France
PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR THE 2000 REVIEW
CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE TREATY ON THE
NON-PROLIFERATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS
FIRST SESSION
NEW YORK, 7-18 APRIL 1997
Statement made by 11. E. Mrs. Joelle Bourgois
Ambassador, Head of the French delegation,
New York
8 April 199.7
MISSION PERMANENTE DE LA I FRANCE AUPRES DES
NATIONS UNIES
245 EAST 47th Street, New York, NY 1117 Tel: 212-308-5700
Mr. Chairman,
Our debate since yesterday has been rich and has showed the
interest pais by the international community to the theme of
nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament My delegation has
listened very carefully to the arguments and proposals made by the
various delegations I will attempt to give a few elements of
answers to the questions which were raised As you know, the
positron of the five nuclear weapons States, as well as that of the
European Union were expressed during the general debate My
country's position is of course to be understood within this frame
work.
First, nuclear disarmament
On the occasion of the NPT Review and Extension Conference
in 1995, France had indicated the various measures it has adopted
in the field of disarmament France had specified in particular that
since 1991, it had reduced by around 1 5% the amount of its
deployed nuclear weapons
Since the adoption in May 1995 of the decision on the
"principles and objectives for nuclear non- proliferation and
disarmament", France has pursued its efforts in contributing to the
implementation of Articles Vi and VII of the NPT
Concerning the global reduction of nuclear arsenals, since this
issue was raised several times, it is a responsibility for the five
nuclear-weapon States in terms of numbers, this should be assessed
taking into account the efforts of all five NWS sad not regarding
the level of each one of the five taken individually The respect of
obligations resulting from article VI is fulfilled, according to us by:
* on the one hand, the Russian-American bilateral process, which
is the main contributor, given the importance of the accumulated
stockpiles, I welcome the agreement reached at Helsinki by the
Presidents of the United States and of the Russian Federation on
further reductions In nuclear weapons;
* on the other hand, by unilateral measures that have been taken, in
particular by the United Kingdom and France.
I would like Mr Chairman to list a brief assessment of these
initiatives We have acted on both a multilateral and a unilateral
level
On a multilateral level, France is among the first three States
to have signed the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
Our determination during the negotiations was particularly strong.
We were in particular first of the five nuclear powers to put
forward, as early as August 10, 1995, the proposal to prohibit say
nuclear blast at whatever level commonly known as the "Zero
Option".
The signature of the CTBT by over 140 States was a historical
event. with respect to its entry into force, we intend to promote
steadfastly the objective of the CTBT 's universality until the
September 1999 Conference of Signatory States . In any event, we
believe that the signature of the CTBT by the five nuclear-weapon
States amounted to an immediate political commitment to put an
end to nuclear testing.
France is also involved in the implementation of the CTBT by
participating actively in the work of the Preparatory Commission
of the Organization in charge of the CTBT and by contributing to
its budget.
On a unilateral level. the President of the Republic took
several "l decisions in February 1996 that have already begun to be
applied and for which implementation should extend over several
years because of the scope of the actions undertaken.
* France is the sole nuclear -weapon State that has closed its
testing site. We decided to close our testing sites in the Pacific
even before signing the Comprehensive Nuclear lest Ban Treaty.
These actions have now been completed.
* We put an end, unilaterally, to the production of fissile material
for use in nuclear weapons by stopping, as early as 1992,
production of plutonium at . Marcoule and closing in the Summer
of 1996 the Pierrelatte enrichment plant whose dismantlement has
been decided.
* We carried out unilateral reductions of our nuclear oar arsenal:
dismantling the Plateau d'Albion ground component which
contained 18 megaton head strategic missiles and final removal of
30 short-range HADES missiles.
These reductions are all the more important as, both from the point
of view of quality and quantity, as they have led to the complete
suppression of the ground-to-ground component of out nuclear
deterrent.
Many speakers have underlined the recent developments regarding
nuclear-weapon- free zones. France has taken its full share in this
regard.
France, which is a Party to the two Protocols to the Treaty of
Tlatelolco on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin
America since the 1970s, signed on March 25. 1995 and ratified on
September 20, 1996 the three Protocols to the Treaty of Rarotonga
on the South Pacific Nuclear- Weapon-Free Zone (thus confirming
through an international commitment the closure of its Pacific
Nuclear Tests Center). France signed on April 11, I 996 and
ratified on September 20, 1996 the Treaty of Pelindaba
establishing a nuclear-weapon free zone in Africa.
Regarding South-East Asia, France has taken note of the
signature of a Treaty establishing a South-East Asian Nuclear-
Weapon-Free Zone. France expresses it satisfaction at the intention
of the States of the region to contribute by this initiative to the
nuclear weapons non-proliferation regime by freely establishing a
nuclear-weapon-free zone.
France strongly back' a South-East Asian nuclear-weapon-free
zone as the President of the Republic stated after the Treaty was
signed.
France, as the other nuclear-weapon States, had the
opportunity to make two remarks on the issue of the conformity of
the Treaty with international law. Two proposed amendments to
the text of the Protocol were made by France to resolve these
difficulties ant we are awaiting an answer to our proposals.
In addition to t this, Mr. Chairman, a lot of toll' has been
devoted to security assurances. Some delegations have put forward
proposals in this regard. France has not waited for the present
debate to act on this issue.
Following UN Security Council Resolution 984 of April 11
1995 new measures. were taken in conformity with Decision 2.
These concerns security assurances granted by each of the five
nuclear-weapon States pursuant to their accession to the relevant
Protocols of the treaties establishing nuclear-weapon-free zones.
France has not only signed but also ratified the Protocols on
the South Pacific and African NWFZ As a result, coming in
addition to prior commitments under the Treaty of Tlatelolco our
security assurances are mate contractual vis-a-vis roughly a
hundred States Parties to these Treaties and the NPT.
Those have come into force vis-a-vis 44 States It is now up to
the 60 or so others to ratify the relevant instruments so that our
NSA enter into force towards them as well.
We therefore consider the, in conformity with the terms of
Decision 2, new gains in the field of security assurances have been
reached.
This is the assessment--substantial in our opinion that France
has carried out since the May 1995 NPT Review and Extension
Conference. Please allow me now, Mr. President, to outline several
of the prospects that the future for disarmament holds in store for
us.
As my American colleague rightly put its, the nuclear
disarmament process cannot be separated completely from efforts
to control other types of weapons which continue to threaten the
security of many States in al! parts of the world. Article VI of the
NPT links the pursuit of negotiations related to the cessation of the
nuclear arms race and to nuclear disarmament to a treaty on
complete and general disarmament under strict and effective
international control
In accordance with its commitments under article VI of the
NPT, France is prepared to assume, together with all States, its
responsibilities in this field also:
* France was the first permanent Member State of the Security
Council to ratify the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons. France welcomes the entry into force in April 1997, of
the first universal disarmament treaty that will outlaw an entire
category of weapons of mass destruction and be effectively
verifiable through A multilateral monitoring system.
* With respect to the introduction of a Verification Protocol to the
1972 Convention on the Prohibition of biological Weapons?
France, together with its European Union partners, suggested
ongoing Geneva negotiations should be concluded successfully at
the earliest date, if possible by mid-1998
* On November 25, 1996, Prance waived the reservations it had
formulated on the occasion of the ratification of the Geneva
Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating
Poisonous or Other Gases? and of Bacteriological Methods of
Warfare. France is the first and only permanent Member State of
the Security Council to have done so.
* Moreover, France is contributing in a determining manner to
negotiations and the adaptation of the Treaty on Conventional
Forces in Europe. These negotiation' will enable maintaining the
integrity of the Treaty and preserving its stabilizing influence on
European security.
* Finally, France backs with determination the objective of
achieving a comprehensive ban on anti- personnel mines pursuant
to the resolution adopted by an overwhelming majority at the
United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1996.
Mr Chairman, three years are still ahead of us before the 2000
review Conference By this time, we can move forward towards the
full implementation of our treaty. The prospects arc immediately
at hand.
France welcome' the result of the Helsinki Summit Nothing is
more important for the cause of weapons control than the pursuit
by the two major nuclear powers of the process of excess weapons'
reduction..
Simultaneously with this process, the international community
could play a major role if it started to negotiate right now a Fissile
Material Cutoff Treaty. France, for its part, recalls its unilateral
initiatives aimed at contributing to global weapons reduction.
Contrarily, France considers that its participation in international
negotiations on nuclear arsenals is' not relevant now. A, the French
President stated in 1996: '`Our deterrent capacity has been
determined, In the new plan, at a strictly measured level to
guarantee our security. The Size of strategic and tactical arsenals
that will skill exist for a long time in Russia and the United States
remain incomparably greater then the French or British capacities.
Moreover, too many uncertainties weight on the future of crucial
parameter of our defense, such as the ABM Treaty, a guarantor of
strategic stability, or compliance with non-proliferation regimes."
Finally, progress in general disarmament is an essential
condition for nuclear disarmament. Therefore, France will continue
to work with determination for the universality of the Convention
on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for the introduction of a
verification regime prohibit biological weapons, and for the
establishment of a conventional balance at the lowest possible level
as well as for a global and comprehensive ban on ant-personnel
mines.