Thank you very much Mr. Chairman,

On behalf of the delegation of Chile, permit me first of all to congratulate you and to express our satisfaction at having you conduct the work of this first preparatory meeting of the 2005 Review Conference for the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. We wish to express our appreciation to you and to the Secretariat for your hard work in organizing this session, including the preparation of drafts of the provisional agenda and an indicative schedule. We have every confidence that your capacity and experience will guarantee the success of this session.

We fully associate ourselves with the statement made by the distinguished representative of Indonesia on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries and also wish to draw attention to the clear observations made by the Ambassador of Egypt on behalf of the New Agenda Coalition, which we fully support.

In the current circumstances of international disarmament, characterized by a lack of progress, the marked impasse in negotiations and discouraging news of different kinds, the convening of this preparatory meeting takes on particular importance. It provides a forum and an opportunity for the overwhelming majority of the international community, which is party to the NPT, to engage, using the methodical and objective approach of the preparatory process, in a healthy exchange of views and information.

This session must be viewed as an opportunity to reflect on the situation and current prospects for international peace and stability, through a review of all aspects of the nonproliferation regime established by the Treaty, and of the provisions of article Vl thereof, which establishes an obligation to negotiate in good faith nuclear disarmament under strict and effective international control, as was reaffirmed in the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice.

We hope to arrive at the Conference in 2005 with a positive balance sheet with respect to the commitments given by States Parties in 2000. A review of the fulfilment of those commitments and of those given in the 1995 Review and Extension Conference shows that what we now need is renewed political will to give force to those commitments.

In this connection, the position of our country in favour of nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation as a priority is clear and unequivocal. To this end, we believe it is essential to strengthen the universality of non-discriminatory agreements that promote genuine progress towards the achievement of this aspiration of mankind. We also support all those bilateral or multilateral initiatives that pursue the same goal.

In the view of our delegation, a key element for progress towards the realization of the goals and objectives of the NPT and the agreements and decisions adopted at the 1995 and 2000 Review Conferences is the creation of the conditions of confidence that encourage both nuclear-weapon States and non-nuclear-weapon States to progress and move resolutely forward towards the fulfilment of these goals. Lack of confidence is a most dangerous element that tends to create a negative dynamic. The States Parties to the NPT are the ones that must lay the foundation for this confidence that would enable us to move forward towards the achievement of the objectives which we have set ourselves.

A continuing lack of confidence carries the risk of eroding and thereby destroying the credibility of the NPT, taking us back to an unimaginable situation, given the efforts made thus far by the international community. In this connection, the fight against the new and grave threats that have emerged with the events of 11 September 2001 requires that we work together, in good faith and relying precisely on the confidence that comes with believing in common objectives and in the will of States, to eliminate the odious scourge of terrorism, and, in this case, the danger of nuclear terrorism.

An important example of confidence-building measures and transparency in the field of nuclear non-proliferation is the Kedo project in the Korea peninsula, which Chile supports.

On the other hand, concern at the danger of nuclear non-proliferation is compounded by concern at the emergence of conditions for the eventual proliferation of ballistic missiles, given the close interdependence between the application of such vectors and the possibility of the use or threat of use of weapons of mass destruction. We therefore value as a very important step the work of the Panel of Experts on Missiles, convened by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, in fulfilment of the related mandate of the General Assembly.

Mr. Chairman,

In order to promote the implementation of the important measures agreed upon in the 2000 Conference, this preparatory meeting requires the will of all States Parties not only to undertake a theoretical review of the 13 steps proposed on nuclear disarmament, but also to identify the problematic aspects that are obstacles to their realization. Following that, it will not suffice merely to acknowledge the problems, but - and this is the hope of our delegation - to undertake realistic commitments that will help the Parties to achieve the aims and objectives set, so that they can effectively fulfil these aims and go forward on the road to disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Mr. Chairman,

We are meeting here at this session not only to elaborate guidelines for the work to be done at the Review Conference, but also to reiterate our firm commitment to disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in all their categories, in accordance with the principles and general guidelines of our foreign policy, which is reflected in the active presence of our country in the different international forums that deal with these issues.

Mr. Chairman,

We also believe that it is important to emphasize the establishment and maintenance of nuclear-weapon-free zones, such as the one that exists in our region, following the establishment of the Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL) and the signing and ratification of the Treaty of Tlatelolco, which defined the first inhabited zone of the planet free of this type of weapons, thus clearly demonstrating the peaceful vocation of the countries of the region that have signed and ratified this instrument.

This initiative has served as an example and inspiration for the establishment of other de-nuclearized regions in the world, such as the treaties of Rarotonga in a wide zone of the south Pacific; Bangkok for South-East Asia; and Pelindaba in Africa. We therefore believe that it is of the utmost importance to continue with the establishment of other freely agreed to nuclear-weapon-free zones, such as in the Middle East.

The immediate objective of the nuclear-weapon-free zones is the strengthening of regional security and the security of the Member States of these zones, through the prohibition of the use or threat of use of this type of weapons in the area of application of each treaty, as well as the commitment given by nuclear-weapon States to these zones, through corresponding security guarantees. Their ultimate objective is the achievement of general and complete disarmament, as indicated in the preamble to the Treaty of Tlatelolco.

We therefore believe that it will be extremely useful to convene an international conference of the States members of nuclear-weapon-free zones.

Mr. Chairman,

Taking into consideration the Final Document of the 2000 Conference, particularly in relation to the safe transport of radioactive materials, an issue that is cause for great concern in world public opinion and in coastal States along which vessels with this type of fuel transit, owing to the potentially catastrophic consequences that a disaster may have on the coasts and in the maritime environment of these States, my delegation wishes to reiterate what it has already stated in a number of international forums concerned with this matter, and to stress the need to continue to work at the multilateral level to complete the gaps in the international legal order in the area of security measures for this type of transport. In particular, those aspects related to guarantees of non-pollution of the marine environment, exchange of information about selected routes, communication of contingency plans in the event of accidents, commitment to recover materials in case of spillage and the availability of effective mechanisms governing responsibility in case of nuclear damage.

Mr. Chairman,

The Chilean delegation agrees with the position stated by other delegations that this preparatory meeting should be a forum for comprehensive debate that reflects the agenda of this meeting, with a view to ensuring that, upon conclusion of this preparatory session, you may submit to us a document that reflects in a balanced manner the most important of the various views expressed in the debate, with the aim of obtaining guidelines for future preparatory meetings and for the work of the 2005 Review Conference.

In this connection, we also wish to recall the outcome of the last NPT Review Conference and, in particular, the unequivocal commitment given at that Conference by the nuclear-weapon States to progress towards the complete elimination of their nuclear arsenals.

It is important to remember that the NPT is not an end in itself but a starting point for negotiations and concrete measures to facilitate progress towards effective nuclear disarmament, in which, while non-nuclear States fulfil their obligation not to develop this type of weapons, nuclear-weapon States progress towards their irreversible elimination. It is thus a clear programme of action aimed at achieving the total elimination of such weapons. Chile therefore does not support an international order based on the unchanging existence of a group of States that possess nuclear weapons vis-à-vis the great majority of States that have proscribed them.

It is therefore important to stress the need to implement the decisions of the 1995 Conference with a view to continuing the efforts of the international community and of the Temporary Secretariat of the CTBTO to achieve the early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, to which Chile is a party.

Also of the greatest importance in that connection is the will of the international community to move forward without delay in the negotiations aimed at reaching agreement on a fissile material cut-off treaty.

It is also essential to adopt measures to strengthen and enhance the effectiveness of the nuclear safeguards provided in the draft Additional Protocol adopted by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Mr. Chairman,

Our delegation hopes that the outcome of this preparatory meeting will be a renewed spirit of confidence in the validity and effectiveness of the NPT mechanisms, in a context of transparency and universality that permits the accession of those States that have not yet done so, in order to advance resolutely and firmly towards the achievement of the goals of non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament.