Security Council
6191st Meeting (AM)
Historic Summit of Security Council Pledges Support for Progress on Stalled Efforts to End Nuclear Weapons Proliferation
Resolution 1887 (2009) Adopted with 14 Heads of State,
Government Present
At a historic summit meeting presided over by President Barack Obama of the United
States and addressed by 13 other Heads of State and Government,
the Security Council pledged its backing this morning for broad
progress on long-stalled efforts to staunch the proliferation of
nuclear weapons and ensure reductions in existing weapons
stockpiles, as well as control of fissile material.
Joining President Obama,
whose country holds the rotating Council presidency, were United
Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Presidents Óscar Arias
Sánchez of Costa Rica, Stjepan Mesić of Croatia, Dmitry Medvedev
of the Russian Federation, Felipe Calderón Hinojosa of Mexico,
Heinz Fischer of Austria, Nguyen Minh Triet of Viet Nam, Yoweri
Kaguta Museveni of Uganda, Hu Jintao of China, Nicolas Sarkozy
of France and Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso, as well as Prime
Ministers Gordon Brown of the United Kingdom, Yukio Hatoyama of
Japan and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey.
Also addressing the
summit were Abdurrahman Mohamed Shalgham, Permanent
Representative of Libya, and Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General
of the International Atomic Agency (IAEA).
Unanimously adopting resolution 1887 (2009) in its first
comprehensive action on nuclear issues since the mid-1990s,
Council members emphasized that the body had a primary
responsibility to address nuclear threats, and that all
situations of non-compliance with nuclear treaties should be
brought to its attention.n.
The Council reaffirmed,
in particular, its strong support for the Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, calling on States that
were not yet signatories to accede to it. It also called on
States parties to comply fully with their obligations and to set
realistic goals to strengthen, at the 2010 Review Conference,
all three of the Treaty’s pillars -- disarmament of countries
currently possessing nuclear weapons, non-proliferation to
countries not yet in possession, and the peaceful use of nuclear
energy for all.
While the resolution did
not target specific countries, the Council demanded that parties
involved in “major challenges to the non-proliferation regime”
comply fully with their obligations, and reaffirmed its call on
them to find early negotiated solutions to their issues.
The text underlined the
right to pursue peaceful nuclear energy under IAEA supervision,
but also urged States to curb the export of nuclear-related
material to countries that had terminated their compliance with
Agency safeguards agreements. It also called for the
enforcement of strict controls on nuclear material to prevent it
from falling into dangerous hands.
In addition, the Council
called upon all States to refrain from conducting nuclear test
explosions and to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban
Treaty in order to bring it into force as soon as possible. It
called upon the Conference on Disarmament to quickly negotiate a
treaty banning the production of fissile materials for explosive
devices.s.
Addressing the summit
following adoption of the text, Secretary-General Ban said he
had long advocated a stronger role for the Council in nuclear
non-proliferation and disarmament, and he urged the 15-member
body to make the most of the moment to sustain the momentum.
“The need for action is clear. Thousands of nuclear weapons
remain on hair-trigger alert. More States have sought and
acquired them,” he added.
“And every day, we live
with the threat that weapons of mass destruction could be stolen
sold or slip away,” the Secretary-General said, emphasizing that
nuclear disarmament was the only sane path to a safer world. He
called for new ways to increase transparency with regard to the
weapons programmes of the recognized nuclear-weapon States, and
pledged the commitment of the United Nations in that area and in
all other relevant efforts.
In
his own opening remarks, President Obama said today’s resolution
represented agreement on a broad framework of action to end the
complex dangers posed by nuclear weapons in the post-cold-war
world. To that end, he pledged that the United States would
host a Summit in early 2010 and pursue deeper cuts in its
nuclear arsenal, as well as agreements with the Russian
Federation towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons. He
said the resolution also emphasized the Council’s authority to
respond to violations of its resolutions, including those on
Iran and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. “The world
must stand together and demonstrate that international law is
not an empty promise,” he added.
In
the ensuing discussion, speakers agreed that much stronger
action must be taken on all fronts of the nuclear issue, with
many expressing hope that today’s resolution would end the
prevailing international paralysis. Presidents Museveni of
Uganda and Compaore of Burkina Faso, emphasizing the importance
of keeping Africa a nuclear-weapon-free zone, said the continent
should be assisted in developing urgently needed peaceful
nuclear energy. Libya’s representative said his country should
be rewarded with aid for having voluntarily abandoned its
nuclear programme.
President Arias Sánchez
of Costa Rica emphasized that, with the proliferation of nuclear
and conventional weapons, the United Nations had failed to keep
its promise to allow the world’s people to sleep peacefully.
“This Council fails in its historic mission every day that it
turns a blind eye to the rampant arms race,” he said, pointing
out that the world spent $3.5 million every day on weapons and
soldiers, and that each year more than $42 billion worth of
conventional arms were sold to developing nations, money that
could be used towards much better ends.
The meeting began at 9:30
a.m. and ended at 11:30 a.m.
Background
For its consideration of
nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament, the Security
Council had before it a concept paper conveyed in a letter dated
15 September 2009 (document S/2009/463) from the President of
the Security Council and addressed to the Secretary-General.
According to the paper, the Security Council will focus broadly
on nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament and not on
any specific countries, with the goals of underscoring the
global reach of proliferation threats; the broadly shared
obligation to respond; the positive steps taken to reduce
nuclear dangers; and the Council’s essential role in addressing
growing and pressing nuclear threats.
The paper states that preventing the spread and use of nuclear
weapons is fundamental to the security of nations and the peace
of the world. With the recent Group of Eight (G-8) statement on
non-proliferation in L’Aquila, Italy, the upcoming Global
Nuclear Security Summit in March 2010 and the Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Review Conference to
follow, there is an opportunity for important global attention
and focus on this critical security issue.
During today’s summit,
the paper continues, three key and related nuclear threat
reduction topics will be discussed: arms control and nuclear
disarmament; strengthening the international nuclear
non-proliferation regime; and denying and disrupting illicit
trafficking in materials of proliferation concern and securing
such materials wherever they might be located.
According to the paper, the summit is intended as an opportunity
to build support for fissile material cut-off treaty
negotiations; the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Additional Protocol; ratification of the Comprehensive
Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty; and strategic arms control, including
new negotiations over the Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation
of Strategic Offensive Arms (START).
With its goal of
strengthening the existing international nuclear
non-proliferation regime, the paper says, the summit can
facilitate support for technical assistance and access to
peaceful uses of nuclear energy, multilateral approaches to the
nuclear fuel cycle and efforts to improve and ensure compliance
with non-proliferation and safeguards obligations while
preventing abuse of the NPT withdrawal provision. The summit is
also an opportunity to explore ways to enhance the abilities of
States to counter proliferation financing and eliminate
procurement networks while reinforcing implementation of
resolution 1540 (2004). It is further intended to underscore
the importance of an accelerated effort to secure nuclear
weapons materials around the world and to build support for
establishing and sharing best practices for nuclear security.
Action on Draft
Resolution
At the outset of the
summit meeting, the Security Council unanimously adopted
resolution 1887 (2009), the full text of which reads as follows:
“
The Security Council,
“
Resolving to seek
a safer world for all and to create the conditions for a world
without nuclear weapons, in accordance with the goals of the
Treaty on the Non‑Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), in a
way that promotes international stability, and based on the
principle of undiminished security for all,
“
Reaffirming the
Statement of its President adopted at the Council’s meeting at
the level of Heads of State and Government on 31 January 1992
(S/23500), including the need for all Member States to fulfil
their obligations in relation to arms control and disarmament
and to prevent proliferation in all its aspects of all weapons
of mass destruction,
“
Recalling also
that the above Statement (S/23500) underlined the need for all
Member States to resolve peacefully in accordance with the
Charter any problems in that context threatening or disrupting
the maintenance of regional and global stability,
“
Reaffirming that
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and their means of
delivery, constitutes a threat to international peace and
security,
“
Bearing in mind
the responsibilities of other organs of the United Nations and
relevant international organizations in the field of
disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation, as well as the
Conference on Disarmament, and supporting them to continue to
play their due roles,
“
Underlining that
the NPT remains the cornerstone of the nuclear non‑proliferation
regime and the essential foundation for the pursuit of nuclear
disarmament and for the peaceful uses of nuclear energy,
“Reaffirming
its firm commitment to the NPT and its conviction that the
international nuclear non-proliferation regime should be
maintained and strengthened to ensure its effective
implementation, and recalling in this regard the outcomes
of past NPT Review Conferences, including the 1995 and 2000
final documents,
“
Calling for
further progress on all aspects of disarmament to enhance global
security,
“
Recalling the
Statement by its President adopted at the Council’s meeting held
on 19 November 2008 (S/PRST/2008/43),
“
Welcoming the
decisions of those non-nuclear-weapon States that have
dismantled their nuclear weapons programs or renounced the
possession of nuclear weapons,
“
Welcoming the
nuclear arms reduction and disarmament efforts undertaken and
accomplished by nuclear-weapon States, and
underlining
the need to pursue further efforts in the sphere of nuclear
disarmament, in accordance with Article VI of the NPT,
“
Welcoming in this
connection the decision of the Russian Federation and the United
States of America to conduct negotiations to conclude a new
comprehensive legally binding agreement to replace the Treaty on
the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, which
expires in December 2009,
“
Welcoming and
supporting the steps taken to conclude nuclear-weapon-free
zone treaties and
reaffirming the conviction that the
establishment of internationally recognized nuclear-weapon-free
zones on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at among the
States of the region concerned, and in accordance with the 1999
United Nations Disarmament Commission guidelines, enhances
global and regional peace and security, strengthens the nuclear
non-proliferation regime, and contributes toward realizing the
objectives of nuclear disarmament,
“
Noting
its support, in this context, for the convening of the Second
Conference of States Parties and signatories of the Treaties
that establish Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones to be held in New York
on 30 April 2010,
“
Reaffirming its
resolutions 825 (1993), 1695 (2006), 1718 (2006), and 1874
(2009),
“
Reaffirming its
resolutions 1696 (2006), 1737 (2006), 1747 (2007), 1803 (2008),
and 1835 (2008),
“
Reaffirming all
other relevant non-proliferation resolutions adopted by the
Security Council,
“
Gravely concerned
about the threat of nuclear terrorism, and
recognizing
the need for all States to take effective measures to prevent
nuclear material or technical assistance becoming available to
terrorists,
“
Noting with
interest the initiative to convene, in coordination with the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), an international
conference on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy,
“
Expressing its
support for the convening of the 2010 Global Summit on Nuclear
Security,
“
Affirming its
support for the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear
Material and its 2005 Amendment, and the Convention for the
Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism,
“
Recognizing the
progress made by the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear
Terrorism, and the G-8 Global Partnership,
“
Noting the
contribution of civil society in promoting all the objectives of
the NPT,
“
Reaffirming its
resolution 1540 (2004) and the necessity for all States to
implement fully the measures contained therein, and
calling
upon all Member States and international and regional
organizations to cooperate actively with the Committee
established pursuant to that resolution, including in the course
of the comprehensive review as called for in resolution 1810
(2008),
“1.
Emphasizes
that a situation of non-compliance with non-proliferation
obligations shall be brought to the attention of the Security
Council, which will determine if that situation constitutes a
threat to international peace and security, and
emphasizes
the Security Council’s primary responsibility in addressing such
threats;
“2.
Calls upon
States Parties to the NPT to comply fully with all their
obligations and fulfil their commitments under the Treaty,
“3.
Notes that
enjoyment of the benefits of the NPT by a State Party can be
assured only by its compliance with the obligations thereunder;
“4.
Calls upon
all States that are not Parties to the NPT to accede to the
Treaty as non-nuclear-weapon States so as to achieve its
universality at an early date, and pending their accession to
the Treaty, to adhere to its terms;
“5.
Calls upon
the Parties to the NPT, pursuant to Article VI of the Treaty, to
undertake to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective
measures relating to nuclear arms reduction and disarmament, and
on a Treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and
effective international control, and
calls on all other
States to join in this endeavour;
“6.
Calls upon
all States Parties to the NPT to cooperate so that the 2010 NPT
Review Conference can successfully strengthen the Treaty and set
realistic and achievable goals in all the Treaty’s three
pillars: non-proliferation, the peaceful uses of nuclear energy,
and disarmament;
“7.
Calls upon
all States to refrain from conducting a nuclear test explosion
and to sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
(CTBT), thereby bringing the treaty into force at an early date;
“8.
Calls upon
the Conference on Disarmament to negotiate a Treaty banning the
production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other
nuclear explosive devices as soon as possible,
welcomes
the Conference on Disarmament’s adoption by consensus of its
Program of Work in 2009, and
requests all Member States
to cooperate in guiding the Conference to an early commencement
of substantive work;
“9.
Recalls the
statements by each of the five nuclear-weapon States, noted by
resolution 984 (1995), in which they give security assurances
against the use of nuclear weapons to non-nuclear-weapon State
Parties to the NPT, and
affirms that such security
assurances strengthen the nuclear non-proliferation regime;
“10.
Expresses
particular concern at the current major challenges to the
non‑proliferation regime that the Security Council has acted
upon,
demands that the parties concerned comply fully
with their obligations under the relevant Security Council
resolutions, and
reaffirms its call upon them to find an
early negotiated solution to these issues;
“11.
Encourages
efforts to ensure development of peaceful uses of nuclear energy
by countries seeking to maintain or develop their capacities in
this field in a framework that reduces proliferation risk and
adheres to the highest international standards for safeguards,
security, and safety;
“12.
Underlines
that the NPT recognizes in Article IV the inalienable right of
the Parties to the Treaty to develop research, production and
use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without
discrimination and in conformity with Articles I and II, and
recalls in this context Article III of the NPT and Article
II of the IAEA Statute;
“13.
Calls upon
States to adopt stricter national controls for the export of
sensitive goods and technologies of the nuclear fuel cycle;
“14.
Encourages
the work of the IAEA on multilateral approaches to the nuclear
fuel cycle, including assurances of nuclear fuel supply and
related measures, as effective means of addressing the expanding
need for nuclear fuel and nuclear fuel services and minimizing
the risk of proliferation, and
urges the IAEA Board of
Governors to agree upon measures to this end as soon as
possible;
“15.
Affirms that
effective IAEA safeguards are essential to prevent nuclear
proliferation and to facilitate cooperation in the field of
peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and in that regard:
a.
Calls upon all non-nuclear-weapon States party to the NPT
that have yet to bring into force a comprehensive safeguards
agreement or a modified small quantities protocol to do so
immediately,
b.
Calls upon all States to sign, ratify and implement an
additional protocol, which together with comprehensive
safeguards agreements constitute essential elements of the IAEA
safeguards system,
c.
Stresses the importance for all Member States to ensure
that the IAEA continue to have all the necessary resources and
authority to verify the declared use of nuclear materials and
facilities and the absence of undeclared activities, and for the
IAEA to report to the Council accordingly as appropriate;
“16.
Encourages
States to provide the IAEA with the cooperation necessary for it
to verify whether a state is in compliance with its safeguards
obligations, and
affirms the Security Council’s resolve
to support the IAEA’s efforts to that end, consistent with its
authorities under the Charter;
“17.
Undertakes
to address without delay any State’s notice of withdrawal from
the NPT, including the events described in the statement
provided by the State pursuant to Article X of the Treaty, while
noting ongoing discussions in the course of the NPT review on
identifying modalities under which NPT States Parties could
collectively respond to notification of withdrawal, and
affirms that a State remains responsible under international
law for violations of the NPT committed prior to its withdrawal;
“18.
Encourages
States to require as a condition of nuclear exports that the
recipient State agree that, in the event that it should
terminate, withdraw from, or be found by the IAEA Board of
Governors to be in non-compliance with its IAEA safeguards
agreement, the supplier state would have a right to require the
return of nuclear material and equipment provided prior to such
termination, non-compliance or withdrawal, as well as any
special nuclear material produced through the use of such
material or equipment;
“19.
Encourages
States to consider whether a recipient State has signed and
ratified an additional protocol based on the model additional
protocol in making nuclear export decisions;
“20.
Urges States
to require as a condition of nuclear exports that the recipient
State agree that, in the event that it should terminate its IAEA
safeguards agreement, safeguards shall continue with respect to
any nuclear material and equipment provided prior to such
termination, as well as any special nuclear material produced
through the use of such material or equipment;
“21.
Calls for
universal adherence to the Convention on Physical Protection of
Nuclear Materials and its 2005 Amendment, and the Convention for
the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism;
“22.
Welcomes the
March 2009 recommendations of the Security Council Committee
established pursuant to resolution 1540 (2004) to make more
effective use of existing funding mechanisms, including the
consideration of the establishment of a voluntary fund, and
affirms its commitment to promote full implementation of
resolution 1540 (2004) by Member States by ensuring effective
and sustainable support for the activities of the 1540
Committee;
“23.
Reaffirms
the need for full implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) by
Member States and, with an aim of preventing access to, or
assistance and financing for, weapons of mass destruction,
related materials and their means of delivery by non-State
actors, as defined in the resolution,
calls upon Member
States to cooperate actively with the Committee established
pursuant to that resolution and the IAEA, including rendering
assistance, at their request, for their implementation of
resolution 1540 (2004) provisions, and in this context
welcomes the forthcoming comprehensive review of the status
of implementation of resolution 1540 (2004) with a view to
increasing its effectiveness, and
calls upon all States
to participate actively in this review;
“24.
Calls upon
Member States to share best practices with a view to improved
safety standards and nuclear security practices and raise
standards of nuclear security to reduce the risk of nuclear
terrorism, with the aim of securing all vulnerable nuclear
material from such risks within four years;
“25.
Calls upon
all States to manage responsibly and minimize to the greatest
extent that is technically and economically feasible the use of
highly enriched uranium for civilian purposes, including by
working to convert research reactors and radioisotope production
processes to the use of low enriched uranium fuels and targets;
“26.
Calls upon
all States to improve their national capabilities to detect,
deter, and disrupt illicit trafficking in nuclear materials
throughout their territories, and
calls upon those States
in a position to do so to work to enhance international
partnerships and capacity building in this regard;
“27.
Urges all
States to take all appropriate national measures in accordance
with their national authorities and legislation, and consistent
with international law, to prevent proliferation financing and
shipments, to strengthen export controls, to secure sensitive
materials, and to control access to intangible transfers of
technology;
“28.
Declares its
resolve to monitor closely any situations involving the
proliferation of nuclear weapons, their means of delivery or
related material, including to or by non-State actors as they
are defined in resolution 1540 (2004), and, as appropriate, to
take such measures as may be necessary to ensure the maintenance
of international peace and security;
“29.
Decides to
remain seized of the matter.”
Opening Remarks
BARACK OBAMA, President
of the
United States, recalled that the Council and the
United Nations had been established at the dawn of the nuclear
age, pointing out, however, that while a nuclear nightmare had
been averted during the cold war, today the threat of
proliferation was growing in scope and complexity. Just one
explosion of a nuclear weapon could kill hundreds of thousands
of people. The United Nations had a pivotal role to play in
avoiding that.
He
said the resolution just adopted had brought agreement on a
broad framework for action, which acknowledged that all nations
had a right to peaceful energy, and those with nuclear weapons
had a responsibility to move towards nuclear disarmament. To
that end, the United States would host a summit in April 2010.
The resolution would strengthen institutions and initiatives
aimed at battling trafficking in proliferation-sensitive
materials. It also called for safeguards to prevent the
conversion of peaceful nuclear energy programmes into weapons
programmes.
The
Council had the authority to respond to violations of its
resolutions, including on Iran and the Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea, he said, emphasizing: “The world must stand
together and demonstrate that international law is not an empty
promise.” The coming 12 months would be critical to
implementation of today’s resolution. Meanwhile, the United
States would pursue an agreement with the Russian Federation, as
well as ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban
Treaty. It would also make deeper cuts in its nuclear arsenal.
“We harbour no illusions
about the difficulty of bringing about a world without nuclear
weapons,” he said, cautioning that there would be “days like
today that push us forward” and that told a different story.
“It is the story of a world that understands that no difference
or division is worth destroying all that we have built and all
that we love.” Quoting the words of President Ronald Reagan, he
said a nuclear war could not be won and must never be fought.
“We must never stop until we see the day that nuclear arms are
banished from the face of the earth. That is our task.”
BAN KI-MOON,
Secretary-General of the United Nations, said he had long
advocated a stronger role for the Security Council in nuclear
non-proliferation and disarmament. The Council should make the
most of this moment to sustain the momentum. “The need for
action is clear. Thousands of nuclear weapons remain on
hair-trigger alert. More States have sought and acquired them.
[…] And every day, we live with the threat that weapons of mass
destruction could be stolen, sold or slip away,” he said,
emphasizing that nuclear disarmament was the only sane path to a
safer world.
Calling for new ways to
increase transparency with regard to the weapons programmes of
the recognized nuclear-weapon States, he pledged the
Secretariat’s willingness to serve as a repository for
information. Member States should make the best use of the
United Nations disarmament machinery, including the work of the
Conference on Disarmament on a fissile material cut-off treaty.
Disarmament and
non-proliferation must proceed together, he continued, stressing
the importance of effective verification of disarmament and
ensuring that IAEA had the resources and support it needed to
implement its growing safeguards responsibility. For too long,
a divided international community had lacked the will, vision
and confidence to move ahead. “Together we have dreamed about a
nuclear-weapon-free world. Now we must act to achieve it”.
Statements
ÓSCAR ARIAS SÁNCHEZ, President of
Costa Rica, said the
United Nations had been founded on the promise that all would be
able to sleep peacefully. That promise had not been kept.
“While we sleep, death is awake. Death keeps watch from the
warehouses that store more than 23,000 nuclear warheads, like
23,000 eyes open and waiting for a moment of carelessness.” It
did not seem plausible to discuss disarmament as long as
existing agreements were not even being honoured. Countries
resisted ratifying the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, and rejected
international mechanisms for verification as long as the
clandestine network of proliferation of nuclear supplies
continued.
It
did not seem plausible to speak of a safer world as long as
weapons proliferation took second place on the international
agenda, he continued. “This Council fails in its historic
mission every day that it turns a blind eye to the rampant arms
race,” he said, pointing out that the world spent $3.5 million
every day on weapons and soldiers and that each year, more than
$42 billion worth of conventional arms were sold to developing
nations.
Even in Latin America,
which had never been more peaceful or democratic, $60 billion
would be assigned to military spending this year, he noted.
“That is why I ask that we approve the arms trade treaty that my
Government has presented to this Organization, because if it is
legitimate for us to worry about the possibility that terrorist
networks gain access to a nuclear weapon, it is also legitimate
for us to worry about the rifles, grenades and machine guns that
are given into their hands.”
STJEPAN MESIĆ, President
of
Croatia, said there was one action to be taken this
very day with regard to limiting nuclear proliferation:
reinforce the role of the United Nations in that effort. That
would not replace any institution or forum dealing with
non-proliferation, but would affirm, unanimously and jointly,
that the greatest efforts were needed to stop the proliferation
of nuclear weapons while also guaranteeing the right of every
country to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. If necessary,
more stringent universally accepted international controls would
be implemented.
The goal was to affirm or
establish principles that would help lead to a world free of
nuclear weapons without necessarily entering into debate over
concrete issues, he said. A first step would be to support,
without any reservation, a contractual multilateral system of
treaties on the control of nuclear weapons and disarmament,
including strict implementation and verification components.
The next step would be to call on Member States to contribute to
activities aimed at preventing abuse of existing treaties and
strengthening both non-proliferation efforts, as well as
resources to support them.
He said the long-standing
effort to limit and then reduce nuclear weapons with the
end-goal of disarmament had received a strong new impetus from
the announcement by the President of the United States that his
final objective was a world free of nuclear weapons. As a
result of that pronouncement, the task of those present in the
Council today should be to send a message to the world which had
authorized them to act that there was political will to pursue a
policy that would provide for the security of all countries
without nuclear weapons. The objective was “peace in security”,
not the “balance of fear” that had prevailed during the cold
war, a time of peace without security.
DMITRY A. MEDVEDEV,
President of the
Russian Federation, said it was obvious
to everyone that issues of security were indivisible and global,
and that only on the basis of the principles of equal security,
mutual respect and compliance with the norms of international
law could present-day threats be fought. “Only in this way can
we strengthen the nuclear non-proliferation regime and give
additional impetus to the nuclear disarmament process,” he
said. The measures contained in the resolution were a realistic
programme of action for the international community to respond
efficiently to common threats in the nuclear sphere.
He said his country and
the United States had carried out unprecedented reductions of
strategic nuclear arsenals within the framework of the Treaty on
the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms
(START). The Russian Federation had tabled proposals during
negotiations with the United States on a new treaty to replace
START. “Our main shared goal is to untie the problem ‘knots’ in
the field of non-proliferation and disarmament.” That could not
be done overnight, as the level of distrust among nations
remained too high. Because one of the most dangerous threats
was that of nuclear components falling into the hands of
terrorists, the existing “back-up system” needed to be
modernized.
Underscoring the
importance of paying serious attention to peaceful nuclear
energy, he said new nuclear power programmes were a key to
resolving many of the problems afflicting developing countries
and an incentive for the economic growth of entire regions.
However, States that carried out such programmes must abide
strictly by non-proliferation agreements. Priorities in that
area of international cooperation included strengthening the
global non-proliferation and disarmament regime, in particular
the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The system of IAEA
safeguards must be universalized, and there was also a need to
stimulate the earliest ratification of the Comprehensive
Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty by the countries that would ensure its
entry into force, he said. The non-proliferation measures of
resolution 1540 (2004) must be used more actively. An effective
solution to many of the aforementioned problems depended on an
interested and constructive engagement by all parties. The
strengthening of the nuclear non-proliferation regime and the
intensification of the nuclear disarmament process required,
most of all, strategic stability and ensuring security for each
and every State.
FELIPE CALDERÓN HINOJOSA,
President of
Mexico, said world peace and security could
not be built on nuclear arsenals. Welcoming the arms-reduction
talks between the United States and the Russian Federation, he
said their final objective should be the total elimination of
nuclear weapons. While efforts to put the Comprehensive
Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty into effect were also welcome, Mexico
could not accept the paralysis on disarmament and
non-proliferation, which must end with today’s resolution.
He expressed support for
the right of every State to avail itself of atomic energy for
peaceful uses under IAEA supervision, saying that only through
related incentives could proliferation be contained. Mexico had
taken steps to join export control regimes in order to keep
nuclear materials out of the hands of those who must not have
them. He also urged the Security Council to help “put the
brakes” on the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons,
which also wreaked havoc on the Earth.
HEINZ FISCHER, Federal
President of
Austria, said the international community
should no longer accept complacency about the nuclear shadow
hanging over the world, adding that a world without nuclear
weapons must be the goal. Meanwhile, the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty must be strengthened and universal,
while the nuclear States must reduce their arsenals.
He said his country had
worked hard to get the Test-Ban Treaty into force and would also
work for a fissile cut-off treaty. IAEA monitoring capabilities
and export controls must be strengthened, and confidence should
be built through the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free
zones. Today’s text was a strong one, but resolutions were not
enough. Austria, as well as the European Union, would move
forward on non-proliferation and disarmament.
NGUYEN MINH TRIET, President of
Viet Nam, said nuclear
weapons used up resources that could be used for development.
They also threatened mass destruction and were liable to fall
into the hands of terrorists. Viet Nam supported all efforts to
strengthen international action to prevent those ills, in
addition to the total elimination of nuclear weapons, starting
with unilateral and multilateral reductions. The countries with
the largest arsenals must take leading roles in that area. The
strength of IAEA also must be enhanced. Viet Nam supported a
nuclear-weapon-free zone in South-East Asia and called for more
action on peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The Vietnamese had
suffered greatly from wars and therefore pledged their strong
efforts to accomplish disarmament and non-proliferation for the
purpose of strengthening peace.
YOWERI KAGUTA MUSEVENI, President of
Uganda, said it was
critical to consider non-proliferation, disarmament and peaceful
use of nuclear energy in a balanced way in order to address them
effectively. It was imperative that nuclear-weapon States
accelerate their engagement so as to achieve complete
disarmament. The possession of nuclear weapons by some
countries was the sole cause for the desire of others to possess
them. Welcoming the desire expressed by the largest nuclear
weapons States to reduce their arsenals, he stressed that Africa
was not interested in nuclear weapons, but in nuclear energy,
which was much cheaper than other alternatives, in order to meet
the continent’s future needs.
HU JINTAO, President of
China, said the threat of nuclear war must be eliminated
and, for that to happen, global balance and stability must be
maintained. Proliferation should be stopped and the
nuclear-weapon States with the largest arsenals should reduce
those arsenals, after which the countries with smaller arsenals
should also begin to reduce their stocks. In order to maintain
the peace, there was a need to renounce the use of nuclear
weapons, as well as the threat to use them against
non-nuclear-weapon States. Work should then commence on the
total elimination of nuclear weapons.
He said the right to the
peaceful use of nuclear energy should be actively promoted, and
IAEA strengthened with that purpose in mind. All countries
should strictly observe international agreements on nuclear
materials and work together to keep them out of the hands of
terrorists. China had always supported the complete elimination
of nuclear weapons. It only held them for defence, having
pledge no first use and no use against non-nuclear-weapon
States. China would continue to play its role in upholding
international non-proliferation and disarmament regimes.
BLAISE COMPAORE,
President of
Burkina Faso, said international security
demanded the elimination of all nuclear weapons and their
testing. International norms must be respected and deep thought
must be put into keeping countries from seeking nuclear weapons
when others continued to build them. Bilateral actions to
reduce arms were also needed. Now more than ever, there was a
need to support the IAEA in order to allow nuclear energy to
become an effective development tool. That was the purpose of
having a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Africa, which should be
assisted in its non-proliferation efforts.
GORDON BROWN, Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom, said
that by adopting today’s resolution, nuclear-weapon States as
well as non-nuclear-weapon States were making a commitment to
ridding the world of the danger of nuclear weapons. The global
bargain underlying the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty –- based
on the obligations of both categories -– must be strengthened
through a renewed commitment to ensuring compliance and seeking
solutions to technical and policy problems.
The world could not stand by when Iran and the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea breached international agreements, he
stressed. Far tougher sanctions must be considered, and the
onus of proof must be on those who breached the relevant
agreements. The United Kingdom welcomed efforts to prevent
nuclear weapons and materials to fall into the hands of
terrorists. It had already taken major steps towards nuclear
disarmament, reducing its nuclear-strike capability by 75 per
cent. Retaining only the absolute minimum needed for national
security, Britain would also reduce its nuclear submarine fleet
as a way to further disarmament goals.
NICOLAS SARKOZY,
President of
France, said that while “we are here to
secure peace” and say yes to reductions, two countries, “right
in front of us”, were doing exactly the opposite. What Iran and
the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea were doing undermined
the very rules upon which collective security was based. In
violation of five Security Council resolutions, Iran had been
pursuing nuclear proliferation activities since 2005, he said.
It was amassing centrifuges and enriched uranium, while
threatening to wipe a United Nations Member State off the map.
“There comes a moment
when stubborn facts will compel us to take a decision,” he
said. “Let us not accept violations of international rules. We
may all be threatened one day by a neighbour endowing itself
with nuclear weapons,” he warned. The Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea had acted in defiance of all Council decisions
since 1993 and continued to test ballistic missiles. “Here
again there will come a moment one has to agree and take
sanctions,” he said, stressing that Council decisions must be
followed by results.
Access to nuclear energy
for peaceful uses and the transfer of technology by developed
countries would obviate the arguments of those who claimed that
they needed nuclear energy but converted their nuclear
programmes into weapons programmes. Given the courage to impose
sanctions against those violating Council resolutions, efforts
towards a world without nuclear weapons would gain credibility.
Those who needed civil nuclear energy must be guaranteed
sustainable access to technologies and fuel, and the entire
international community must be assured that nuclear safety,
security and non-proliferation would be respected.
YUKIO HATOYAMA, Prime
Minister of
Japan, said his country had a special moral
responsibility as the only one ever to suffer atomic bombings.
Describing a wrenching visit to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he
encouraged all world leaders to experience on their own the
cruelty of nuclear weapons by speaking to survivors. Having
chosen not to possess nuclear weapons, Japan had signed onto the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty to
try to prevent the vicious cycle of a nuclear arms race. He
renewed his country’s commitment to the three non-nuclear
principles no matter what steps neighbouring countries took.
Calling upon
nuclear-weapons States to reduce their arsenals and foster a
climate for disarmament by ensuring transparency, he urged the
pursuit of nuclear-weapons-free zones, the entry into force of
the Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and the immediate start of
negotiations on a fissile materials cut-off treaty. Japan would
engage in active diplomacy to lead international efforts on
nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. The nuclear
development programme of the Democratic People’s Republic of
Korea, in particular, posed a grave threat to the peace and
security of Japan and the world as a whole, and must not be
tolerated. There was also cause for concern about Iran in that
regard and there was a need to strengthen the Council’s ability
to meet those challenges.
RECEP TAYYİP ERDOĞAN,
Prime Minister of
Turkey, stressed the need to bolster
the integrity and credibility of the three pillars of the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty -- non-proliferation,
disarmament and peaceful use of nuclear energy –- by treating
them equally, with universal adherence and implementation as key
objectives. The current meeting should re-energize the
international community for new initiatives towards the Review
Conference next year.
Nuclear disarmament required an incremental but sustained
approach in which treaty-based commitments were “absolutely
indispensable”, he said. One of the treaty’s big achievements
was the unequivocal undertaking by nuclear-weapons States to
eliminate their arsenals. That responsibility must now be
upheld, building on article VI of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty and the 13 practical steps for disarmament agreed in
2000. It was in that context that Turkey welcomed and
encouraged efforts to replace START with a new legally-binding
instrument.
Irreversible progress on
nuclear disarmament would also reinforce the other two pillars
of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, he continued, pointing
out that it was with that understanding that his country spared
no effort in continuing to promote key non-proliferation issues,
including the entry into force of the Comprehensive
Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty; the start of negotiations on a fissile
material cut-off treaty; and promotion of IAEA’s role in
advancing the safe and peaceful use of nuclear technology.
States in compliance with
safeguard obligations should enjoy unfettered access to civilian
nuclear technology, as enshrined in the NPT, which placed strict
obligations on States, he said. The most credible assurance
about the peaceful nature of national programmes was
implementation of the Additional Protocol now serving as the
verification standard. Confidence in nuclear technology
depended on the strength and reliability of safety measures
while nuclear terrorism and illicit trafficking posed grave
security threats. The international community should work
towards a comprehensive and mutually reinforcing approach based
on already available conventions.
ABDURRAHMAN MOHAMED
SHALGHAM (
Libya) said his country had taken an historic
initiative by voluntarily ceasing work on the nuclear bomb it
had been on the verge of producing. Libya therefore deserved
the appreciation of the world and assistance in developing its
nuclear energy capability for peaceful purposes. It also
deserved a permanent seat on the Security Council.
While all countries had a
right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, with IAEA
oversight, the agency must monitor all States without exception,
including the recognized nuclear-weapon States, he stressed.
Furthermore, the Middle East must become a nuclear-weapon-free
zone, and for that to happen, Israel must open its nuclear
facilities to inspection. Otherwise, other States would have a
desire to build their own weapons.
MOHAMED ELBARADEI,
Director General of the
International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA), said the global nuclear non-proliferation regime was
fragile and had many shortcomings. The Agency’s legal authority
was severely limited in some countries because many States had
not concluded the required agreements with it. Thus, in more
than 90 States, it either had no verification authority at all,
or its authority was inadequate and it could not verify whether
a country was engaged in clandestine nuclear activities.
Moreover, the verification mandate centred on nuclear material.
If IAEA was expected to pursue possible weaponization
activities, it must be given the corresponding legal authority,
he emphasized.
A growing number of
States had mastered uranium enrichment or plutonium reprocessing
and any one of them could develop nuclear weapons quickly if
they decided to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty, he warned. To address that, a shift was needed from
national to multinational control of the nuclear fuel cycle. He
said he had proposed the establishment of a low enriched uranium
bank that would ensure that States had a guaranteed supply of
nuclear fuel for their reactors and did not need to process
their own. Complementary proposals had subsequently been made,
but the main goal should be the full multi-nationalization of
the fuel cycle towards nuclear disarmament. Furthermore,
efforts to secure vulnerable material must be intensified to
prevent extremists from getting hold of nuclear and radioactive
material.
He went on to emphasize
that the Agency itself must be strengthened. Given its
dilapidated infrastructure and lack of state-of-the-art
technology, which was key to modern-day verification, it would
be unable to fulfil its mission at current funding levels. To
provide the agency with the kind of supportive political process
it needed, the Council needed to develop a comprehensive
compliance mechanism to address consistently and systematically
cases of non-compliance with or withdrawal from the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty, including giving the Agency additional
authority to act in specific cases as needed.
More emphasis should also
be placed on addressing the insecurities behind many
proliferation cases, including endemic conflicts, security
imbalances and lack of trust, he said. By demonstrating their
commitment to achieving a world free of nuclear weapons, the
nuclear-weapon States would give legitimacy to the
non-proliferation regime and gain moral authority in their calls
to curb the proliferation of those inhumane weapons.
Closing Remarks
President OBAMA of the United States said in his closing remarks that the
statements heard today affirmed the commitment to a difficult
but achievable goal, adding that he had been inspired by the
seriousness with which all participants had approached the
question and “extraordinarily” encouraged by the unanimous
adoption of the resolution. “Words alone will not get the job
done, but, having affirmed our stated goal, I am confident that
if we are diligent we can in fact move this process forward and
provide the sort of peace and security for our children and
grandchildren that all of us so desperately want,” he said.