NEW ZEALAND MISSION to the UNITED NATIONS

Nga Mangai mo Aotearoa

FIRST SESSION OF THE

PREPARATORY Committee FOR THE

2000 REVIEW CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES

TO THE TREATY ON THE NON-PROLIFERATION OF

NUCLEAR WEAPONS



STATEMENT BY THE

NEW ZEALAND HEAD of DELEGATION

CAROLINE FORSYTH

TUESDAY 8 APRIL 1997



STATEMENT BY MS CAROLINE FORSYTH

HEAD OF THE NEW ZEALAND DELEGATION TO

THE FIRST SESSION OF THE PREPARATORY

COMMITTEE FOR THE 2000 REVIEW CONFERENCE

OF THE PARTIES TO THE TREATY ON THE

NON-PROLIFERATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS





Let me begin by congratulating you on your election to the

Chair of this first session of our preparations for the

Review Conference in 2000. You may be sure of the full

cooperation of the New Zealand delegation.



We intend to be brief during this general exchange of views

since we believe the Prepcom must begin as it intends to

proceed, in a businesslike, pragmatic way, with our

attention focused on the achievement of concrete outcomes,

rather than on general statements of posit on.



In this statement I intend to make some comments on bow

we might proceed; and highlight what New Zealand sees as

some of the key elements m our review.



First, procedure. We have adopted an agenda which will

enable us to get down to substantive work from the start.

The agenda will cover all treaty-related issues at this

Prepcom rather than focusing on just one or two themes.

This seems the most practical way to proceed. It will allow

this Prepcom to begin an ongoing and focused review of

developments as well as starting to consider appropriate

future action. This is the twofold nature of the task assigned

to us by the 1995 Conference: to be both evaluative and

forward- looking. We need procedures and reporting

systems which facilitate that task.



Our Canadian colleagues have presented some very sound

proposals for how we could go about our work. We support

their suggestions. Specifically, we agree that the Prepcom

must take account of the following:



a.   the role of the Prepcoms is a substantive one. They

     must prepare the ground procedurally for the next

     Review Conference but must also evaluate the

     operation of the treaty stringently, against the

     benchmarks of the Principles and Objectives.



b    those Principles and Objectives constitute a

     programme of action designed to promote the full

     implementation of the treaty. The programme is not

     static but dynamic in due course it will need to be

     added to -identifying areas and means for further

     progress towards treaty implementation.



c    part of this process involves accounting for what we

     as parties have undertaken in pursuit of the treaty's

     objectives, and what next steps we plan to take.



d    a mechanism is needed for recording the main

     strands of our discussion and forwarding this to the

     next Prepcom meeting. This could be a compilation

     of proposals, not necessarily agreed by consensus.

     We already have some suggestions which could

     serve as a starting point.



e.   the Prepcoms may find it useful to appoint sub

     groups or intercessional groups to carry out work in

     more depth on some issues, particularly as we

     approach the next review conference Our decisions

     on procedure should allow for this possibility.



The reason for clarifying our procedure at an early stage is

to enable our debate to make real progress and to Ret down

to substance as soon as possible. 



The 1995 indefinite extension was an important statement

of confidence in the NonProliferation treaty and its role as

cornerstone of international security cooperation. The

decisions adopted at the same time placed the treaty and its

subsequent reviews clearly within the framework of an

enhanced multilateral nuclear non proliferation and

disarmament process. In debating the treaty's

implementation at this meeting, it is appropriate for us to

evaluate where that multilateral process has got to, as well

as to look at bilateral and plurilateral developments, and

further ahead to necessary future Steps.



The key multilateral achievement of the past year was,

without doubt, the adoption of the CTBT and its signature

by a large number of countries' including all five nuclear

weapon states. The commitment to halt testing forever is an

outcome that New Zealand has worked for decades. Despite

the problems associated with the future entry into force of

the treaty, its conclusion is a great step forward.



Another multilateral achievement we want to highlight is

the completion last week of negotiations in the IAEA on a

protocol for the strengthening of safeguards. The

implementation of these new measures will be a real

contribution to confidence in the non-proliferation

provisions of our treaty.



New Zealand is a strong advocate of the value of nuclear

weapon free zones and in this area too we can be pleased

with the progress achieved since 1995. In our own region.

the South Pacific, we now have the protocols to the Treaty

of Rarotonga signed by all five nuclear weapon states and

ratified by three of them. Nuclear weapon free zones have

recently been established in Africa and Southeast Asia. A

UN resolution adopted in December last year by a large

majority of members endorsed the value of NWFZs and

urged them to cooperate to further their goals. The

establishment of other zones is an aim that NPT parties can

work towards.



The past year has also seen some additional clarification of

the obligations of the nuclear weapon states under Article

VI. of the NPT, in the form of the advisory opinion from

the International Court of Justice which confirmed the legal

obligation to pursue and bring to a conclusion negotiations

leading to complete nuclear disarmament. The report of the

Canberra Commission has set out some practical steps

which would contribute towards that goal. NPT patties can

draw on these suggestions, and others. as we define further

necessary steps in our agreed programme of action as set

out in the Principles and Objectives



In updating the Principles and Objectives to include further

steps towards nuclear disarmament we should also consider

ways of overcoming the obstacles that have prevented

further progress on the steps already listed. New Zealand is

concerned at the current impasse within the Conference on

Disarmament which is preventing both substantive

discussion of nuclear disarmament measures as well as the

start of negotiations on a cut-off treaty, acknowledged as an

essential step in our programme of action. We urge all

countries to be open to practical proposals which will allow

the negotiations to move forward



Mr. Chairman, multilateral steps on nuclear disarmament

should proceed side by side with steps taken by the nuclear

weapon States themselves. We have been encouraged by

reports from the US and Russia on the discussions at the

Helsinki Summit on parameters for further reductions in

both countries' nuclear forces. We look forward to seeing

these embodied in a START 111 agreement. We also think

it timely for the other three nuclear weapon States to give

us an indication of their own intentions As a first step, we

endorse the suggestion (put forward by Canada in its

outline for a "rolling document") that those three States

make a political commitment not to increase their nuclear

weapon inventories.



Mr Chairman. these are some of the areas in our review of

particular concern to my delegation. We shall have

additional comments on specific issues as we move through

our agenda and work programme.