parties to the NPT should work towards a fair balance between mutual obligations and responsibilities under the Treaty, with a view to achieving the total elimination of nuclear weapons. 19. The NAM States parties to the NPT call for the full implementation of and the firm commitment by all States parties to, the package agreed to at the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference which comprises the decision on “Strengthening the Review Process for the Treaty”, the decision on “Principles and Objectives for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament”, the decision on “Extension of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons”, and the “Resolution on the Middle East” as well as the “Final Document of the 2000 NPT Review Conference”, in particular the 13 practical steps for the systematic and progressive efforts to implement Article VI of the Treaty. Mr. Chairman, 21. The NAM believes that confidence-building is neither a substitute nor a pre-condition for disarmament measures. Yet their potential for creating an atmosphere conducive to arms control and disarmament has been demonstrated in various parts of the world. We further believe that an unbalanced and incomplete approach, especially in some regions of the world, could not attain the desired results of building confidence. 22. The NAM also believes that CBMs, especially when applied in a comprehensive manner, can be conducive to achieving structures of security based on cooperation and openness and thus contribute to the wider objective of the renunciation of the threat or use of force. The implementation of the guidelines for appropriate types of confidence-building measures to all States is of significance, taking fully into account the specific political, military and other conditions prevailing in a region. 23. The NAM expresses its firm support for unilateral, bilateral, regional and multilateral measures adopted by some governments aimed at reducing military expenditures, thereby contributing to strengthening regional and international peace and security. We recognize that CBMs assist in this regard. 24. With regard to agenda item 2, the NAM supports the proposal of the Chairman for the Commission to continue its deliberation on Chairman’s consolidated working paper as contained in the Report of the UNDC for 2003 (document A/58/42). Mr. Chairman, 25. Concerning other issues under consideration of the Commission, while reaffirming the General Assembly Decision 52/492 of 8 September 1998, the NAM believes that the efforts to improve the methods of work of the UNDC should be seen as an integral part of the revitalization of the General Assembly in a balanced and comprehensive manner. 26. In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, the NAM wishes to reiterate its readiness to cooperate with you, the Bureau and the Chairs of the Working Group for the success of the 2006 UNDC session. We also look forward to working actively and constructively with all members of the Commission with a view to reaching consensus for substantive recommendations on the two agenda items under consideration. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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