EGYPT The Permanent Mission of Egypt to the United Nations New York Statement Of The Arab Republic of Egypt Before The Substantive Session of The United Nations Disarmament Commission Delivered by Deputy Permament Representative Mr. Amr Abou El Atta New York , 11"' April, 2006 - ---d--- check against d e l i v e r ~ Mr. Chairman At the outset I would like to congratulate you and members of the bureau on your election to the Disarmament Commission during its 2006 Substantive Session, and to express our wish for a successful session through coordination between the bureau, the member states, and the Under Secretary General Mr. Nobuaki Tanaka to whom we wish success. Mr. Chairman The success of our deliberations on nucleal disarmament and confidence building measures during the substantive session of the Disarmament Commission becomes the more pertinent in view of the withdrawal witnessed in 2005 form the priority of nuclear disarmament commitments under the pretext of changing international security priorities. A, withdrawal that led to the failure of the seventh review conference of the Nuclear Non proliferation Treaty, as we1 as the failure of the 2005 United Nations Millennium review summit to reach agreement in its final document on measures for nuclear disarmament and strengthening of the non proliferation regime leading to achievement of our goal for the total elimination of nuclear weapons and preventing its further development. In view of that, it is incumbent upon the current session of the UNDC to pave the way to overcome the recent failures of international efforts towards nuclear disarmament, through full compliance by nuclear weapon states with the unequivocal undertaking agreed to by consensus in the 2000 NPT review conference to accornplish the total elimination of nuclear arsenals leading to nuclear disarmament, which remains uniil accomplished, the utmost priority of international disarmament efforts in accordance with the final document of the First Special Session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament. Regional efforts towards nuclear disarmament represent a major contribution complimenting international nuclear disarmament efforts leading to the total elimination of nuclear weapons. The establishment of nuclear weapon free zones in various regions of the world is among the most important of these regional efforts ard reinforces achievement of our goals for nuclear disarmament and non proliferation. In this regard, and in spite of the varied success achieved through the treaties of Tlatelolco, Rarotonga, Bangkok, and Pelindaba, Egypt and the Arab states continue to strive for the last 25 years to achieve progress towards establishing a nuclear weapon free zone in the middle East and towards preventing nuclear proliferation in the region without any progress. While the Arab States have committed themselves to these goals through adherence to the Nuclear Nor1 Proliferation Treaty, Israel's non adherence till now, to the NPT constitutes an effective threat 1.0 regional security and a challenge to the ron proliferation regime that continues to undermine the credibility of the NPT. Addressing this threat to the regime calls for implementation by states party, particularly nuclear weapon states of iheir commitment through the Resolution of the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the NPT. that forms an integral part of the indefinite extension of the treaty, in ensuring Israel's accession to the treaty and placement of its nuclear facilities under IAEA comprehensive safeguards regime, and the establishment of a nuclear weapon free zone in the Middle East. This represents a requisite to ensure the continued viability and validity of the non proliferation regime in the region, achievable only through universality of the NPT, and full compliance by all states parties with its entirety, on a non selective basis. In view of that, the delegation of Egypt reaffirms its intention to pursue these efforts during the current session of UNDC based upon the Commission's 1999 recommendations regarding nuclear weapon free zones, and following our efforts in the General Assembly as well as efforts with regard to the Treaty on the Non Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, leading to the establishment of a nuclear weapon free zone in the Middle East. Mr. Chairman The non proliferation regime is faced today with serious challenges prime among them non compliance with nuclear disarmament commitments in accordance with Article VI of the NPT and the 13 practical steps agreed to by consensus in 2000, as well as the challenges emanating from strengthening strategic doctrines that promote the continued possession of nuclear weapons and their development, as well as the threat of use against non nuclear weapon states based on security considerations. In view of that, the delegation of Egypt strongly supports the call by the Non Aligned Movement pronounced by the Delegation of Indonesia, for the convening of an international conference, at the earliest possible date, with the objective of arriving at an agreement on a phased programme for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons with a specified framework of time to eliminate all nuclear weapons, to prohibit their development. production, acquisition, testing, stockpiling, transfer, use or threat of use. and to provide for their destruction. C'onvening this International Conference comes in implementation of the resolve of our Heads of State or Government in the Millennium Declaration, and should strive to: 1- Achieving the universality of the NPT and compliance by all states parties with their commitments in accordance with its three pillars as well as the decisions and resolution on the Middle East of the 1995 Extension and Review Conference and the final document of the 2000 Review Conference. 2- Fulfillment of the unequivocal undertaking in accordance with Article VI of the NPT to accomplish the total elimination of nuclear arsenals, leading to nuclear disarmament. 3- Commitment of states to eliminate; security and defense doctrines based on the possession of nuclear weapons and nuclear deterrence and developing military alliances and nuclear sharing. Commitment by nuclear weapon states to withdraw and not to deploy their nuclear weapons outside their national territories, as well as its commitment for non first use of nuclear weapons and agreeing to an international and legally binding instrument on the joint undertaking on non first use, and prohibiting the development and improvement of nuclear weapons and their delivery systems. 4- Achievement of a multilateral and legally binding instrument on negative security assurances within the framework of the NPT, pending the total elimination of nuclear weapons. Mr. Chairman With regard to the second substantive agenda item namely, confidence building measures in the filed of conventional arms, such measures cannot substitute for disarmament measures, but represent complimentary measures conducive to providing the suitable: environment to strengthen disarmament efforts. These measures must be impartial, objective, transparent, and comprshensive such that they can be agreed upon voluntarily among the states concerned, hence accomplishing their intended purposes in bi ilding confidence. The application of confidence building measures in an integral manner towards establishing more and on the basis of equality, can contrib~.te effective security arrangements based on cooperation and transparency and the rejection of use of force or the threat of use of force. Experiences during the years have proven that confidence building measures by itself' are insufficient in the absence of a strategic and political commitment to the principle of equal security for all and commitment to peaceful coexistence based on cooperation and not on military or other forms of advantage. Bearing in mind the principle of equal security for all, taking into account legitimate security concerns of all states concerned, it has to be noted thai. the United Nations register cannot serve its purpose as a confidence building measure regionally and internationally as long as its scope is not. expanded to include military holdings and ,mxx.n-ementthrough national production as well as weapons of mass destruction in particular nuclear weapons as per General Assembly Resolution 46/36 L, on the establishment of the register, and as long as it does not take into account considerations of regional military balances that differ from one region to another. In conclusion, the delegation of Egypt would like to express its support to your efforts with the aim of reaching effective recommendations regarding nuclear disarmament as well as confidence building measures in a balanced manner that can lead to the maintenance of international peace and security.