KAZAKHSTAN

STATEMENT BY
H.E.MRS. MADINA B. JARBUSSYNOVA
AMBASSADOR.

PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE
OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN
TO THE UNITED NATIONS

at the First Session of the Preparatory Committee for the
2005 Review Conference of the Parties to the
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

9 April 2002, New York

Mr. Chairman,

At the outset, let me extend my congratulations to you, Ambassador Henric Salander, on your election as the Chairman of the First Preparatory Committee meeting for the 2005 Review Conference of the States Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to Under-Secretary-General Jayantha Danapala for his assistance and support to this Preparatory Committee.

Mr. Chairman.

The events of September 11 have shown the vulnerability of global security. Our efforts aimed at preventing terrorist organizations or non-state players from possessing weapons of mass destruction are crucial elements of comprehensive global strategy in the fight against terrorism. Among the key elements of that strategy are multilateral treaties too. We believe that the international nature of contemporary threats and challenges requires multilateral efforts for their prevention.

My country is firmly convinced that the NPT is not only a key instrument in the effort to stop the vertical and horizontal proliferation of nuclear weapons, but a treaty on disarmament, too. President N. Nazarbayev, speaking to the participants of the International Conference "XXI century - towards a nuclear-weapon-free world" held in Kazakhstan in August 2001 pointed out that NPT remains the only international agreement committing its members to undertake all measures in the nuclear disarmament area.

The results of the NPT Review Conference in 2000 gave a hope for further promotion of the nuclear non-proliferation regime and the reduction of existing nuclear arsenals. 2001 was a significant year in this regard. The inspection regime in the framework of the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty was completed and a seven-year period of strategic offensive weapons reduction by two largest nuclear states came to an end. Meanwhile, in the year 2001 some well-known events took place, which questioned the possibility of strengthening the global regime of non-proliferation. Some nonmember States are developing nuclear weapons. Nevertheless, we are convinced, that despite all difficulties that NPT faces, the agreements reached during the NPT Conference in 2000 must be implemented, ensuring the progress in the nuclear disarmament process. All States parties should recall the importance of the commitments made in the documents to further strengthen the credibility of the NPT. As party to the NPT since 1993 Kazakhstan urges those States, which have not yet joined to the Treaty to accede to it without delay and conditions.

Mr. Chairman,

Proceeding from the necessity to fully strengthen the non-proliferation regime, Kazakhstan signed the Comprehensive-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in September, 1996 and continues to make practical contributions to efforts to enhance the effectiveness of the monitoring in compliance with the CTBT. The infrastructure of the former Semipalatinsk Test Site allows implementation of projects related to the CTBT, thus transferring the test site into an international peace ground for resolving sensitive problems of the nuclear countries activity in the field of nuclear non-proliferation.

As of today, 165 States have signed the Treaty and 90 States have ratified it. We regret that those countries whose ratification of the Treaty is still required so far have not taken appropriate legal actions.

Mr. Chairman.

My country appreciates the role of the ABM Treaty in maintaining security. The possible consequences of the decision by one of the States Parties to the Treaty to withdraw from it bring new challenges to strategic stability and to the issue of the prevention of an arms race in outer space. We do not want an arms race to be triggered and believe that even after the US withdrawal from the ABM Treaty, which has led to the drastic change of its substance, some provisions of this Treaty can be practically implemented in the future.

Mr. Chairman.

As a full member of the Conference on Disarmament (CD) we would like to stress that in order to practically reduce armaments and continue the disarmament process it is not enough to create new strategic relations between two nuclear powers. The CD being the symbol of multilateral efforts must articulate its firm position.

We believe that in the framework of the CD it is necessary to begin negotiations of a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT), which will become an important contribution to non-proliferation and will complement to the work of IAEA and CTBTO. We believe that it is necessary to start with negotiations on preventing the arms race in outer space and it is vitally important to prevent militarization of space which could lead to unpredictable consequences.

Kazakhstan strongly believes that the promotion of NPT provisions should remain a priority subject for discussions within the framework of the CD and that the Conference on Disarmament can and must prove its efficiency.

Mr. Chairman,

Regional security and stability are vitally important for global peace and development. In this regard Kazakhstan attaches great attention to the realization of the initiative to establish a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia that is becoming even more vital in the light of the current situation and recent acts of terrorism. We are confident that such a zone in Central Asia and in other regions will constitute an important step towards strengthening the nuclear nonproliferation regime and promoting general and complete disarmament. Kazakhstan will further continue to participate consistently and constructively in the work carried out to establish this zone. We would like to thank the Government of Japan for supporting this idea and twice hosting in Sapporo conferences addressing this issue. We also highly appreciate the work of the UN Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific in this regard.

In view of the unique situation we also positively estimate the contribution of Mongolia to the process of general and complete disarmament and fully support its tireless efforts on establishing the nuclear-weapon-free zone.

Mr. Chairman.

Kazakhstan believes in need to continue efforts on creating effective system of security in the region of Central Asia and in the Asian continent as a whole. In this regard established last year the Shanghai Cooperation Organization seems to be extremely promising. In the past few years the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) has been gaining momentum. In present geopolitical circumstances my Government considers very important to hold the CICA summit and to use it for deliberations on the security problems, including nuclear terrorism.

Mr. Chairman,

Kazakhstan believes that this PrepCom should deal with all procedural issues necessary to take its work forward as well as with matters of substance as was decided at the 1995 and 2000 Conferences. I assure you that my delegation will fully support your endeavors in this direction.

I thank You