Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 31 March 2004
94 Mr. Cuffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which the Government is pushing other EU member states to decommission their nuclear weapons in advance of a conference on nuclear disarmament to be held at the United Nations in New York in April 2004; and if it is the policy of the Government to work towards making Europe a nuclear free zone. [7218/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe upcoming third preparatory committee for the 2005 review conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is a pivotal event in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation in 2004. The NPT is the cornerstone of the nuclear non-proliferation regime and the essential foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament. The treaty has three pillars, namely, peaceful use of nuclear energy, non-proliferation and disarmament.
According to Article VI of the treaty, which entered into force in 1970, each of the parties, including the five nuclear weapon states parties, China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States, undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures leading to nuclear disarmament. At the 2000 review conference further progress was made on this aspect of the treaty with an unequivocal undertaking by the nuclear weapons states to accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals and agreement on 13 practical steps, to be taken by them, that would lead to nuclear disarmament.
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 nuclear non-proliferation treaty, which was agreed by consensus. Since that time, Ireland and our partners in the new agenda coalition have advocated the implementation of these steps by all parties to the non-proliferation treaty, particularly the five nuclear weapons states. In the NAC ministerial declaration in September last year, my colleagues and I expressed our deep concern at the lack of progress to date in the implementation of the 13 steps agreed in 2000.
Work on disarmament and non-proliferation issues is also ongoing in the EU context with efforts to universalise multilateral treaties and agreements, such as the NPT, and to mainstream political dialogue on such issues within the Common Foreign and Security Policy. These are measures within the framework of the EU strategy against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, WMD, which was adopted by Heads of State and Government at the European Council in December 2003.
The WMD strategy underlines the European Union's particular commitment to the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The EU believes that all our efforts should be aimed at preserving and strengthening this fundamental instrument of international peace and security. The EU supports wholeheartedly the objectives laid down in the treaty and is committed to the effective implementation of the final document of the 2000 NPT review conference and the decisions and resolution adopted at the 1995 review and extension conference.
Ireland, as the holder of the EU Presidency, will work within the Union and with key partners ahead of and during the NPT preparatory committee in seeking agreement on a solid basis a successful outcome to the review cycle. Ireland continues to believe that 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. We remain committed to disarmament and non-proliferation and to the full implementation of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and 2000 final document in the European and global contexts.
