Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-03-08-Speech-2-147"
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"en.20050308.20.2-147"2
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".
Mr President, the Non-Proliferation Treaty has proven its worth. States have decided against the acquisition of nuclear arms in return for the possibility of using nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and the pledge by the nuclear arms states to engage in gradual disarmament. It should be said that the Treaty was a huge success in the context of the Cold War, when it helped to control the arms race; now, it offers the framework within which those who were enemies then have considerably reduced their arsenals.
Recent developments have already alluded to this and have illustrated the continuing need for an international treaty to combat the spread of nuclear arms technology. Investing in the Non-Proliferation Treaty is still a priority. Unfortunately, we cannot fail to note that the Treaty has come under pressure. A recent UN report alerted to the possibility of the Treaty’s irreversible erosion, with a cascade of proliferation as a result. Consequently, the Review Conference scheduled this spring should mainly be seized as an opportunity to reconfirm the Non-Proliferation Treaty’s crucial role, including the objective of ultimate general nuclear disarmament.
As a champion of the international legal order, the European Union has the special responsibility of ensuring that the Treaty is observed, which means that a tougher line must be taken towards those states that evade it. Naturally, the developments in Iran and North Korea are crucial in this connection. This also means that the EU must commit itself to closing the existing loopholes in the Treaty. The test ban, the ban on nuclear tests, has still not been signed by all parties; the United States, in particular, has not done so, and is also continuing to develop nuclear weapons for battlefield use. Needless to say, these are all issues which undermine the credibility of this important Treaty.
Developments since the previous Review Conference have also shown that the Treaty must face up to new challenges. There is a major risk of the development of regional arms races in countries attempting to obtain nuclear arms technology. We cannot, therefore, see the Non-Proliferation Treaty in isolation from improving regional security structures in the Middle East and in South and East Asia.
Finally, there is the risk – and that is a new threat – of nuclear technology, or even nuclear material, ending up in the hands of what we refer to as non-state actors, in other words terrorist organisations, which could, for example, by means of a ‘dirty’ bomb, do an awful lot of damage.
We have to conclude that the existing agreements to prevent nuclear material from being mislaid or misappropriated do not offer adequate guarantees. That is why in the resolution we will be adopting tomorrow, we are asking the European Union to pay special attention to this issue. We cannot leave this matter to the United States alone."@en1
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