PRESS RELEASE

8 April 1997

South Africa Sees Nuclear Non-Proliferation Problems in NATO Expansion and European Deterrence and Calls for a Legal Guarantee Against Nuclear Attack from Britain, China France, Russia and US by 2000

At the first meeting of the new review process for the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), South Africa today criticized plans for the expansion of NATO, in particular its nuclear aspects, and the discussions about a continuing role for nuclear deterrence in Europe. K.J. Jele, South African Ambassador to the United Nations, said:

"We would, however, like to place on record our concern about the non-proliferation implications of the plans for the expansion of NATO and the proposals which have been made for a dialogue in Europe on the future role of nuclear deterrence in the context of the European Defence Policy. The planned expansion of NATO would entail an increase in the number of non-nuclear-weapon States which participate in nuclear training, planning and decision-making and which have an element of nuclear deterrence in their defence policies."

The issue of NATO's continued reliance on nuclear weapons and the implications for expanding the "nuclear guarantee" to more states will continue to be an issue throughout the two-week long meeting.

South Africa wants the meeting to begin negotiating a treaty on negative security assurances, binding the nuclear weapon states never to use their nuclear weapons against a state without nuclear weapons, even in the event of war involving the use of chemical or biological weapons. A general commitment along these lines has been made by the nuclear weapon states to NPT parties, but they have so far rejected providing this guarantee in treaty form. The NPT decisions of 1995 included a commitment to consider such a treaty. South Africa is now asking the nuclear weapon states to honour their commitments by agreeing the treaty by the year 2000.

The meeting, which began yesterday, has the job of recommending better means of implementing the NPT. It is the first Preparatory Committee meeting for the year 2000 Review Conference of the Treaty. At the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference, the parties gave the Preparatory Committees a new substantive and forward looking mandate in the review process.

South Africa, which built and later destroyed a small nuclear arsenal and subsequently joined the NPT, has played a key role in the development of the nuclear non-proliferation regime. It was South Africa's proposals at the 1995 NPT Conference that led to the package of agreements that made the Treaty permanent, created the stronger review process now underway, and established of a set of goals in Principles and Objectives for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament including a call for a treaty on negative security assurances.

'South Africa is trying to make the world a safer place. The Western powers are refusing to guarantee not to use their nuclear weapons against countries without the bomb while guaranteeing that they will now use their nuclear weapons to 'defend' Poland, Hungary and the Czechs, preparing the ground for the 'Eurobomb' and continuing to train Turks, Belgians, Greeks, Dutch, Germans and Italians pilots to drop H bombs', said Daniel Plesch, BASIC's director.

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