Vol. 519 No. 1
86 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the recent concern expressed by the UN Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan, regarding the development of a "star wars" type national missile defence, which he said could lead to a new arms race; if the Government has made known its posi tion to any such development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13084/00]
The anti-ballistic missile treaty is a cornerstone of nuclear arms reductions and nuclear disarmament. I share the concerns of the Secretary General of the United Nations that any action which would undermine this treaty could result in a resumption of the nuclear arms race. Last autumn at the General Assembly Ireland supported a resolution which underlined the need to uphold this treaty.
The new agenda proposals, which have been recently submitted to the NPT review conference currently meeting in New York by Ireland and a number of other countries, stress that the Treaty on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems remains a cornerstone of strategic stability and underline the responsibility of its states parties to preserve its integrity.
