With less than two months before the start of the Seventh Review Conference of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, non-governmental organizations are working hard to pressure their governments to formulate progressive policies to strengthen the NPT.
This NPT Advisory offers news from Australia, the European Union and the United Kingdom on the policies and strategies of those countries going into the Review. Item number 4 offers excerpts from the UK parliament on a recent debate (March 8) on the NPT and the Review Conference. Please note that emphasis is added by RCW, and is not found in the original transcript.
What similar efforts are you and your organization working on in your own countries? Send an email to Reaching Critical Will and we will help work to ensure the widest dissemination of your information as possible. What is your government planning on doing to ensure that this Review Conference will strengthen the disarmament and nonproliferation bargains of the treaty??
In this NPT Advisory:
1) Reminder that registration for the NPT is open
2) Notice of motion in the Australian Senate on the NPT Review Conference
3) the EU Parliament adopts resolution on the NPT
4) the UK Parliament debates the NPT
5) UK Parliamentary motions on the NPT
And, as always, this and all other E-News advisories from Reaching Critical Will is archived at:http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/action/Advisories05.html
1) Reminder that registraton for the NPT is open
All NGOs wishing to participate at the NPT Review Conference must apply for accreditation at the UN Department for Disarmament Affairs.
To apply, your organization must send:
1) A letter written on organizational letterhead requesting attendance at the Conference. This letter should include the composition of the delegation, and an overview of past interactions between the organization and the United Nations in relation to disarmament and non-proliferation issues in particular. These interactions may include conferences attended, co-sponsorship of events, consultative status with the Economic and Social Council-ECOSOC, affiliation with the Department of Public Information-DPI, etc.
2) A mission statement or summary of work.
This information should be sent by fax to Gary DeRosa at: (212) 963 8892 no later than 15 April. Note that names of representatives of your delegation cannot be changed once submitted, due to security reasons.
In April, you will be notified if your application was accepted or rejected. Once you come to New York, you must register at the UN itself. For more information on registration, be sure to read the DDA Aide Memoire here:http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/legal/npt/RevCon05/aide.doc.
Please note also that the DDA is unable to make any arrangements for visas.
2) Notice of Motion in the Australian Senate on the NPT Review Conference
Senator Lyn Allison
9 March 2005
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference
I give notice that on the next day of sitting, I shall move that the Senate:
a) Notes the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference commencing in NY on May 1 2005 and the vital importance of the NPT as an instrument of both nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation,
b) Expresses its deep concern over
i) the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and.
ii) the danger to humanity posed by the possible use of nuclear weapons.Â
c) Acknowledges the significant steps taken towards nuclear disarmament since the previous NPT Review Conference including the signing of the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty between Russia and the United States in 2002 and calls for the full implementation of all relevant articles of the Treaty including Articles I and II on non-proliferation and Article VI on the achievement of general and complete disarmament.
d) Affirms the vital importance of the unequivocal undertaking made at the 2000 NPT Review conference by the nuclear weapons states, to accomplish the elimination of nuclear weapons arsenals, and of the 13 steps agreed to at that meeting.
e) Urges the Government to
i) pursue a balanced and integrated approach on both disarmament and non-proliferation at the NTP Review Conference.
ii) call on the nuclear weapons states and nuclear capable states not to develop new types of nuclear weapons, in accordance with their commitment to diminish the role of nuclear weapons in security policies;
iii) call for concrete agreed steps by nuclear weapons states and nuclear -capable states to lower the operating status of nuclear weapons systems in their possession, as called for by Australia's L23 Path to a Nuclear Free World.
f) Welcomes the appeal, signed by 25 Nobel prize-winners, calling on the governments of the United States, Russia, China, France, and the UK, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea, to support and implement steps to lower the operational status of their nuclear weapon systems in order to reduce the risk of nuclear catastrophe;
g) Notes and strongly affirms continued efforts by the Government to secure universal adherence to, and ratification of, the CTBT and urges the Government to press for the early entry into force of the CTBT.
h) Requests that this resolution is conveyed to the foreign ministries and UN missions of all participants in the NPT Review conference, the UN secretary-general, the Director- General of the IAEA, and the Chair of the 2005 NPT Review conference, as well as India, Pakistan and Israel.
3) The EU Parliament adopts resolution on the NPT adopted on 9 March 2005
Motion for a European Parliament resolution on Non Proliferation Treaty 2005 Review Conference Nuclear Arms in North Korea and in Iran
A) Taking into account and reiterating its previous resolutions on nuclear disarmament and in particular its resolution of 26 February 2004 on the Non-Proliferation Treaty Preparatory Committee in May 2004,
B) Underlining that the European Security Strategy concept and the EU's Strategy on Weapons of Mass Destruction, as adopted by the enlarged EU emphasises the importance of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament,
C) Recognizing that all the EU Member States are States party to the NPT and two EU Member States are Nuclear Weapons States as defined in the NPT,
D) Recalling the UN Secretary General's High-Level Panel on UN reform stating that "we are approaching a point in which the erosion of the non-proliferaton regime could become irreversible and result in a cascade of proliferation,
1. Reaffirms its position that the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is of vital importance for the prevention of the proliferation of nuclear weapons and for nuclear disarmament;,
2. Recalls that the EU's and the NPT's ultimate objective is the complete elimination of nuclear weapons and expects the declared and undeclared nuclear weapon states to engage actively with this issue and to make further progress towards reducing and eliminating nuclear weapons;
3. Calls upon the EU and its Member States - in a spirit of 'effective multilateralism' and solidarity and in pursuit of the EU Strategy Against the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction - to form a common front at the NPT Review Conference in 2005, and make a positive contribution to the discussions; urges that their statements attach special importance to new initiatives on nuclear disarmament and the revitalisation of the UN Conference on Disarmament;
4. Calls upon the Council and the Member States to add further substance to their common statement that 'the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) must be preserved and - in support of the Union's Common Position on the Universalisation and Reinforcement of Multilateral Agreements in the Field of Non-proliferation of WMD and their Means of Delivery - to make a statement on the EU's Common Position and the EU Strategy at the Review Conference;
5. Calls upon the Council and the Member States to work towards the effective implementation of point 15.3. of the Final Declaration of the 2000 NPT Review Conference in order to achieve a treaty effectively banning the production of all weapons making use of fissile materials;
6. Calls upon the EU to work with its international partners, including NATO, to develop and promote the principles to prevent terrorists, or those that harbour them, from gaining access to weapons and materials of mass destruction; asks the States' parties to fulfill their commitments made in the UN Security Council resolution 1540 on non-state actors and proliferation of nuclear weapons;
7. Calls upon the Council and the Commission to set up a programme aimed at preventing the proliferation of nuclear materials, technology and knowledge in the world;
8. Calls upon all states, and nuclear weapon states in particular, not to provide assistance or encourage states which may seek to acquire nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, in particular those states which are not parties to the Non-proliferation Treaty;
9. Stresses its strong belief that nuclear disarmament activity will contribute significantly to international security and strategic stability and also reduce the risk of thefts of plutonium or High Enriched Uranium by terrorists; urges the EU to support the new initiative at the international level on new nuclear dangers as proposed by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and by Mohammed ElBaradei, director of the IAEA, on the need to secure nuclear disarmament by Nuclear Weapons States both acknowledged and unacknowledged,
10. Urges the EU to work hard for the establishment of the Model Nuclear Weapons Convention, as has already been deposited at the UN and which could provide a framework of steps within a legally binding disarmament process;
11. Calls upon the Luxembourg Presidency and the Council to provide further substance by outlining how they aim to achieve their common objective in the EU WMD Strategy to 'foster the role of the UN Security Council, and enhance expertise in meeting the challenge of proliferation'; and specifically how the states parties to the NPT might retain the unique verification and inspection experience of UNMOVIC, for example by means of a roster of experts;
12. Calls upon the Council and the Commission to come forward with a proposal to persuade third states and the EU Member States, who have not done so, to sign and ratify the IAEA Additional Protocols;
13. Calls upon the Council and the Member States to clarify and step up their commitment to releasing financial resources to support specific projects conducted by multilateral institutions, such as the IAEA;
14. Calls upon the EU to propose, at the Review Conference in 2005, that the appropriate subsidiary body on nuclear disarmament be established by the UN Commission on Disarmament without further delay;
15. Calls upon the EU to develop the necessary coordination mechanisms (the EU's WMD Monitoring Unit in liaison with the EU Situation Centre) to ensure that intelligence is used to build solidarity and confidence between the Member States on WMD policy;
16. Stresses the importance and urgency of signature and ratification, without delay and without conditions and in accordance with institutional processes, to achieve the earliest possible entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty; calls on the Council and the Commission to insist on this in the dialogue with those State partners which have not yet ratified the CTBT and/or the NPT;
17. Reiterates its call upon the USA to stop the development of new generations of battlefield nuclear weapons (bunkerbusters) and to sign and ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty; calls as well on the USA to clarify the situation of the quantity and strategic objectives of its tactical nuclear arsenals stationed on European bases;
18. Calls on Israel, India an Pakistan to become State Parties to the NPT;
19. Welcomes the appeal, signed by 25 Nobel prizewinners, calling on the governments of the United States, Russia, China, France, and the UK, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea, to support and implement steps to lower the operational status of their nuclear weapon systems in order to reduce the risk of nuclear catastrophe; supports the proposal made by the High Representative for Common Foreign Security Policy (CFSP) of the EU for the establishment of a "nuclear free zone" in the Middle East and asks that an effort will be made to this end;
20. Renews its support for the international Mayors' campaign - initiated by the Mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki - on nuclear disarmament and recommends the international community to carefully consider the Campaign's 'Project Vision 2020', urging a scheduled program of eliminiation of all nuclear weapons;
21. welcomes the inclusion of Non Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction clauses in the latest EU agreements with third countries and actions plans; points out that such measures must be implemented by all the EU partner countries without exception ;
22. Stresses that the prevention of any threat to the security of any country requires a commitment by the international community; emphasises the need for stronger regional and multilateral security structures in the Middle East, the Indian sub-continent and North-East Asia in order to reduce the pressure towards nuclear proliferation and to achieve the abandonment of nuclear programmes;
23. Calls for all political and diplomatic avenues to be explored in order to secure a peaceful settlement to the conflicts linked with nuclear proliferation;
on Iran
24. notes with concern that Hassan Rowhani, secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, reiterated on 27 February 2005 that Teheran would not give up its "right under the NPT to enrich uranium" and calls upon the Iranian authorities to stop making confusing and contradictory statements;
25. takes note that Russia and Iran on 27 February 2005 signed a nuclear fuel supply agreement paving the way for Iran to start up its first atomic reactor in Bushehr next year and obliging Teheran to repatriate all spent nuclear fuel to Russia;
26. Calls the Council to take an initiative with the Government of the Russian Federation to obtain guarantees that its recent agreement with Iran on the delivery of nuclear material is solely intended for civilian use, and to ensure support for the EU diplomatic efforts; counts on the International Energy Agency (IAEA) to monitor closely the fuel transfers between Russia and Iran;
27. Welcomes IAEA Director Mohamad ElBaradei's declaration at the end of January 2005 about the progress being made by the agency's nuclear safeguard inspectors over the last 15 months in understanding the nature and scope of Iran's nuclear programme;
28.Reaffirms its full support for the Paris agreement of 15 November, in which Iran made the commitment to suspend its uranium enrichment programme, and to the EU 3 approach of dialogue with the Iranian authorities in order to ensure a peaceful and diplomatic solution to the nuclear issues concerning this country and calls for objective guarantees from the Iranian government as to the non-military nature of its nuclear programme;
29. Calls upon Iran to reaffirm its commitment to the NPT and to make permanent its decision to suspend uranium enrichment, thus providing lasting confidence in the peaceful nature of Iran's intentions and paving the way for a cooperative partnership between the EU and Iran; insists that the negotiations on a Trade and Cooperation Agreement should be seen in parallel with a satisfactory conclusion of the nuclear issue and the establishment of reassuring verifications measures;
30. Calls on the Council and the Commission to enter into negociations with the Iranian authorities on the transfer of technology and know how as well as financial support for renewable energy;
31.Calls on the Iranian Parliament to conclude the parliamentary ratification of the additional protocol to the Non-Proliferation Treaty;
32.Calls on the US government to fully support the EU diplomatic approach to resolving this problem, considers this question as essential for a renewed transatlantic agenda and welcomes the recent US statement on this matter, as well as earlier assertions not to engage in preventive military action against Iran;
On North Korea
33. is deeply concerned that North Korea on 10 February 2005 declared that it possesses nuclear weapons and suspended its participation in the six-party-talks on its nuclear programme for an indefinite period of time;
34. Notes the North Korean statement that their 'end objective is a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula' and urges it to abide by its obligations under NPT and its government and other parties involved to take concrete steps in negotiations and to adopt a constructive approach;
35.Urges North Korea to rejoin the NPT, to revoke its decision to withdraw from the six-party-talks and to allow the resumption of negotiations in order to find a peaceful solution to the crisis in the Korean peninsula;
36.Urges both North Korea and the US to enable a speedy resolution of the current crisis, initially by offering to recommence the supply of Heavy Fuel Oil in exchange for a verified freezing of the Yongbyon plant, to avoid further deterioration of the current situation;
37. Urges Council to reconsider paying Euro 4 million of suspension costs for KEDO to South Korea, taking into account that this initiative played a significant role in the recent past and recognises that it could well serve to supply conventional energy in the future;
38. Believes that the EU should support renewed efforts to enable the DPRK to renounce the further use of nuclear energy in exchange for guaranteed energy supplies;
39. Calls on Council and Commission to offer financial support for heavy fuel oil supplies to remedy North Korea's primary energy needs and asks Commission and Council to make the necessary approaches regarding EU participation in future 'Six Party Talks' at the same time making clear that 'No Say, No Pay' is a principle which the EU will follow regarding the Korean Peninsula;
40. Is aware that central to the ongoing crisis are the claims that North Korea has firstly a full fledged Highly Enriched Uranium Programme and has supplied Uranium to Libya; however, considering that neither of these claims have been substantiated, asks for a public hearing in the European Parliament to evaluate the claims;
41. Calls upon both the Council and the Commission to present a progress report to the European Parliament on the outcome of the NPT Review Conference in due time after the end of the Conference;
42. Decides to establish an official delegation to attend the NPT Review conference;
43. Invites its President to forward this resolution to the Luxembourg Presidency, the Commission, the Council, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the UN Secretary-General, to both governments and parliaments of Iran and North Korea, to all States Parties to the Convention as well as to the IAEA.
end
4) The UK Parliament Debates the NPT
8 Mar 2005
Non-Proliferation Review
2 pm
(This segment was featured in the original March 10 Advisory but is not archived here for space purposes. If you wish to read this segment, contact the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
5) UK Parliamentary Motions on the NPT
EDM 637
NUCLEAR ABOLITION TOUR 01.02.05
Llew Smith
Ms Diane Abbott Mr Harry Barnes Mr Harold Best
Mr Ronnie Campbell Mr Martin Caton Mr David Chaytor
Mr Michael Clapham Harry Cohen Mr Iain Coleman
Mr Tony Colman Mr Michael Connarty Frank Cook
Jeremy Corbyn Mr Jim Cousins Tom Cox
Mrs Ann Cryer Mr Tam Dalyell Mr Ian Davidson
Sue Doughty Mr David Drew Julia Drown
Mr Bill Etherington Mr Mark Fisher Paul Flynn
Dr Hywel Francis Mr Neil Gerrard Dr Ian Gibson
Mr Roger Godsiff Mr Win Griffiths David Hamilton
Dr Brian Iddon Glenda Jackson Lynne Jones
Mr David Lepper Mr Terry Lewis Alice Mahon
Chris McCafferty John McDonnell Mr Kevin McNamara
Mr Austin Mitchell Julie Morgan Dr Doug Naysmith
Linda Perham Adam Price Angus Robertson
Joan Ruddock Phil Sawford Mr Brian Sedgemore
Alan Simpson Mr Marsha Singh Mr Simon Thomas
Dr Jenny Tonge Dr Desmond Turner Dr Rudi Vis
Mr Robert N Wareing Mr Michael Weir Mrs Betty Williams
Mr Mike Wood
59 signatures
That this House warmly welcomes the national tour being conducted in February and March by the veteran and inveterate peace campaigner, and CND Vice-President, Bruce Kent, to draw attention to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference taking place in New York in May; supports the theme of the tour, as organised by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, to build the conditions to 'Abolish all nuks now', recognises that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) has since 1968 formed the basis for a near universal non-proliferation regime, with a commitment to nuclear disarmament at the heart of this; recalls that under the NPT, the nearly 200 non-nuclear weapons states promised not to obtain nuclear weapons in exchange for disarmament by existing nuclear weapons states, which unfortunately has not been implemented despite the requirements of Article Six of the NPT upon the nuclear weapons signatory states, comprising the UK, US, Russia, China and France; recalls that, at the 2000 NPT Review Conference, the nuclear weapons states made 'an unequivocal undertaking' towards nuclear disarmament and agreed on 13 steps towards disarmament; and calls upon the Government to honour this commitment.
EDM 871: http://edm.ais.co.uk/weblink/html/motion.html/ref=871
PRESIDENT BUSH AND THE NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY 09.03.05
Llew Smith
Ms Diane Abbott Mr Harold Best Mr Ronnie Campbell
Harry Cohen Jeremy Corbyn Mr David Drew
Mr Neil Gerrard John McDonnell Mr Robert N Wareing
10 signatures
"That this House welcomes President Bush's statement of 7th March in support of nuclear non-proliferation and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT); agrees with his observation that the NPT `represents a key legal barrier to nuclear weapons proliferation'; notes his reaffirmation of the determination of the United States `to carry out its treaty commitments'; agrees with his assertion that NPT parties `must take strong action to confront the threat of non compliance with the NPT in order to preserve and strengthen the Treaty's non-proliferation undertakings'; supports his policy statement not to allow rogue states that violate their commitments and defy the international community to undermine the NPT's fundamental role in strengthening international security; therefore calls on the United States Administration to honour its commitment under Article 1 of the NPT that `each nuclear-weapon state party to the Treaty undertakes not to transfer to any recipient whatsoever nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices or control over such weapons or explosive devices directly, or indirectly' and thus to cancel any further collaboration on the Trident nuclear WMD system; and also calls upon President Bush to honour Article 6 of the NPT that binds each of the parties to the Treaty to undertake to `pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament'; and calls upon the UK Government similarly to honour its equivalent commitments.
EDM 873: http://edm.ais.co.uk/weblink/html/motion.html/ref=873
NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY REVIEW CONFERENCE 2005 09.03.05
Mr David Chaytor
Jeremy Corbyn Mrs Ann Cryer Alice Mahon
Angus Robertson Alan Simpson Llew Smith
Mr Simon Thomas
8 signatures
'That this House recognises the overriding importance of the forthcoming Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference to be held between 2nd and 29th May; welcomes the visit to the United Kingdom of the Chairman of the Conference, Ambassador Sergio de Queiroz Duarte of Brazil; is deeply concerned about the Foreign Office's decision to rename the former Non-Proliferation Division as the Division for Counter Proliferation; is further concerned about the recent decision of the United States Administration to seek substantial budget increases for a new generation of small scale nuclear weapons; regrets that the United Kingdom has not yet implemented its unequivocal undertaking at the 2000 NPT Review Conference to work towards the total elimination of its nuclear arsenals by ruling out the replacement of the Trident nuclear weapons system at the end of its current operational life; and urges the Government to co-operate as closely as possible with Ambassador Duarte to ensure that the 2005 NPT Review Conference reinforces the progress that was achieved at the 2000 conference.
