MISION PERMANENTE DEL PERU
ANTE LAS NACIONES UNIDAS
STATEMENT
BY AMBASSADOR FRANCISCO A. TUDELA,
PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF PERU
TO THE UNITED NATIONS,
BEFORE THE THIRD PERIOD OF SESSIONS
OF THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE
FOR THE 2000 REVIEW CONFERENCE
OF THE PARTIES TO THE
TREATY ON NON-PROLIFERATION OF
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
NEW YORK,10 MAY 1999
(Check against delivery)
MR. CHAIRMAN
PLEASE ACCEPT THE CONGRATULATIONS OF THE DELEGATION OF PERU
FOR YOUR ELECTION AS CHAIRMAN FOR THE THIRD PERIOD OF
SESSIONS OF THIS PREPARATORY COMMITTEE. THESE
CONGRATULATIONS ARE ALSO MADE EXTENSIVE TO THE OTHER
MEMBERS OF THE BUREAU.
MR. CHAIRMAN:
THE END OF THE COLD WAR AND THE ERASING OF THE EAST-WEST
CONFRONTATION CREATED THE NECESSARY CONDITIONS FOR FIRM
PROGRESS IN PURSUING THE NON~PROLIFERATION AND ELIMINATION OF
NUCLEAR WEAPONS. THE MARKED GROWTH IN THE INTERNATIONAL
ACCEPTANCE OF THE NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY BEFORE THE 1995
CONFERENCE WAS EVIDENCE OF THIS. THE DECISION TAKEN BY THAT
CONFERENCE TO INDEFINITELY EXTEND THE EXISTENCE OF THE TREATY
WAS THE RESULT OF THE GOOD WILL FELT BY ALL THE MEMBER STATES.
THE FOLLOWING POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS THAT APPEARED IN THE WORLD EXPRESSED THIS GOOD WILL.
SOUTHEAST ASIA BY THE BANGKOK TREATY AND IN AFRICA, BY THE
PELINDABA TREATY. THE ALMOST TOTAL APPLICATION OF THE DENUCLEARIZATION REGIME IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN,
WHICH HAS ALREADY EXISTED FOR MORE THAN THIRTY YEARS. THE
DECISIONS OF THE CENTRAL ASIAN STATES TO ESTABLISH A
NUCLEAR WEAPON FREE ZONE IN THAT REGION AND THE RECENT
RESOLUTION BY THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY HAILING
THE DECISION OF MONGOLIA TO BECOME A NUCLEAR WEAPON FREE
STATE.
- THE CONCLUSION AND OPENING FOR SIGNING OF THE TREATY TO
COMPLETELY PROHIBIT NUCLEAR TESTS, WHICH PERU WAS THE
FIRST LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRY TO RATIFY AND WHICH WILL SOON
HOLD ITS FIRST CONFERENCE OF ITS MEMBER STATES..
- THE PRESENTATION IN THE DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE OF THE
ACTION PROGRAM FOR THE ELIMINATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS BY
28 DELEGATIONS OF THE GROUP OF 21. THE REPORT BY THE
CANBERRA COMMISSION WHICH QUESTIONS THE USEFULNESS OF
NUCLEAR WEAPONS. THE RECENT INITIATIVE OF A GROUP OF
COUNTRIES, FULLY SUPPORTED BY PERU, THAT CONSIDERS IT
NECESSARY TO SET UP A NEW NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT PROGRAM.
- THE IMPORTANT BILATERAL AGREEMENTS BETWEEN THE NUCLEAR POWERS, MAINLY THE START TREATIES ON THE REDUCTION OF STRATEGIC NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
NEVERTHELESS, IN RECENT YEARS, INSTEAD OF A REDUCTION OF THE
NUCLEAR RISK, THE POSSIBILITIES OF THE USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS
BY ACCIDENT, BY AN ERROR OF CALCULATION OR IN AN UNAUTHORIZED
MANNER HAVE RISEN AND THE DANGERS OF THE LOSS OF CONTROL
OVER THE TECHNOLOGY AND MATERIALS ASSOCIATED WITH THE
MANUFACTURE OF THESE WEAPONS HAVE ALSO GROWN.
THE COMMITMENT ASSUMED IN 1995 TO UNDERTAKE A PROCESS THAT
WOULD LEAD TO NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT OFFERS SERIOUS DOUBTS
TODAY ON THE ACTUAL WILLINGNESS OF THE COUNTRIES THAT
POSSESS NUCLEAR WEAPONS, WHICH ARE MAINLY RESPONSIBLE FOR
THE PROGRESS TOWARDS THIS GOAL. A RESISTANCE IS PERCEIVED
TOWARDS ANY MECHANISM THAT MAY BE USED TO ACHIEVE MORE
EFFECTIVE PROGRESS TOWARDS NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT.
WHAT I HAVE POINTED OUT EVIDENCES THE PROBLEMS AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS THIRD MEETING OF THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE.
MR CHAIRMAN:
THE CONFERENCE OF THE YEAR 2000 SHOULD SERVE TO EVALUATE AND
IF NECESSARY REVIEW OR ESTABLISH THE NECESSARY MEASURE TO
ENSURE THAT THE PROVISIONS OF THE NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY
ARE FULLY APPLICABLE, AS WELL AS ALL THE DECISIONS THAT WE
ADOPTED IN 1995. THIS SESSION MUST SUBMIT SPECIFIC
RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WILL THEN BE CONSIDERED AND LATER ON
APPROVED BY THE CONFERENCE.
PERU BELIEVES THAT FOR THE REGIME TO BE TRULY EFFECTIVE, IT IS
ESSENTIAL THAT IT BE UNIVERSAL, INCORPORATING ALL THE STATES
THAT ARE NOT YET PART OF THE TREATY AND URGES AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE THOSE THAT HAVE SHOWN NUCLEAR CAPACITY, TO BECOME
MEMBERS OF THE SYSTEM. THE RECENT INCORPORATION OF BRAZIL TO
THE NPT WILL CERTAINLY CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS THE REINFORCEMENT
OF THE NON-PROLIFERATION AND DlSARMAMENT SYSTEM. WE
THEREFORE PARTICULARLY HAIL THE DECISION TAKEN BY BRAZIL.
IN SPITE OF ITS INDEFINITE EXTENSION, THE NPT IS NOT IN ITSELF A
PERMANENT TREATY. IT IS A MECHANISM TO ACHIEVE THE TOTAL
ELIMINATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND TO LEAD TO AN
INTERNATIONAL CONTROL SYSTEM THAT WILL BE STRICT AND
EFFECTIVE, TO TRULY GUARANTEE THAT THIS TYPE OF WEAPONS WiLL
NOT ARISE OR BE GENERATED AGAIN.
PERU BELIEVES THAT THE NPT CONFERENCE MUST CLEARLY ESTABLISH
THAT THERE IS NO JUSTIFICATION WHATSOEVER TO ACCEPT THE
LEGITIMACY OF THE INDEFINITE MAINTENANCE OF THESE WEAPONS. THE
THIRD MILLENIUM SHOULD BEGIN WITH A CLEAR COMMITMENT IN THIS
SENSE. PERU ASSIGNS SPECIAL IMPORTANCE TO THE ENTRY INTO
FORCE WITHIN THE NEAR FUTURE OF THE TREATY FOR THE COMPLETE
PROHIBITION OF NUCLEAR TESTS, WHICH IS ONE OF THE BASIC
INSTRUMENTS FOR THE NON-PROLIFERATION AND NUCLEAR
DISARMAMENT SYSTEM. THEREFORE, WE ASSIGN A HIGH PRIORITY TO
HAVING MEMBERS THAT HAVE NOT YET DONE SO, TO PROMPTLY AND
UNCONDITIONALLY SIGN AND RATIFY THIS TREATY.
ALTHOUGH THE FINAL GOAL IS THE TOTAL ELIMINATION OF NUCLEAR
WEAPONS, WE BELIEVE THAT IT WILL BE NECESSARY TO ADOPT
IMMEDIATE MEASURES OF A PRACTICAL NATURE TO REDUCE NUCLEAR
RISKS AND CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS THE GENERATION OF A STATE OF
MUTUAL CONFIDENCE. THE STATES THAT POSSESS NUCLEAR WEAPONS
MUST AND SHOULD ADOPT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE DECISIONS TO LEAVE
WITHOUT EFFECT THE STATE OF ALERT OF THOSE WEAPONS AND
DESACTIVATEI THE NUCLEAR ARSENALS, ELIMINATING THE NUCLEAR
MISSILE HEADS FROM THEIR VECTOR SYSTEMS. THESE STATES SHOULD
ALSO WITHDRAW THE NON-STRATEGIC NUCLEAR WEAPONS FROM THEIR
EMPLACEMENT SITES. THESE MEASURES WOULD HELP TO AVOID THE
RISK OF ACCIDENTAL OR UNAUTHORIZED LAUNCHES FOR INVOLUNTARY
REASONS.
MR. CHAIRMAN,
PERU FULLY ENCOURAGES THE CREATION OF NEW NUCLEAR WEAPON
FREE ZONES ON THE BASIS OF FREELY CONCERTED AGREEMENTS. IT
FIRMLY BELIEVES IN THEIR IMPORTANCE AS A MEANS OF
CONSOLIDATION OF REGIONAL AND WORLD PEACE. AT THE SAME TIME
IT REAFFIRMS THE COMMITMENTS ASSUMED IN THE TLATELOLCO
TREATY, IT PLEDGES TO PROMOTE NEW EFFORTS FOR JOINT
COOPERATION AND WORK WITH THE NUCLEAR WEAPON FREE ZONES
ESTABLISHED BY THE RAROTONGA, BANGKOK AND PELINDABA
TREATIES, FOR THE PURPOSE OF FREEING THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
FROM NUCLEAR WEAPONS AS A FIRST BIG STEP IN THE ESTABLISHMENT
OF A WORLD FREE FROM THESE WEAPONS.
FOR THIS IAEA PURPOSE, THE YEAR 2000 CONFERENCE MUST ENSURE
THAT THE BE REINFORCED, SO THAT IF CAN SUITABLY COMPLY WITH THE
RESPONSIBILITIES ASSIGNED TO IT IN THE AREAS OF TECHNICAL
COOPERATION, SAFEGUARDS AND NUCLEAR SECURITY BY THE NONPROLIFERATION TREATY.
WITHIN THIS CONTEXT, PERU BELIEVES THAT THE MEMBER STATES OF
THE NPT SHOULD ACCEPT THE CONVENTION ON THE PHYSICAL
PROTECTION OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS, WHICH SHOULD ALSO BE
REINFORCED.
MR. CHAIRMAN,
THE PEACEFUL USE OF NUCLEAR POWER IS A RESOURCE THAT MUST BE
USED AS BROADLY AND RATIONALLY AS POSSIBLY FOR THE WELFARE
AND DEVELOPMENT OF ALL THE MEMBER STATES OF THE TREATY. THE
TRANSFER OF NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY TO STATES THAT DO NOT OWN
NUCLEAR WEAPONS TO BE USED IN CIVILIAN PROGRAMS AND WITH THE
RESPECTIVE GUARANTIES, MUST BE PROMOTED.
THEREFORE, THE YEAR 2000 CONFERENCE MUST FOSTER THE ADOPTION
OF SUITABLE MEASURES TO REGULATE THE INTERNATIONAL MARITIME
TRANSPORTATION OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE AND IRRADIATED NUCLEAR
FUEL.
PERU BELIEVES THAT IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR US TO MAKE
STEADY PROGRESS IN THIS FIELD. THE CLOSE RELATIONSHIP THAT
EXISTS BETWEEN PEACE, DISARMAMENT AND DEVELOPMENT, WHICH IN
ITS TURN IS THE SPIRIT WHICH LED TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE
NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY, FORCES US TO WORK WITH GREATER
ZEAL AND URGENCY SINCE OUR PEOPLES DEMAND EFFECTIVE ANSWERS
TO SATISFY THOSE DEMANDS
WE TRUST THAT THE PREPARATORY PROCESS FOR THE VI CONFERENCE
OF THE EXAMINATION OF THE NPT, WHICH BEGAN TWO YEARS AGO, WILL
LEAD US TO THE ADOPTION OF FEASIBLE AGREEMENTS FOR NONPROLIFERATION AND NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT..
THANK YOU VERY MUCH