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Draft Text of a Resolution for the UN First Committee, 13 September 1999
Brazil, Egypt, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden with others
Convinced that the existence of nuclear weapons is a threat to the survival of humanity,
Concerned at the prospect of the indefinite possession of nuclear weapons, believing that the contention that nuclear weapons can be retained in perpetuity and never used is not supported by the history of human experience, and convinced that the only complete defence is the elimination of nuclear weapons and the assurance that they will never be produced again,
Concerned also at the continued retention of the nuclear-weapons option by those three States that are nuclear weapons capable and that have not acceded to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and concerned at their failure to renounce that option,
Concerned that negotiations on nuclear arms reductions are currently stalled,
Bearing in mind that the overwhelming majority of States entered into legally binding commitments not to receive, manufacture or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, and recalling that these undertakings have been made in the context of the corresponding legally-binding commitments by the Nuclear-Weapon States to the pursuit of nuclear disarmament,
Recalling the unanimous conclusion of the International Court of Justice in its 1996 advisory opinion that there exists an obligation to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control,
Stressing that the international community must not enter the new millennium with the prospect that the possession of nuclear weapons will be considered legitimate for the indefinite future, and convinced of the imperative to proceed with determination to prohibit and eradicate them for all time,
Recognizing that the total elimination of nuclear weapons will require measures to be taken firstly by those Nuclear-Weapon States that have the largest arsenals, and stressing that these States must be joined in an seamless process by those Nuclear-Weapon States with lesser arsenals in the near future,
Welcoming the achievements to date and the future promise of the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks process and the possibility it offers for development as a plurilateral mechanism including all the Nuclear-Weapon States, for the practical dismantling and destruction of nuclear armaments undertaken in pursuit of the elimination of nuclear weapons,
Welcoming the Trilateral Initiative between the United States of America, the Russian Federation and the International Atomic Energy Agency to ensure the irreversible removal of fissile materials from weapons programmes,
Believing that there are a number of practical steps that the nuclear-weapon States can and should take immediately before the actual elimination of nuclear arsenals and the development of requisite verification regimes take place and, in this connection, noting certain recent unilateral and other steps,
Underlining that the ABM Treaty remains a cornerstone of strategic stability,
Stressing that each article of the NPT is binding on the respective States parties at all times and in all circumstances,
Stressing the importance of pursuing negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament in the Ad Hoc Committee established under item 1 of its agenda entitled "Cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament", on the basis of the report of the Special Coordinator and the mandate contained therein, on a non-discriminatory, multilateral and internationally and effectively verifiable treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, and considering that such a treaty must further underpin the process towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons,
Emphasizing that, for the total elimination of nuclear weapons to be achieved, effective international cooperation to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons is vital and must be enhanced through, inter alia, the extension of international controls over all fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices,
Emphasizing the importance of existing nuclear weapon-free zone treaties and of the early signature and ratification of the relevant protocols to these treaties,
Noting the Joint Ministerial Declaration of 9 June 1998 and its call for a new international agenda to achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world, through the pursuit, in parallel, of a series of mutually reinforcing measures at the bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral levels,
Acknowledging the Report of the Secretary General on the implementation of Resolution 53/77Y,
Taking note of the first Report of the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency on the Agency's exploration of verification arrangements that will be necessary for the maintenance of a world free of nuclear weapons,
1. Calls upon the Nuclear-Weapon States to make an unequivocal undertaking to accomplish the speedy and total elimination of their nuclear arsenals and to engage without delay in an accelerated process of negotiations, thus achieving nuclear disarmament to which they are committed under Article VI of the NPT;
2. Calls upon the United Sates of America and the Russian Federation to bring the Treaty on Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START II) into force without further delay and to commence negotiations on START III with a view to its early conclusion;
3. Calls upon the Nuclear-Weapon States to undertake the necessary steps towards the seamless integration of all five Nuclear-Weapon States into the process leading to the total elimination of nuclear weapons;
4. Calls for the examination of ways and means to diminish the role of nuclear weapons in security policies so as to enhance strategic stability, facilitate the process of the elimination of these weapons and contribute to international confidence and security;
5. Calls upon the Nuclear-Weapon States, in this context, to take early steps:
7. Calls upon those States that have not yet done so to adhere unconditionally and without delay to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and to take all the necessary measures which flow from adherence to this instrument as non-nuclear weapon States;
8. Also calls upon those States that have not yet done so to conclude full-scope safeguards agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency and to conclude additional protocols to their safeguards agreements on the basis of the Model Protocol approved by the board of Governors of the Agency on 15 May 1997;
9. Further calls upon those States that have not yet done so to sign and ratify, unconditionally and without delay, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and, pending the entry into force of the Treaty, to observe a moratorium on nuclear tests;
10. Calls upon those States that have not yet done so to adhere to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and to work towards its further strengthening;
11. Urges the development of the Trilateral Initiative between the United States of America, the Russian Federation and the International Atomic Energy Agency and urges that similar arrangements be developed by the other Nuclear Weapon States;
12. Calls upon the Conference on Disarmament to pursue its negotiations in the Ad Hoc Committee established under item 1 of it agenda entitled "Cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament, on the basis of the report of the Special Coordinator and the mandate contained therein, of a non-discriminatory, multilateral and internationally and effectively verifiable treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, taking into consideration both nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament objectives, and to conclude these negotiations without delay, and, pending the entry into force of the treaty, urges all States to observe a moratorium on the production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices;
13. Calls upon the Conference on Disarmament to establish an appropriate subsidiary body to deal with nuclear disarmament and, to that end, to pursue as a matter of priority its intensive consultations on appropriate methods and approaches with a view to reaching such a decision without delay;
14. Considers that an international conference on nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation, which would effectively complement efforts being undertaken in other settings, could facilitate the consolidation of a new agenda for a nuclear weapon free world;
15. Notes, in this context, that the Millennium Assembly in 2000 will consider peace, security and disarmament;
16. Recalls the importance of the decisions and resolution adopted at the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and underlines the importance of implementing fully the decision on strengthening the review process for the Treaty and in this connection stresses the significance of the forthcoming Review Conference of the States Parties to the NPT in April/May 2000
17. Affirms that the development of verification arrangements will be necessary for the maintenance of a world free from nuclear weapons, and requests the International Atomic Energy Agency, together with any other relevant international organizations and bodies, to continue to explore the elements of such a system;
18. Calls for the conclusion of an internationally legally-binding instrument to effectively assure non-nuclear-weapon States parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons against the use or threat or use of nuclear weapons;
19. Stresses that the pursuit, extension and establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones, on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at, especially in regions of tension, such as the Middle East and South Asia, represent a significant contribution to the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world;
20. Affirms that a nuclear-weapon-free world will ultimately require the underpinnings of a universal and multilaterally negotiated legally-binding instrument or a framework encompassing a mutually reinforcing set of instruments;
21. Requests the Secretary-General, within existing resources, to compile a report on the implementation of the present resolution;
22. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-fifth session an item entitled "Towards a nuclear-weapon -free world: the need for a new agenda", and to review the implementation of the present resolution.