Statement
by H. E. Dr. Javad Zarif
Permanent
Representative of the Islamic
before the
Fist Committee
In the
name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Mr. Chairman,
Allow
me to congratulate you at the outset and express the confidence that with your
diplomatic skill and experience, the Committee will conclude its work at this
important juncture with success. I seize this opportunity to also express my
special thanks and gratitude to Mr. Dhanapala, Under-Secretary-General for
Disarmament Affairs, for his leadership and dedication to promote the cause of disarmament.
The
current international situation is characterized by a reinvigorated global
effort to review the existing security doctrines in search of a new foundation
for fostering peace and security. The prevalent
international security paradigm has in fact proven incapable of providing a
comprehensive understanding of the new developments in international affairs,
much less articulating appropriate responses to them.
It
is self-evident that security has become a much more complex and multifaceted
issue. The traditional zero sum approach
to security which ultimately prescribes the enhancement of one’s security at
the expense of others seems to be a concept of the past. In a globalized and
interconnected world of common threats and common vulnerabilities, security
could no longer be attained without considering the interest of all and without
cooperation among all based on the principle of the equal right of all to peace
and security.
The new
threats to national, regional and even international security emanating from non-state
actors in fact shattered traditional security perceptions and calculations. Yet,
the response in terms of exacerbated recourse to unilateralism, greater reliance
on military hardware and emergence of national security strategies founded on a
new doctrine of pre-emption and an unprecedented new nuclear posture further aggravated
the situation. The emergence of a new phase in international arena requires a
different perspective on world affairs.
September
11th illustrated the imperative of revising the existing security
doctrines based on the acquisition of huge arsenals of weaponry including
nuclear weapons as claimed means of maintaining peace and stability. Weapons of mass destruction envisaged once to
guarantee the security of their possessors are today more than ever the sources
of real concern and dangerous tools in the hands of irresponsible entities. The Nuclear Weapon States have therefore a moral
and legal duty and obligation to pursue the total elimination of their
stockpiles in order to open the way to a complete global ban.
Today,
nuclear weapons serve no other purpose than to antagonize, and are in fact a persistent
menace to international peace and security.
Nuclear weapons continue to inhibit genuine confidence so essential in
reforming international relations and enhancing cooperation. The threats of nuclear arms are thus not
removed until and unless such weapons are eradicated and a nuclear weapon free
world is established.
This,
Mr. Chairman, is not just an ideal or utopian vision of our future; it is a
serious demand of the world community, supported by sound political and legal
assertions. The Nuclear Weapon States
are required and committed by the obligations to pursue systematic and
progressive efforts to reduce nuclear weapons globally with the ultimate goal
of their elimination. In this context, the preservation of nuclear weaponry for
future use, not only questions the credibility of bilateral arms control
efforts, but ignites more dangers for security through their possible
submission to accidents, misuse and terrorist attacks.
While
complete and verifiable nuclear disarmament is our collective goal and
commitment, the strengthening of the nuclear non-proliferation regime should be
accorded high priority on the international agenda. It is a source of grave
concern that the emergence of new doctrines, based on pre-emption and enlarging
the scope of the use of nuclear weapons, as defined in the Nuclear Posture
Review, undermine the very foundations of the non-proliferation regime with
grave consequences for the regional as well as international security
environment.
On the
positive side, I congratulate the Government of Cuba for its decision to accede
to the NPT. We sincerely hope that this initiative would serve as a further
step towards universality of the Treaty. I would also like to welcome the
realization of a nuclear weapon free zone in
Mr. Chairman,
The
individual and collective efforts by Nuclear Weapon States to reduce their
arsenals toward a total elimination of nuclear weapons should be complemented
through revitalization of nuclear disarmament negotiations on the agenda of the
Conference on Disarmament.
Unfortunately, disarmament negotiations have faced severe setbacks,
which in some important areas have undermined the decade-long endeavors by the
international community to ban weapons of mass destruction. The negotiations on a Protocol strengthening
the implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention, which was blocked at the
very final stage of its conclusion and adoption, await good will and practical
initiatives to exit from the impasse. The situation is more difficult to be
justified in an era which is overwhelmed by the threats of the weapons of mass
destruction.
Mr. Chairman,
The multilateral
approach to international peace and security is the only viable option in the
new international environment. This General Assembly has been identified with
strong and unanimous support from the international community for such a
multilateral approach. We are hopeful
that this sentiment could be faithfully translated into proper practical measures
in the interest of revitalizing multilateral diplomacy.
Last
year, the First Committee considered the matter and adopted a resolution in
this regard. This year, with the
expression of such an unprecedented commitment of States for the pivotal
principle of multilateralism, a more comprehensive resolution is reasonably
expected. Collective efforts are
underway to work out a draft for consideration on the issue of promotion of
multilateralism in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation in the First
Committee this year. I hope that this
draft could create a new momentum for promoting multilateralism as the sole vehicle
towards maintenance and strengthening of peace and security.
Mr. Chairman,
The
issue of Missiles has rightly attracted attention in the United Nations. The United Nations resolutions on “Missiles”
led to the establishment of a panel of Governmental Experts to address the
issue in all its aspects. We are happy that
this panel succeeded in preparing a first-ever United Nations report on this
complex issue. I congratulate the
Chairman and members of the panel for their tireless efforts and commitment to
conclude a substantive review on different aspects of missiles. The Chairman of
the panel Ambassador Guerrero of
This
report primarily conducted an overview of the evolution of missiles production
and staged development and their existing capabilities. In this framework, the report has enumerated
missile characteristics within the technical and strategic purview which have made
missiles a suitable choice for states in the military and civilian fields.
The
Secretary-General’s report furthermore has outlined driving factors in the
acquisition and development of missiles and most importantly addressed the
issues relating to missiles in various aspects of their relation to the WMD,
conventional capabilities, technology transfer, military doctrines and
confidence building measures.
This
report, however general, provides a sound basis for further work and prepares
the ground for more detailed and action-oriented recommendations.
Mr. Chairman,
The
Tenth anniversary of the establishment of the UN Registry of Conventional arms
provides a useful opportunity to substantively review the overall operation of
the Registry and its effectiveness as well as possible measures to strengthen
this initiative.
One
of the basic issues in the operating process of the Registry is the misgivings
of states to fully participate in the Registry.
The founding fathers of the Registry established, through this framework,
a basis for exchange of information on armaments as a contribution to openness
and confidence in the military sphere.
This notion is clearly underlined even in the title of the resolutions:
“Transparency in Armament”.
Unfortunately,
the implementation of the resolution and the operation of the Registry have
been narrowly interpreted by some, against the letter and spirit of the original
resolution, to be limited to the seven categories of conventional arms and all
efforts to expand the scope of the Registry into a broader context of
information exchange including on weapons of mass destruction faced opposition
and rejection. This is a sad experience which
should be rectified in order to increase the efficiency and plausibility of the
whole process. A decision to share
information about nuclear arsenals, fissile materials and related technologies
could produce an important impetus for the successful operation of the
Registry.
Mr. Chairman,
Macro
and Micro disarmament are today indispensable aspects of achieving
security. Less reliance on weapons,
particularly weapons of mass destruction, should be recognized as a key common
denominator to advance and promote peace and security. The world today is smaller than ever and its
security more indivisible. We hope that
we can unite in preventing catastrophes arising from our un-preparedness to
face the new security challenges against our common future.
Thank you.