The 2000 NPT Review Conference (RevCon)
14 April - 19 May 2000, New York   

NPT/CONF.2000/24 

Letter dated 8 May 2000 from the Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General of the 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

9 May 2000

 
The Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations has the honour to submit herewith the document entitled "Cuba's position on the Treaty on the Non­Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons". 

The Permanent Mission of Cuba kindly requests that this document be circulated as an official document of the Conference. 

Annex to the letter dated 8 May 2000 from the Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General of the 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons 

Document presented by the observer delegation of the Republic of Cuba to the 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons 

Cuba's position on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons 

The decision to participate as an observer in the sixth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is a new demonstration of the interest with which Cuba follows up on all the questions relating to disarmament and non-proliferation, particularly those concerning nuclear weapons. 

Cuba's clear and unequivocal position in favour of nuclear disarmament as the highest-priority issue in the field of disarmament is well-known. 

For Cuba, it is completely unacceptable that the military doctrines based on the possession of nuclear weapons continue to be defended by certain countries. No State or group of States should be allowed the monopoly of nuclear weapons. The only way to guarantee lasting peace and security equally for all is by means of the total elimination of nuclear weapons. 

The provisions contained in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons are discriminatory and selective in their own essence, and they have, so far, prevented Cuba from signing or ratifying this Treaty. 

The non-proliferation regime established by the Treaty runs against the principle of the sovereign equality of States, establishing two categories of States with different rights and obligations. The continuous quantitative and qualitative development of nuclear weapons is thus legitimized for the exclusive club of nuclear Powers recognized by the Treaty. 

Since the Treaty came into force, most nuclear Powers have evidenced a clear lack of political will to materialize some of the fundamental objectives established by the Treaty, such as the contents of its articles VI and IV. 

In spite of the continuous efforts carried out by a vast majority of the international community in favour of good-faith negotiations on effective measures relating to ceasing the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament, the provisions of article VI of the Treaty continue to be ignored by certain nuclear Powers. 

Unjustifiable, unilateral restrictive measures on the exchange of scientific and technological equipment, materials and information for the peaceful use of nuclear energy continue to be imposed, contrary to the legitimate right of States to have full access to nuclear energy for peaceful ends. Such practices seek to be justified by the allegation that the safeguards systems established by virtue of the Non-Proliferation Treaty are not sufficient. 

It is general knowledge that since Cuba is not a State party to the Treaty, it has no obligation to negotiate safeguards agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). However, as a result of a voluntary decision, at this moment all Cuban nuclear facilities are under safeguards agreements with IAEA and, accordingly, international inspections and reports are carried out as established under the agreements. Cuba's full compliance with IAEA commitments in questions concerning safeguards is acknowledged in the Agency's official reports and publications. 

In addition, in October of last year, Cuba signed an additional protocol to the safeguards agreements, which it voluntarily agreed upon with IAEA. Cuba then became the first country that, having lNFCIRC/66 safeguards agreements, signed an additional protocol with IAEA. 

On 24 April, an explicit reference in an unacceptable tone was made to Cuba in the statement delivered before this Conference by the Secretary of State of the United States of America. 

The "concern" of the United States about Cuba not being party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty is sheer hypocrisy, since the United States is a leading country in breaching key provisions of the Treaty, such as article VI. 

The evidence has been disclosed by numerous delegations in the debate of this Conference. The United States continues to oppose the start of good-faith negotiations aimed at nuclear disarmament. It has reiterated its intentions to develop a national anti-missile defence system that will bring about irreparable harm to the world's strategic balance. 

The constant opposition of the United States to the immediate start of negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament on crucial questions like nuclear disarmament and the proliferation of the arms race in outer space is one of the basic reasons why the Conference is genuinely in a stagnation phase. 

The United States was among the main promoters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's New Strategic Concept, adopted last year in Washington, D.C., through which the role of nuclear weapons in security policies is being enlarged instead of diminished. 

Furthermore, the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty becomes a totally uncertain objective in face of the United States Senate's decision to not ratify that Treaty. The United States had better take care of these issues before making any call on Cuba. 

Faithful to its commitment to nuclear disarmament and to the total elimination of nuclear weapons, Cuba will continue to move ahead, in the most transparent manner, in its programme on the use of nuclear energy for strictly peaceful ends.

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