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INTERVENTION BY

MR TAN LI LUNG

UNDERSECRETARY MULTILATERAL SECURITY DIVISION

 

 

 

Madam Chair,

 

2.      Malaysia reiterates our full support for the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones. They promote greater transparency and dialogue among States thus can potentially reduce risk of regional tensions and conflict.

 

3.      We reaffirm that the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone - SEANWFZ is of paramount importance as a disarmament and non-proliferation instrument in the ASEAN region. It is regrettable that although the Treaty has been in force for over two decades, its Protocol has yet to be signed by any of the nuclear-weapon States.

 

4.      In this regard, Malaysia wishes to propose the following 3 points for consideration:

 

• First, the conference must call on all NPT States Parties to intensify their efforts aimed at establishing nuclear-weapon-free zones in the regions where they do not exist, in particular in the Middle East, and reaffirm the importance and validity of the 1995 resolution on the Middle East, until all its objectives are achieved;

 

• Second, the conference must emphasise the importance of the early ratification of the existing treaties establishing nuclear-weapon-free zones, by all States whose ratification is required for the entry into force of such treaties, as well as the early ratification, by all the nuclear-weapon States that have not yet done so, to assure the total absence of nuclear weapons in the respective territories of parties to such treaties, as envisaged in the NPT;

 

• Third, the conference must call on all parties to international instruments concerning security assurances and nuclear-weapon-free zones, to honour and fully implement in good faith their obligations and commitments under these instruments, and must not, under all circumstances, subject these obligations and commitments to preconditions that are not in line with the spirit and objectives of the instruments.

 

 

Thank you, Madam Chair.