Conference on Disarmament Statement by Ambassador BRASACK , Statement on Negative Security Assurances, Geneva 13 February 2007

Madame President,

• I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union.

• At the outset, Madame President, allow me to congratulate Ambassador Meyer of Canada and Ambassador da Rocha Paranhos of Brazil on the assumption of the post as Coordinators, for Item 3 and Item 4 of our agenda, respectively. The EU would like to assure you, Madame President, as well as all Coordinators, of our full support in your efforts to guide and lead our work.

• The EU welcomes this debate in the CD on Effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, in continuation of last year’s focussed structured debates, dedicated to the issue which remains important on the international disarmament and non-proliferation agenda.

• As was already made clear in the EU Common Position of 25 April 2005 on the 2005 NPT Review Conference, by which we stand, the EU is supportive to pursue consideration of the issue of security assurances to the non-nuclear-weapon States Parties to the NPT. We recall in this context the relevant aspects of the Decision no 2 adopted at the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference and of the Final Document of the 2000 NPT Review Conference, and bear in mind the current situation. As stated in the EU Strategy against proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, adopted by the European Council in December 2003 and again in  the EU Common Position  on the 2005 NPT Review Conference, positive and negative security assurances can play an important role: they can serve both as an incentive to forego the acquisition of weapons of mass destruction and as a deterrent. The EU will promote further consideration of security assurances.

Madame President,

• In the context of effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, the EU continues to attach great importance to the development of internationally recognized Nuclear Weapon Free Zones, established on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at among States of the regions concerned as elaborated in the guidelines adopted by the UNDC in its 1999 substantive session. The EU also recalls that Nuclear Weapon Free Zones must assure the total absence of nuclear weapons from the territories concerned.  Nuclear Weapon Free Zones enhance regional and global peace and security and are a means to promote nuclear disarmament, stability and confidence. Implementing Nuclear Weapon Free Zones is a way of enhancing negative security assurances on a regional basis.

• The EU notes that NSAs can also be granted on a bilateral, multilateral and regional basis.

• The EU in particular calls on all States in the Middle East to make that region into an effectively verifiable zone free of nuclear weapons and other WMD and their delivery systems, in keeping with the Resolution on the Middle East adopted at the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference.

• The EU reiterates its commitment to a Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons.

• As contemplated in the guidelines adopted by the UNDC in 1999, every zone is the outcome of specific circumstances and must reflect the diversity of situations existing within it. Every Nuclear Weapon Free Zone must be a well defined geographical entity.

• We call on nuclear-weapon States to reaffirm, in the appropriate fora, existing security assurances noted by the United Nations Security Council in Resolution 984(1995) and to sign and ratify the relevant protocols on Nuclear Weapon Free Zones, drawn up following the requisite consultations, recognizing that Treaty-based security assurances are available to such zones.

Madame President,

• The momentum in the CD that developed last year and is maintained and further enhanced by this year’s P6 proposal for an Organizational Framework could also add new perspectives for further considering the issue of NSAs in a more substantial way. Already in its statement in the opening session of the CD on 24 January 2007 the EU recalled its support for pursuing the consideration of security assurances to the non-nuclear weapon States Parties to the NPT.

• I thank you very much.