Intervention by Minister María Paula Mac Loughlin
March 29
MADAM CHAIR
ALLOW ME FIRST TO CONGRATULATE YOU FOR THE WAY YOU HAVE BEEN CONDUCTING THE WORK OF THIS CONFERENCE AND TO REITERATE THE ENTIRE COLLABORATION OF THE ARGENTINE DELEGATION.
THE ARGENTINE DELEGATION WOULD LIKE TO ARTICULATE INTERVENTION ON SUBJECT 2: "FUNDAMENTAL PROHIBITIONS: EFFECTIVE LEGAL MEASURES, LEGAL ARRANGEMENTS AND STANDARDS" MAKING A BRIEF MENTION OF WHAT CONSIDERS TO BE THE CENTRAL OBJECTIVE OF A TREATY FOR THE PROHIBITION OF NUCLEAR, CONDUCIVE THEIR TOTAL ELIMINATION.
ARGENTINA BELIEVES THAT THE FUTURE INSTRUMENT SHOULD CONTAIN ALL THE ELEMENTS SET FORTH IN THE NEGOTIATING MANDATE: TO INCLUDE NOT ONLY PROVISIONS TO ACHIEVE THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROHIBITION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS BUT ALSO PROVISIONS THAT PERMIT TO ADVANCE TOWARDS THEIR TOTAL ELIMINATION IN AN EFFECTIVE, VERIFIABLE MANNER, ONE WARRANTY AGAINST ARMS WHOSE POTENTIAL EMPLOYMENT, BY ANY STATE, WOULD HAVE IRREPARABLE HUMANITARIAN CONSEQUENCES.
THIS IS WHY THE ARGENTINE DELEGATION BELIEVES THAT AN EFFECTIVE TREATY OF PROHIBITION AND ELIMINATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS SHOULD HAVE NOT ONLY PROVISIONS ON THE DEFINITION AND SCOPE OF SUCH PROHIBITION (USE AND THREAT OF USE, PLANNING, TRAINING, DEVELOPMENT, PRODUCTION, LOCATION AND DEPLOYMENT), BUT ALSO OTHER ELEMENTS LIKE THE TREATMENT OF THE NUCLEAR MATERIAL, VERIFICATION MEASURES, ARRANGEMENT OF ARSENALES, VECTORS, PHASES OF ELIMINATION, AMONG OTHERS.
WE NEED TO BE PRUDENT AT THE TIME TO CONCLUDE INSTRUMENTS WITHOUT INCLUDING ALL THE ELEMENTS NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE THE MANDATE GRANTED BY THE RESOLUTION, DISRUPTING THE NEGOTIATING EXERCISE AND THE CONTRIBUTION TO THE STRENGTHENING OF THE REGIME.
THE MERE PROHIBITION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS, WITHOUT VERIFICATION PROVISIONS, EQUALS IN PRACTICAL TERMS, TO A POLITICAL AND SYMBOLIC DECLARATION. THE 190 COUNTRIES THAT HAVE ADOPTED A PROHIBITION PURSUANT TO ARTICLE III OF THE NPT HAVE DONE IT ON THE BASIS OF EFFECTIVE AGREEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE SAFEGUARDS WITH THE IAEA, WHICH IMPLY VERY STRICT OBLIGATIONS.
WE MUST PRESERVE THE BALANCE BETWEEN THE THREE PILLARS OF THE NPT AND THE POSSIBILITY TO APPROACH IT AS A WHOLE. HEREBY ARGENTINA CONSIDERS FUNDAMENTAL TO INCLUDE EXPLICIT PROVISIONS OF REINFORCEMENT AND REAFFIRMATION OF THE NPT, HAVING IN MIND, AS EXPRESSED IN THE GENERAL DISCUSSION, THAT ARTICLE VI OF THE NPT CONCLUDES IN THE SAME THE END OF A WORLD FREE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS, BY MAKING MANDATORY THE PURPOSE OF GENERAL AND COMPLETE DISARMAMENT, AS WELL AS THE POSSIBILITY TO PROHIBIT SUCH ARMAMENT IN THE FUTURE.
THEREFORE, THE ARGENTINE DELEGATION SUGGESTS THAT THE FUTURE TREATY REFORMS AND REAFFIRMS THE NPT, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE FOLLOWING ELEMENTS:
1) THAT ALL SIGNATORY STATES OF THE PROHIBITION TREATY ARE PARTIES TO THE NPT AND THE CTBT AND AN EXPLICIT REAFFIRMATION THAT THE CONTRACTING PARTIES SHALL CONTINUE TO OBSERVE ALL ITS OBLIGATIONS AND UNDERTAKINGS ARISING FROM SUCH INSTRUMENTS.
2) THAT THEY ARE IN CORRECT AND COMPLETE COMPLIANCE WITH ITS PROVISIONS IS THAT THE BOARD OF IAEA GOVERNORS AND / OR THE SECURITY COUNCIL OF THE UNITED NATIONS HAS NOT DETERMINED THAT THE STATE IS IN VIOLATION OF ITS COMMITMENTS AGAINST THE NPT AND ITS SAFEGUARDS AGREEMENTS WITH THE IAEA.
3) EXPRESSED RECOGNITION THAT THE CONDITION OF STATE PARTY IN THE PROHIBITION TREATY COULD NOT BE OPPOSED AS AN ARGUMENT TO A NPT WITHDRAWAL.
4) AN EXPLICIT COMMITMENT TO REINFORCE THE INTERNATIONAL REGIME OF NON-PROLIFERATION, IN PARTICULAR FACILITATING THE FIRST ENTRY INTO FORCE OF THE CTBT AND THE NEGOTIATION OF THE FMCT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH
