Statement by
HE. Mr. Rezlan Ishar Jenie
Permanent Representative of The Republic of Indonesia
to the United Nations
at
The Third Session of the Preparatory Committee
for the 2005 NPT Review Conference

New York, 26 April 2004

Mr. Chairman,

Allow me at the outset to join other delegations who have spoken before me in extending our congratulations upon your unanimous election to chair this important Prep.Com. We would like to pledge our full cooperation in ensuring the success of our endeavor in fulfilling the mandate entrusted to us.

My delegation fully associates with the statement delivered by Malaysia on behalf of the Group of Non-Aligned Movement and other States Parties to the NPT.

This Third Prep.Com session has been convened to assess the state of affairs of the current issues pertinent to the NPT and, in this context, according to its specific mandate, to make every effort to produce a consensus report containing recommendations to the 2005 Review Conference. We, therefore, have an exceptional opportunity to laying the groundwork for next year's NPT Review Conference.

Mr. Chairman,

It is widely acknowledged that the NPT is the corner-stone of the global non- proliferation regime that has been, in a number of respects, a notable success. As a generally accepted international treaty governing arms control and disarmament in history, it has now reached a stage of near universal adherence. This fact reflects the collective commitment of the global community for the objectives contained in the Treaty.

In this regard, the integrity of the NPT basically rests on three pillars, namely, non-proliferation, nuclear disarmament and peaceful uses of nuclear energy. These are to be fulfilled through a matching series of undertakings by both nuclear and non- nuclear states in a balanced manner.

The functioning of the NPT took a major departure by the decision of the States Parties to extend indefinitely during the 1995 Review and Extension Conference, coupled with other decisions on Strengthening the Review Process for the Treaty, Principles and Objectives for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament and Resolution on the Middle East.

Despite dire predictions to the contrary, the Treaty emerged from 2000 Review Conference even stronger than ever. It achieved a milestone by adopting a consensus Final Document containing concrete measures, including most notably the 13 practical steps to promote and enhance the implementation of the Treaty.

Mr. Chairman,

We are gathered here at a time when the Treaty is facing critical challenges. There are disturbing trends toward an accumulation of nuclear risks such as the development of new nuclear capabilities, the reassertion of strategic doctrines, first use of such weapons and the expansion of options for the use of these weapons even against the non-nuclear nations.

While these dangers lurking in the horizon, we must also deal new challenges not foreseen when the Treaty came into force. These include, inter-alia, non- compliance, instances of the proliferation of nuclear technologies, nuclear terrorism, the need for democratization of export control regimes as well as problems with inspection, verification and compliance with IAEA's safeguards.

Nevertheless, we are heartened by the fact that the overwhelming majority of non-nuclear-weapons States Parties continue to fully comply with their obligations under the Treaty. The Treaty has, to a considerable degree, succeeded in preventing spread of nuclear weapons, thus fulfilling the objectives of one of its main pillars.
However, there is a widely shared perception that its implementation has fallen short of expectation, especially with regard to nuclear disarmament and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

It appears that very little progress has been made to implement the 13 steps while some among them have been superceded. Indeed, there has been little shift in the position of some nuclear weapon states on the critical issues which constitute a rollback of disarmament obligations.

As regards the supply of nuclear materials for legitimate purposes, the inalienable right of access to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy continues to be hampered by unilateral restrictions in nuclear-related exports. The Treaty's commitment to share nuclear technologies for civilian applications is not being fully realized in practice.

Regrettably, there is also a tendency to apply collective punitive measures against all States Parties as a response to some nuclear aspirant countries. Thus, it has limited the realization of the right of other states without discrimination to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful uses.

We also regret to note that the attempt to strengthening the regime has been undermined by the creation of mechanisms outside NPT framework.

Mr. Chairman,

It is against this backdrop that we need to consider issues - both old and new - affecting the principles, purposes, operation and implementation of the Treaty, and agree on the modalities and measures to redress the imbalances. And it is in this regard we need to intensify our efforts to adapt and strengthen the Treaty. One of the preconditions for these endeavors to succeed is undeniably the presence of political will from all States Parties.

Strengthening the non-proliferation regime would require full compliance by all States Parties to all the provisions of the Treaty, improvements in its functioning and, more importantly, the full implementation of the agreements reached, particularly in 1995 and 2000.

Furthermore, the security concerns of the vast majority of non-nuclear nations need to be addressed within the framework of negative security assurances. In this regard, a credible guarantee through a legally binding multilateral instrument against the use or the threat of use of nuclear weapons will be a critical element in maintaining the norm of non-proliferation.

While the Treaty is discriminatory in nature, incentives need to be provided to those Parties that have shown full compliance to the Treaty.

Strengthening the Treaty can also be achieved by closing the loopholes of the aspirant proliferators and non-state actors through a multilateral process. In this regard, enhancing the role of IAEA, as nuclear energy promoter and nuclear proliferation preventer, has become imperative.

Mr. Chairman,

As a state party to the NPT, Indonesia has always been in the forefront of our collective endeavors for non-proliferation in all its aspects and for a nuclear-weapons- free-world. We reaffirm our reliance on the Treaty as an instrument for non- proliferation and nuclear disarmament which are mutually reinforcing and which must be pursued jointly, instead of preferring one to the other.

Like many other non-nuclear nations, Indonesia is committed to the IAEA safeguards and the strengthening of all aspects of its work related to the right of all states to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Greater transparency in exports can be effectively interwoven with the IAEA to ensure that donors and recipients become true partners in facilitating the transfer of nuclear technology.

Finally, it is my delegation's firm belief that we address the challenges faced by the Treaty comprehensively. These problems call for a critical review of the entire review process under current circumstances, and a hard look at the provisions of the Treaty. Likewise, we need to carefully review the ways and means to promote the full implementation of the Treaty's provisions and other agreements so that the non- proliferation regime can be strengthened. Thus, the results of our endeavors could contribute to the success of the 2005 Review Conference.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.