Total elimination of WMD is top priority: Iran's UN envoy

EghtesadOnline: Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations Golamali Khoshroo expressed grave concern over the threat posed to humankind by the existing weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons, and underlined the need for their total elimination.

News ID: ۷۳۶۱۸۳

24 August 2016

Addressing a Security Council Open Debate on Non-Proliferation of Weapns of Mass Destruction on behalf of Non-Aligned Movement on Tuesday, Khoshroo said the Movement is satisfied with the consensus among States on measures to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction and, in this regard, welcomes the adoption by consensus of General Assembly Resolution 70/36 entitled 'Measures to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction'.

Underlining the need for this threat to humanity to be addressed within the UN framework and through international cooperation, NAM calls upon all States to support international efforts to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction. NAM also urges all States to take and strengthen national measures, as appropriate, to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction, their means of delivery and materials and technologies related to their manufacture, said the ambassador, reports IRNA.

The following is the full text of Mr. Khoshroo's speech at the United Nations Security Council:

Mr. President
I have the honor to speak on behalf of the member States of the Non-Aligned Movement. I appreciate the Malaysian presidency of the Council for convening this open debate.

NAM member States express grave concern over the threat posed to humankind by the existing weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons, and underline the need for their total elimination.

The Movement is satisfied with the consensus among States on measures to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction and, in this regard, welcomes the adoption by consensus of General Assembly Resolution 70/36 entitled 'Measures to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction'.

Underlining the need for this threat to humanity to be addressed within the UN framework and through international cooperation, NAM calls upon all States to support international efforts to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction. NAM also urges all States to take and strengthen national measures, as appropriate, to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction, their means of delivery and materials and technologies related to their manufacture.

Noting the adoption of resolutions 1540, 1673, 1810 and 1977 by the Security Council, the Movement underlines the need to ensure that any action by the Security Council does not undermine the UN Charter and existing multilateral treaties on weapons of mass destruction and of international Organizations established in this regard, as well as the role of the General Assembly.

NAM further cautions against the continuing practice of the Security Council to utilize its authority to define the legislative requirements for Member States in implementing Security Council decisions. In this regard, the Movement stresses the importance of the issue of non-State actors acquiring weapons of mass destruction to be addressed in an inclusive manner by the General Assembly, taking into account the views of all Member States.

Member States of the Movement express their deepest concern over the immediate, indiscriminate, and massive death and destruction caused by any nuclear weapon detonation and its long term catastrophic consequences on human health, environment, and other vital economic resources, thus endangering the life of present and future generations. They reiterate further their deep concern at the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons, and in this context reaffirm the need for all States at all times to comply with applicable international law, including international humanitarian law.

Reaffirming that nuclear disarmament remains its highest priority, the Movement stresses the importance of ensuring that efforts aimed at nuclear non-proliferation are parallel to simultaneous efforts aimed at nuclear disarmament, which, as a multilateral legal obligation, also should not be made conditional on confidence building measures or other disarmament efforts.

NAM expresses deep concern over the slow pace of progress towards nuclear disarmament and the lack of progress by the Nuclear-Weapon States to accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals in accordance with their relevant multilateral legal obligations. Accordingly, the Movement calls upon the Nuclear- Weapon States to fulfill their multilateral legal obligations on nuclear disarmament and to implement the unequivocal undertaking they provided in 2000 and further reiterated in 2010, so as to accomplish the total elimination of nuclear weapons.

Concerned with the improvements in existing nuclear weapons and the development of new types of nuclear weapons, as provided for in the military doctrines of some Nuclear- Weapon States, as well as the strategic defense doctrines of the Nuclear-Weapon States, including the 'NATO Alliance Strategic Concept', which not only set out rationales for the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, but also maintain unjustifiable concepts on international security based on promoting and developing military alliances and nuclear deterrence policies, NAM strongly calls upon them to exclude completely the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons from their military and security doctrines. in this context NAM also stresses the need for effective measures in order to prevent the emergence new types of weapons of mass destruction, as reaffirmed by the UN GA resolution 69/27 on the prohibition of the development and manufacture of new types of weapons of mass destruction and new systems of such weapons.

Mr. President

Reaffirming the absolute validity of multilateral diplomacy in the field of disarmament and non proliferation, NAM reiterates its determination to promote multilateralism as the core principle of negotiations in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation.

Concerned with the current difficult and complex situation in the field of disarmament and international security, and underlining the need for renewed efforts to resolve the current impasse in achieving nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation in all its aspects, member States of the Movement call on the Conference on Disarmament, as the sole multilateral negotiating body on disarmament, to agree by consensus on a balanced and comprehensive programme of work without any further delay, taking into account the security interests of all States. In particular, they emphasize the necessity to start negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament, without further delay, on a comprehensive nuclear weapons convention that sets, inter alia, a phased programme for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons with a specified framework of time.

NAM highlights the importance of focusing international public attention on the dangers of nuclear weapons and the advantages of nuclear disarmament for development as well as for international peace and security. Welcoming UN meetings and activities for the commemoration of 26 September, as the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, NAM invites Member States, the UN system and the civil society, including non-governmental organizations, academia, parliamentarians, the mass media and individuals, to commemorate and promote that International Day through all means of educational and public awareness-raising activities.

The Movement reaffirms that the total elimination of nuclear weapons is the only absolute guarantee against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, and pending the total elimination of nuclear weapons, calls for the early commencement of negotiations on effective, universal, unconditional, non-discriminatory, irrevocable and legally binding security assurances to all non nuclear-weapon States by all the nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons under all circumstances as a matter of high priority.

Highlighting the role of Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones created by the treaties of Tlatelolco, Rarotonga, Bangkok, Pelindaba, Semipalatinsk, as well as Mongolia's Nuclear-Weapon-Fee Status, as positive steps and important measures towards strengthening global nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation, NAM calls upon all the nuclear-weapon States to ratify related protocols to all treaties establishing nuclear-weapon-free zones, withdraw any reservations or interpretative declarations incompatible with their object and purpose, and respect the denuclearization status of these zones.

In this context, member States of the Non-Aligned Movement reiterate their full support for the establishment in the Middle East of a zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction, and as a priority step to this end, reaffirm the need for the speedy establishment of a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in the Middle East. Pending its establishment, they demand on Israel, the only country in the region that has not joined the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) nor declared its intention to do so, to renounce possession of nuclear weapons, to accede to the NPT without precondition and further delay, to place promptly all its nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency full-scope safeguards according to Security Council Resolution 487 and to conduct its nuclear related activities in conformity with the non-proliferation regime.

Concerned with the persistence of undue restrictions on exports to developing countries of material, equipment and technology, for peaceful purposes, NAM member States underscore that adoption of measures to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction must not be used as a pretext or leverage to impose restrictions on exports to developing countries of material, equipment and technology, for peaceful purposes, including in particular to violate, deny or restrict the inalienable right of developing countries to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination.

Mr. President

NAM States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention emphasize its important role in the international legal architecture related to Weapons of Mass Destruction, and in particular, in the total prohibition on all biological and toxin weapons, and reaffirm that the possibility of any use of bacteriological (biological) agents and toxins as weapons should be completely excluded, and the conviction that such use would be repugnant to the conscience of humankind. They recognize the particular importance of strengthening the Convention through the resumption of the multilateral negotiations for a legally binding Protocol dealing with all Articles of the Convention, in a balanced and comprehensive manner, including through verification measures, bearing in mind that the lack of such verification regime poses a challenge to the effectiveness of the Convention, and urge the party rejecting negotiations to reconsider its policy.

Moreover, NAM States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention reaffirm the effective contribution of the Convention to international and regional peace and security, which can be enhanced through its full implementation. They express their serious concern that certain possessor States Parties did not meet their obligations regarding the deadlines for the total elimination of chemical weapons, and therefore, urge all possessor State Parties to take every necessary measure to ensure their compliance with their 'Detailed plan for the destruction of Chemical Weapons remaining after the final extended destruction deadline of29 April2012', in the shortest time possible, in order to uphold the credibility and integrity of the Convention.

NAM member States condemn the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic, which reinforces the absolute necessity to eliminate all chemical weapons. In this regard, they acknowledge the accession of the Syrian Arab Republic to the Convention and the commitment to implement its obligations. They furthermore encouraged the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic to continue its commitment towards the elimination of the country's chemical weapons programme.

In conclusion, Mr. President, I would like to reiterate the willingness of the Movement to cooperate with other partners in addressing the threats posed to humankind by the existing weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons.