Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 March 2005
159 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on whether the international treaty governing nuclear threat and proliferation did not envisage a reduction in nuclear weapons by the existing nuclear powers; his further views on whether the construction of such treaties in the narrower sense of dealing only with new countries seeking nuclear capacity is a serious distortion of such a treaty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7735/05]
View answerI assume the Deputy is referring to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, NPT, which entered into force in 1970. The NPT has three pillars; disarmament, non-proliferation and the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Ireland has a particularly close association with the NPT, which is the most universal of all of the multilateral instruments in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation. In 1958 one of my predecessors, Frank Aiken, put forward a proposal for such a treaty at the United Nations and the discussions and negotiations in subsequent sessions of the General Assembly led in 1961 to agreement on the concept which was enshrined in Resolution 1661, a document which has become known as the Irish resolution. When the treaty itself had been negotiated and was opened for signature Ireland was privileged to have been the first country to have signed and ratified the NPT. Since then, efforts to strengthen the treaty and to ensure respect for all its provisions have been our highest priority in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation.
According to Article VI of the treaty each of the parties including the five nuclear weapon states parties, China, France, Russian Federation, UK and US, undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures leading to nuclear disarmament. The central bargain of the treaty, that the non-nuclear weapons states would not develop such weapons in return for which the nuclear powers would reduce and eventually eliminate their nuclear weapons, was further refined in 1995 and 2000. In 1995 the non-nuclear weapon states agreed to the indefinite extension of the non-proliferation treaty provided that the nuclear powers pursued nuclear disarmament. In 2000 the nuclear powers made an unequivocal undertaking to eliminate their nuclear arsenals and all parties adopted a practical plan for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament.
The progress which can be achieved by the NPT States parties if there is sufficient political will was evident in the conclusions of the final document of the 2000 review conference which provided a realistic blueprint for achieving nuclear disarmament. The thirteen practical steps for the systematic and progressive efforts to implement Article VI, which included the unequivocal undertaking by the nuclear weapons states, were agreed by consensus.
Ireland, as a member of the new agenda coalition, NAC, was actively involved in the negotiations on the final document of the 2000 review conference of the NPT. Since that time the NAC has strongly advocated the implementation of these steps by all parties to the NPT, particularly the five nuclear weapons states. We remain determined to pursue the full and effective implementation of the substantial agreement reached at the 2000 NPT review conference.
Ireland continues to believe the only guarantee against the use or threat of use of weapons of mass destruction including nuclear weapons is their complete elimination and the assurance that they will never be used or produced again. There is a tendency in some quarters to stress its non-proliferation aspects to the neglect of the disarmament provisions of the NPT. We believe, however, that both aspects are important and are firmly convinced that disarmament and non-proliferation are mutually reinforcing processes. However, we do not believe that lack of progress in disarmament justifies any moves towards proliferation.
As the cornerstone of the nuclear non-proliferation regime and the essential foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament, it is vital that the integrity of the treaty is upheld. This in our view means respecting all of the treaty's provisions and the commitments freely undertaken at review conferences.
The next NPT review conference, which is to take place in May this year in New York, will be a pivotal event in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation. Ireland will work within the European Union, the NAC and with other key partners ahead of and during the NPT review conference in seeking agreement on a solid basis for a successful outcome.
