|
|
|
|
  |
 |
 |
 |
|  |
Le Canada et l’ONU > Newton Bowles Reports Ce document est disponible seulement en anglais.
Annex VI The General Assembly, Alarmed by the threat to the very survival of mankind posed by the existence of nuclear weapons, Concerned also at the continued retention of the nuclear-weapons option by those three States that are nuclear-weapons capable and that have not acceded to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Believing that the proposition that nuclear weapons can be retained in perpetuity and never used accidentally or by decision defies credibility, and that the only complete defence is the elimination of nuclear weapons and the assurance that they will never be produced again, Concerned that the nuclear-weapon States have not fulfilled speedily and totally their commitment to the elimination of their nuclear weapons, Concerned also that those three States that are nuclear-weapons capable and that have not acceded to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons have failed to renounce their nuclear-weapons option, Bearing in mind that the overwhelming majority of States entered into legally binding commitments not to receive, manufacture or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, and that these undertakings have been made in the context of the corresponding legally binding commitments by the nuclear-weapon States to the pursuit of nuclear disarmament, Recalling the unanimous conclusion of the International Court of Justice in its 1996 advisory opinion that there exists an obligation to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control, Stressing that the international community must not enter the third millennium with the prospect that the possession of nuclear weapons will be considered legitimate for the indefinite future, and convinced that the present juncture provides a unique opportunity to proceed to prohibit and eradicate them for all time, Recognizing that the total elimination of nuclear weapons will require measures to be taken firstly by those nuclear-weapon States that have the largest arsenals, and stressing that these States must be joined in a seamless process by those nuclear-weapon States with lesser arsenals in the near future, Welcoming the achievements to date and the future promise of the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks process and the possibility it offers for development as a plurilateral mechanism including all the nuclear-weapon States, for the practical dismantling and destruction of nuclear armaments undertaken in pursuit of the elimination of nuclear weapons. Believing that there are a number of practical steps that the nuclear-weapon States can and should take immediately before the actual elimination of nuclear arsenals and the development of requisite verification regimes that take place, and, in this connection, noting certain recent unilateral and other steps, Welcoming the agreement recently reached in the Conference on Disarmament on the establishment of an Ad Hoc Committee under item 1 of its agenda entitled "Cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament", to negotiate, on the basis of the report of the Special Coordinator and the mandate contained therein, a non-discriminatory, multilateral and internationally and effectively verifiable treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, and considering that such a treaty must further underpin the process towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons, Emphasizing that, for the total elimination of nuclear weapons to be achieved, effective international cooperation to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons is vital and must be enhanced through, inter alia, the extension of international controls over all fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, Emphasizing also the importance of existing nuclear-weapon-free zone treaties and of the signature and ratification of the relevant protocols to these treaties, Noting the joint ministerial declaration of 9 June 1988 and its call for a new international agenda to achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world, through the pursuit, in parallel, of a series of mutually reinforcing measures at the bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral levels, 1. Calls upon the nuclear-weapon States to demonstrate an unequivocal commitment to the speedy and total elimination of their respective nuclear weapons and, without delay, to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to the elimination of these weapons, thereby fulfilling their obligations under article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons; 2. Calls upon the United States of America and the Russian Federation to bring the Treaty on Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START II) into force without further delay and immediately thereafter to proceed with negotiations on START III with a view to its early conclusion; 3. Calls upon the nuclear-weapon States to undertake the necessary steps towards the seamless integration of all five nuclear-weapon States into the process leading to the total elimination of nuclear weapons; 4. Also calls upon the nuclear-weapon States to pursue vigorously the reduction of reliance on non-strategic nuclear weapons and negotiations on their elimination as an integral part of their overall nuclear disarmament activities; 5. Further calls upon the nuclear-weapon States, as an interim measure, to proceed to the de-altering of their nuclear weapons and, in turn, to the removal of nuclear warheads from delivery vehicles; 6. Urges the nuclear-weapon States to examine further interim measures, including measures to enhance strategic stability and accordingly to review strategic doctrines; 7. Calls upon those three States that are nuclear-weapon capable and that have not yet acceded to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to reverse clearly and urgently the pursuit of all nuclear weapons development or deployment and to refrain from any action which could undermine regional and international peace and security and the efforts of the international community towards nuclear disarmament and the prevention of nuclear weapons proliferation; 8. Calls upon those States that have not yet done so to adhere unconditionally and without delay to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and to take all the necessary measures which flow from adherence to this instrument; 9. Also calls upon those States that have not yet done so to conclude full-scope safeguards agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency and to conclude additional protocols to their safeguards agreements on the basis of the Model Protocol approved by the Board of Governors of the Agency on 15 May 1997; 10. Further calls upon those States that have not yet done so to sign and ratify, unconditionally and without delay, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and, pending the entry into force of the Treaty, to observe a moratorium on nuclear tests; 11. Calls upon those States that have not yet done so to adhere to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and to work towards its further strengthening; 12. Calls upon the Conference on Disarmament to pursue its negotiations in the Ad Hoc Committee established under item 1 of its agenda entitled "Cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament", on the basis of the report of the Special Coordinator and the mandate contained therein, of a non-discriminatory, multilateral and internationally and effectively verifiable treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, taking into consideration both nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament objectives, and to conclude these negotiations without delay, and, pending the entry into force of the treaty, urges States to observe a moratorium on the production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices; 13. Also calls upon the Conference on Disarmament to establish an appropriate subsidiary body to deal with nuclear disarmament and, to that end, to pursue as a matter of priority its intensive consultations on appropriate methods and approaches with a view to reaching such a decision without delay; 14. Considers that an international conference on nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation, which would effectively complement efforts being undertaken in other settings, could facilitate the consolidation of a new agenda for a nuclear-weapon-free world; 15. Recalls the importance of the decisions and resolution adopted at the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and underlines the importance of implementing fully the decision on strengthening the review process for the Treaty; 16. Affirms that the development of verification arrangements will be necessary for the maintenance of a world free from nuclear weapons, and requests the International Atomic Energy Agency, together with any other relevant international organizations and bodies, to explore the elements of such a system; 17. Calls for the conclusion of an internationally legally binding instrument to effectively assure non-nuclear-weapon States parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons; 18. Stresses that the pursuit, extension and establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones, on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at, especially in regions of tension, such as the Middle East and South Asia, represent a significant contribution to the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world; 19. Affirms that a nuclear-weapon-free world will ultimately require the underpinnings of a universal and multilaterally negotiated legally binding instrument or a framework encompassing a mutually reinforcing set of instruments; 20. Requests the Secretary-General, within existing resources, to compile a report on the implementation of the present resolution; 21. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-fourth session an item entitled "Towards a nuclear-weapon-free world: the need for a new agenda", and to review the implementation of the present resolution. 79th plenary meeting Towards a nuclear-weapon-free world: the need
for a new agenda CANADA Mr. Chairman, After a period of very careful, intense and high-level consideration and consultation, Canada has abstained on this resolution. For several weeks now, Canada worked constructively with the resolution's cosponsors. In the course of this work, we have been gratified by their determination and clear commitment to build the broadest possible base of support. Canada would obviously also like to see that objective achieved. While it has come a long way in this direction, on balance our conclusion is that there is still more to be achieved in that respect. This Committee is well aware of Canada's commitment to arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation as a core dimension of our broader pursuit of greater international peace and security. It is also aware of our unequivocal commitment to all aspects of the nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation regime-- a regime founded on the NPT and its associated instruments. The Canadian people are committed to nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation. In recognition of this commitment and of the challenges we face as we approach the new millennium, the Canadian Parliament has undertaken a study of Canada's nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation policy. Its report will likely be tabled in the next few weeks. The Canadian Government will wish to take that report into account as it continues to promote the objectives of its arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation policy. Ultimately, the Canadian Government did not wish by today's vote to prejudge that process. As delegations are aware, some countries have raised strong objections to the resolution. Inter alia, these objections relate to their impressions that the resolution is rooted in "old-speak", that it does not adequately credit progress made in nuclear disarmament and that it makes no mention of the nuclear tests in India and Pakistan. As a committed member of the UN and of NATO, Canada has examined each of these arguments carefully. At the same time, we are deeply concerned that the NPT-based nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation regime is now under serious strain. From this perspective, we [regard] the "New Agenda" resolution as a timely and pointed reminder of the urgent need for further progress on both of these fronts. While we recognize that progress has been made on the nuclear disarmament front, we think there is both room and an imperative to make more. In the same manner, we have made it clear that nuclear proliferation is unacceptable. Canada accordingly looks forward to pursuing these issues actively and forcefully in the coming weeks and months with our friends and our allies. We note that the resolution calls for a review at next year's General Assembly. Canada for one looks forward to this review and hopes that all those engaged in this debate will take maximum advantage of the intervening period to pursue the goal of the broadest-based support, demonstrating a common resolve to sustain the NPT-based nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation regime in the face of pressing and potent challenges. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. |
