4 November 2013 - General Assembly - First Committee - Explanation of vote by Mr Jean-Hugues Simon-Michel, Ambassador and French Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament, on behalf of France, the United Kingdom and the United States

Resolution: "Follow up to the 2013 High level meeting of the General Assembly on Nuclear Disarmament”

Mr. Chairman.

I would like to deliver an explanation of vote on behalf of the United Kingdom, the United States and France on draft resolution L6 : " Follow up to the 2013 High level meeting of the general Assembly on nuclear Disarmament ".

The United States, the United Kingdom and France took part in the High level meeting on nuclear disarmament in good faith. Our three countries delivered both national and joint statements. Unfortunately, this resolution doesn’t reflect views we expressed on the 26 September, nor, in our opinion, the views of many other states that participated.

We believe that nuclear proliferation and non-compliance by a few states with their respective obligations constitute the most serious threat to international security and peace and therefore regret that the High level meeting didn’t deal with both nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation in a balanced manner. Success in halting the proliferation of nuclear weapons is among the international conditions that will support step by step progress toward the ultimate goal of nuclear disarmament.

The only reference to the NPT is insufficient, incidental and unbalanced. In addition, we remain puzzled that there is no reference to the 2010 Action Plan. The NPT is the cornerstone of the non-proliferation regime and the basis for nuclear disarmament efforts. The 2010 NPT Action Plan provides the best route for making progress on multilateral nuclear disarmament. We are concerned that some states appear to be moving away from the consensus reached in 2010.

, Furthermore, the resolution calls for negotiation of an instrument that is not mentioned as such in the 2010 Action Plan. We remain convinced that a practical step by step process is the only way to make real progress in our disarmament efforts while upholding global security and stability. There are no short cuts. There is no other way to achieve a world without nuclear weapons outside of methodological and steady progress. Following this process, we are seeking an early commencement of a negotiation of an FMCT and the prompt entry into force of the CTBT. In the NPT Action Plan, all NPT State Parties concurred that the next priority steps towards nuclear disarmament in the multilateral context is an FMCT.

Finally, the next Review Conference of the NPT will take place in 2015. Planning another conference to discuss nuclear disarmament in 2018 is not consistent with the NPT agenda and risks weakening commitment among states to securing a successful outcome to the Review Conference.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.


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Dernière modification : 26/02/2015

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