Statement by Maxime Verhagen, minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, at the Conference on Disarmament, Geneva, 4 March 2008
Gelegenheid: Conference on DisarmamentMr President, distinguished delegates,
I welcome the opportunity to address the Conference on Disarmament. When Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon spoke to you a little over a month ago, he made it clear – in no uncertain terms – that he was deeply troubled by the lack of progress here in Geneva. I share his view. The Conference on Disarmament has been at an impasse for quite some time, and the Programme of Work that would enable it to get back on course is still up in the air. We need to stop just saying ‘no’ to proposals and get to work!
The Secretary-General has urged us to make this a breakthrough session. He has called on foreign ministers and political leaders to come to Geneva and encourage a return to productive work. Ladies and gentlemen, I am heeding that call! The Netherlands stands ready to work constructively towards a new agenda on disarmament and non-proliferation. Let us forge a fresh consensus.
To achieve international peace and security, both disarmament and non-proliferation are indispensable. The two are interlinked. The continued proliferation of weapons of mass destruction poses a threat to global security. I am certain we all agree these serious challenges require our detailed attention. Also, the presence of large stocks of nuclear weapons does little good, while entailing diverse risks. It is our joint responsibility to reduce and ultimately eliminate these dangers. As far back as 1948, the American General Omar Bradley said that the way to win an atomic war is to make certain it never starts.
I recently read, with great interest, an appeal by a group of intellectuals with a background in politics to overcome the reliance on nuclear weapons globally, and ultimately eliminate them as a threat to the world . This is an encouraging outreach and a necessary initiative to end the decade-long standstill in the political debate on arms control! My distinguished colleague Sergey Lavrov reiterated the need to continue nuclear disarmament in his statement to this conference less than a month ago, adding that many of the ideas expressed by this group of intellectuals are in line with Russia’s initiatives. This is a very encouraging sign! Therefore I today call on all groups and countries to pursue this goal and work together. This also includes those outside the Euro-Atlantic area. Do come up with broad-based initiatives to help move the debate forward. It is a responsibility which all of us have, not just some.
The entry into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) could be part of this push forward. Ratification of the CTBT by all Annex II states is hampered by political will, not by strategic considerations any more. So I urge relevant governments to take this step.
The upcoming Review Conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2010 allows us to make serious headway. At that review conference, we must find common ground and agree on the threats that face us and on the need to intensify international cooperation to confront these threats. It is extremely important that we make progress on nuclear disarmament, on non-proliferation and on the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The international fabric of treaties in this field needs further strengthening. The IAEA is of vital importance for the full implementation of the NPT.
I fully support the discussions within IAEA on the nuclear fuel cycle and its peaceful use in particular. With the prospect of growing demand for nuclear energy and subsequent demands on the IAEA, we should start thinking about an international regime which is both non-discriminatory and strenghtens non-poliferation.
In this regard I express my concern as underlined by Mister El Baradei in his most recent report and by the UNSC in its youngest resolution on Iran. All, Iran too, should abide by international agreements. The statement by the Permanent members of the Security Council and Germany underlines their sincere intentions to offer everything reasonable to reestablish a respectful relationship between Iran and the world community.
Progress on nuclear disarmament requires political will on the part of states that possess nuclear weapons, especially the two states that possess 95% of the world’s nuclear stocks: the United States and the Russian Federation. I call upon these parties to embrace their responsibility and show renewed commitment to the process. They have taken bold steps in the past to this end and they should do so again. I hope for an equally constructive attitude from the Non-Aligned Movement, which stands to benefit from disarmament and non-proliferation, as we all do. All of us have responsibilities to the multilateral system. Let us show our constituencies that we are ready to give and take. It is time for a strategy on both disarmament and non-proliferation, jointly strengthening the two of them.
Thanks to the efforts of the chairman, Ambassador Amano, and many constructive delegations we were able to conclude the first Preparatory Committee with a balanced and substantive chairman’s report. I now look forward to a more constructive meeting of the second Preparatory Committee in Geneva, in April and May. I am convinced that we have an excellent chairman again and I wish Ambassador Yelchenko the very best with his challenging task. The Netherlands will support him.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Missile proliferation is a growing problem. We need new political initiatives and concrete steps to create more security and stability.
In this area, too, the major powers need to move forward, to build confidence and work towards further elimination of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles. The proposal to make the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty a multilateral treaty is an interesting one, and we look forward to discussing it. We call upon the United States and the Russian federation to continue the process of nuclear disarmament after the end of the START and SORT Treaties on the basis of a sound legal foundation with a verification mechanism.
Since 2002 we have an important and broadly supported tool for combating the proliferation of ballistic missiles capable of carrying weapons of mass destruction: the Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCOC). The Code aims at increasing transparency and trust among subscribing states by implementing specific confidence-building measures. I would like to take this opportunity to call for a renewed national commitment to implementing the Hague Code of Conduct. The implementation of this instrument is falling short of expectations, and I would strongly urge all signatories, 128 in total, to reverse this trend. The prior announcement of missile launches would be a very positive step in this respect.
I remain strongly committed to working towards universalising and strengthening the Code and will write a letter to that effect to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the 127 other signatory states.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would now like to turn to our Programme of Work, on which delegations have been working for two years and which represents, in the words of the Secretary-General, a ‘balanced and carefully crafted’ proposal. One major priority is a Treaty Banning the Production of Fissile Material for Use in Nuclear Weapons or Other Nuclear Explosive Devices (FMCT). The rationale for an FMCT is simple: it promotes disarmament through ending fresh supply of plutonium and highly enriched uranium for weapon production. The prohibition of the production of fissile material was already included as a goal in the NPT conference of 1995. Four of the nuclear weaponstates have declared that they no longer produce fissile material for weapons. This Conference on Disarmament is the body where we should start negotiations. All five NPT Nuclear weaponstates should agree amongst themselves to cease production of fissile material for weapons and open their facilities for such production to the IAEA safeguard inspections building on the practice of Eurotom inspections in France and the UK. I welcome the UK-contibution in this field.
The Netherlands is also prepared to engage in substantive discussions on how to prevent an arms race in outer space. With respect to the Russian/Chinese proposal for a new treaty on the prevention of the placement of weapons in outer space, the Netherlands has a clear stake in increasing the international security in outer space. The question is how we can best achieve this? I believe certain steps still need to be taken towards effective international negotiations on a new treaty on international space security. A code of conduct, or a set of best practices guidelines, is a pragmatic and realistic way to enhance security in space, and will serve as a valuable confidence-building measure, today. The European Union is currently in the process of drafting such an instrument. An important element is the elimination of the shortcomings in international law on the use of outer space. Naturally, any additional measures should be complementary to the existing legal framework. I sincerely hope that such an instrument can strike a good balance between competing interests and find universal acceptance.
I applaud Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s personal involvement and commitment to the Conference on Disarmament. I would also like to express my strong support for the High Representative on Disarmament Affairs, Mr Sergio Duarte, and his office, for all their good work and their relentless positive spirit. They set quite an example! To further support Mr Duarte’s work I intend to co-finance the promotion of the UN study on disarmament and non-proliferation education, and possibly other initiatives of the Office of Disarmament Affairs. Mr Duarte is currently in The Hague for consultations with my Ministry, before travelling on to Geneva tomorrow.
Together with my Polish colleague and the Secretary-General we highlighted the success of the Chemical Weapons Convention and its verification system at a High-Level Meeting in New York last year to celebrate ten years of the OPCW.
Ladies and gentlemen,
You belong to an important multilateral forum for global negotiations on disarmament and non-proliferation. Allowing it to remain in limbo would be a tremendous stumbling block, not to mention a disgrace. Your mission is as relevant as ever. I express my hope for a constructive attitude from all states in the CD, including those possessing nuclear weapons and the Non-Aligned Movement.
I encourage you to look beyond past failures and to draw inspiration from past accomplishments as we aim for future success. Together, as responsible partners of the world community, we can make it happen.
Thank you.