KAZAKHSTAN

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STATEMENT

by

Her Excellency Ms.Akmaral Kh.Arystanbekova

Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan

to the United Nations

General Exchange of Views
Third Session of the Preparatory Committee
for the 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

10 May 1999

New York

PERMANENT MISSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN TO THE UNITED NATIONS

866 UN PLAZA, SUITh 586, NEW YORK, NY 10017
TEL: (212) 230 19()O~ FAX: (212) 230-1172~ E-mail: kazun@nygate.undp.org

Mr.Chairman,

Allow me to associate myself with the congratulations already addressed to you on your election to the responsible post of Chairman of the third session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and to express my conviction that under your wise leadership the work of the Preparatory Committee will proceed fruitfully and effectively.

Mr.Chairman,

Kazakhstan attaches the greatest importance to the decisions and resolutions of the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and supports the efforts aimed at encouraging the full application and effective implementation of the Treaty. Its indefinite nature strengthens the foundation of international stability and security, and creates prospects for successful movement along the road to disarmament. Already, 187 countries of the world are parties to the Treaty. In the last four years alone, another nine States have acceded to it, and this is an important step towards securing its universality.

The great wealth of experience in post-conflict development that has been accumulated gives additional impetus to the multilateral negotiations aimed at reaching concrete decisions in the sphere of security, arms limitation and disarmament. It is universally acknowledged that nuclear disarmament and the strengthening of the non-proliferation regime is the priority area of the negotiating process. At the same time, unless we take concrete action in this area, we shall never achieve our goal. We need to recognize that the problem of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation have become interdependent, and that international security can be brought about only through joint efforts by both the nuclear and the non-nuclear states.

In our view, the primary role in promoting solution of the issues posed in the field of disarmament rests with the United Nations. The successful movement of the international community towards secure, stable and prosperous peace depends on the strengthening of cooperation within the Organization.

Mr.Chairman,

The current session of the Preparatory Committee is taking place at a crucial juncture when the approach of the new millennium makes it vitally necessary to reflect in depth on what has been achieved and develop reliable parameters for international relations in the future.

Unfortunately, it must be acknowledged that, on the threshold of the next century, the world community has encountered a threat of the proliferation of nuclear weapons. It is becoming quite clear that the new century will not be more secure.

However, the international community must not succumb to hopeless pessimism. Concrete actions is needed to eliminate the nuclear threat.

Kazakhstan, as a firm proponent of the strengthening regional and global security, strongly opposes undermining the non-proliferation regime, and calls those countries who are not parties of the Non-Proliferation Treaty to heed the opinion of the vast majority of the international community and accede to it without delay.

The purpose of the current session of the Preparatory Committee should be to consider principles, objectives and ways in order to promote the full implementation of the Treaty, as well as its universality. We have to make recommendations thereon to the Review Conference, including those identified in the Decision on Principles and Objectives for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament adopted on 11 May 1995

On the eve of the year 2000 Review Conference the immediate commencement of negotiations on prohibition of the production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons and other nuclear explosive devices is of vital importance for the implementation of the provisions of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. All states possessing fissile materials should be involved in the negotiations on a nondiscriminatory and universally applicable convention banning the production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.

The provision of security assurances for non-nuclear-weapons states continues to occupy the center of attention. In this context, the need to take steps to give legal force to the so-called "negative" security assurances provided by the nuclear Powers on the basis of Security Council resolution 984(1995) is in our view fully appropriate.

Mr.Chairm an,

The effective mechanisms developed by International Atomic Energy Agency for monitoring trafficking in nuclear materials, the strengthening of the international safeguards system and the conduct of effective cooperation on issues of nuclear power, radiation safety and handling of wastes have made an important contribution to the practical solution of the problems facing the international community in the area of nuclear non-proliferation

Today's world is unimaginable without the widespread use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes. These include not only nuclear energy supply, but also many nuclear physics isotope technologies and procedures which have found their way into almost all areas of our lives. The progressive development of peaceful nuclear technologies is under way, and under these circumstances the task of maintaining and strengthening the nonproliferation regime remains, and will continue to be a topical issue.

Mr.Ch~irman~

As a party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Kazakhstan believes that nuclear-weapon free zones established on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at among the States of the region concerned constitute an important mechanism for the strengthening of the international non-proliferation regime. Article VII of the Treaty and the decisions of the 1995 Conference on the Principles and Objectives of the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons have laid a firm foundation for the establishment of new internationally recognized nuclear-weapon-free zones which will serve to strengthen peace and security at the global and regional levels.

Kazakhstan attaches great importance to the progress in the implementation of the initiative for the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia. At the fifty-second and fifty-third sessions of the General Assembly, together with the other States of the region, we cosponsored two resolutions on the subject. We note with satisfaction the support extended by many Member States.

My delegation would like to take this opportunity to express its gratitude to the Secretary-General and to the leadership of the Department of Disarmament Affairs for the assistance provided by the United Nations in drawing up a legal instrument on the nuclear-weapon-free zone in our region. The group of experts from the five countries of the region established with the support of the United Nations has done a large amount of work. At the session of this Group which took place in Geneva in April this year, a certain amount of progress has been made in drawing up the basic elements of the draft of the future Treaty on the Central Asian zone.

The international community is aware that, as a results of nuclear tests, large areas of Kazakhstan were subject to nuclear radiation. This had disastrous consequences for our country's population, its environment and its economy.

We are convinced that the zone in Central Asia will constitute an important step towards the strengthening of the nuclear non-proliferation regime, the development of cooperation in the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, the development of cooperation in the environmental rehabilitation of territories suffering from radioactive contamination, the promotion of general and complete disarmament and the strengthening of regional and international peace and security. Kazakhstan will continue in the future to participate consistently and constructively in the work on the establishment of this zone.

Mr.Chairm an,

The indefinite extension of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons was one of the outstanding events in the strengthening of the regime for the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. At the same time, there is in our view a fairly clear need to build on that success and advance further towards the noble goal of complete nuclear disarmament. We express our hope that the 2000 Review Conference will achieve successful results.

The delegation of Kazakhstan is ready to continue strengthening its cooperation with the delegations of States parties to the Treaty with the view to the attainment of that goal.

Thank you, Mr.Chairman.