Mr. President:

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the 116 States Parties and Signatories to Treaties that Establish Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones and Mongolia.

As you know, last Friday, 30 April, the States members of nuclear-weapon-free zones and Mongolia - which are also parties to the NPT - held our Second Conference with the aim of sending a constructive message to this Eighth Review Conference.

The message, contained in the Final Document, which I shall summarize shortly, is sent from a position of political and moral force: it comes from the members of the international community that have succeeded in making nuclear disarmament, which is the ultimate and most lofty goal of the NPT, a reality.

Thus our States not only salute the vision of a world without nuclear weapons but also are pleased to point out from this rostrum that, when we consider the geographical coverage of nuclear-weapon-free zones, we see that this vision is already more than 50 per cent materialized.

Nuclear-weapon-free zones -including Antarctica -occupy almost all the southern hemisphere and are moving steadily towards the northern hemisphere. As we had occasion to note at our Conference, really good things come from the South and we only hope that new nuclear-weapon free zones can be established -particularly in the Middle East -and that other States will follow the example of Mongolia.

Mr. President:

The Final Document of our Conference is transcribed in the written version of this intervention. We ask it to be included as an official document of this Review Conference.

Following your instructions concerning the length of statements, I will now read out some paragraphs of our Final Document:

1. We reaffirm the validity of the Declaration of the First Conference of States parties and Signatories to Treaties that establish Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones adopted in Mexico on 28 April 2005;
2. We are firmly convinced that the mere existence of nuclear weapons constitutes a threat to the survival of mankind, that their use would have catastrophic consequences for life on Earth, and that the only guarantee against their use or threat of use is their total elimination;

3. We reiterate that the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is a violation of international law and of the Charter of the United Nations, and a crime against humanity.

4. We reaffirm the urgent need to advance towards the priority goal of nuclear disarmament and the achievement of the total elimination and legally binding prohibition of nuclear weapons. In this regard, we stress that the establishment of Nuclear-Weapon Free Zones is a major contribution to the non-proliferation efforts;

5. We reiterate our conviction that the achievement of the goal of a nuclear weapon-free world requires the firm political will of all States, and particularly Nuclear-Weapon States;

6. We strongly support the International Court of Justice advisory opinion on the legality of the threat or use of nuclear weapons 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;

7. We express our opposition to the improvement in existing nuclearı weapons and the development of new types of nuclear weapons;

8. We reaffirm the inalienable right of States to develop, research, produce and use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination in accordance with the Non Proliferation Treaty;

9. We reaffirm that the Non Proliferation Treaty remains the cornerstone of the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime which includes peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and reiterate the validity of all its principles, obligations and rights;

10.We reaffirm the importance of achieving the universality of the Non Proliferation Treaty and a balanced and non-discriminatory implementation of its three pillars -nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation and the inalienable right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy -and urge those States that are not parties thereto to accede to the Treaty without delay and conditions as non-NWS;

11. Whereas we welcome some recent positive signs by someı nuclear-weapon States in the disarmament field, we express our view that further concrete measures, to implement Article 6 of the Non Proliferation Treaty, including the 13 practical steps enshrined in the Final Document of the 2000 Non Proliferation Treaty Review Conference are necessary in order to set in motion an effective and irreversible process of nuclear disarmament that leads to a nuclear-weapon-free world. In this regard, we urge States to seize the opportunities opened by the 2010 Non Proliferation Treaty Review Conference to adopt further decisions to progress towards nuclear disarmament;

12. We underline the importance of nuclear-weapons States reducing their nuclear arsenals with a view to their total elimination. In this connection we recognize the recent signature by the President of the Russian Federation and the President of the United States of America of a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty as an important step in reducing the number of their deployed nuclear arsenals and look forward to its early entry into force. This agreement constitutes an important step forward, but only one of many necessary steps needed to achieve nuclear disarmament. We call for further deep cuts, including in the area of non-deployed and non-strategic nuclear weapons;

13. We stress that all nuclear disarmament initiatives should be irreversible, transparent and verifiable;

14. We strongly reaffirm that nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation are mutually reinforcing processes;

15. We consider that the possession of nuclear weapons neither brings about peace nor international security. While stressing the need to eliminate the role of nuclear weapons in strategic doctrines and security policies we call on all nuclear weapon States to review such doctrines and policies. We take note of the United States of America's Nuclear Posture Review. We also underline that further significant doctrinal shifts by all nuclear weapon States are urgently needed to bring us closer to a nuclear weapon free world;

16. We urge the nuclear weapon Statesı to provide the non-nuclear weapon States with effective security assurances not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against them, pending the elimination of all nuclear weapons. Furthermore, we urge the nuclear weapon States to negotiate and conclude a treaty on universal, unconditional, and legally-binding security assurances to the non-nuclear weapon States;

17. We arc convinced that the establishment of internationally recognised NuclearWeapon-Free Zones on the basis of agreements entered into freely among the States of the zone concerned, strengthens world and regional peace and security, reinforces the nuclear non-proliferation regime, and contributes to the achievement of nuclear disarmament;

18. We urge the nuclearı weapon States and any other State mentioned in the relevant Protocols of the Treaties that established Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones that have not yet signed or ratified such Protocols, to do so as a matter of priority;

19. We also urgeı the nuclear weapon States that, having signed or ratified any of the relevant Protocols to Treaties that established Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones, have done so with reservations and unilateral interpretative declarations, to withdraw such reservations and/or declarations;

20. We are very pleased to note that forty-three years after the signing of the Treaty of Tlatelolco, which established the first zone free of nuclear weapons, in a densely populated area, the number of states covered by such zones has increased;

21. We welcome the entry into force of the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty on 21 March 2009, the first such zone solely in the northern hemisphere and covering an area where nuclear weapons were previously based and tested, and urge the States concerned to address any outstanding issues that may affect its operation. We support the aspirations of the region to intensify efforts to address the problems associated with the safety of radioactive waste;

22. We welcome the entry into force of the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (Pelindaba Treaty) on 15 July 2009, and the steps being taken towards the establishment of the African Commission on Nuclear Energy, which would mark an important step towards attaining the objective of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation;

23. We express full support for Mongolia's policy of institutionalising its nuclear weapon free-status and welcome the talks being held by this country with its two neighbours to this effect;

24. We welcome the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' (ASEAN) heightened commitment to preserve Southeast Asia as a zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction as reaffirmed in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Charter. We recognize the Association of Southeast Asian Nation's efforts in promoting and strengthening the implementation of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty as the region's contribution to achieving a nuclear weapon free world. We also note the progress made by the Treaty's Plan of Action (2007-2012) in sharpening the focus of regional collaboration against nuclear weapons and widening Association of Southeast Asian Nation's opportunities for participation in international efforts against nuclear weapons;

25. We strongly advocate for a Denuclearized Korean Peninsula;

26. We also reiterate our support for the establishment -as a matter of urgency -of a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Central Europe;

27. We reiterate our support for the establishment -as a matter of urgency-of a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in the Middle East, in conformity with the Resolution on the Middle East adopted at the 1995 Non Proliferation Treaty Review and Extension Conference, with a view to achieving the universality of the Non Proliferation Treaty in the Middle East, and in accordance with relevant United Nations General Assembly Resolutions;

28. We recognise the key importance of multilateralism and in particular the role played by the United Nations in the area of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy and we reiterate our commitment to strengthen that role;

29. We support the United Nations Secretary-General's call in his five point proposal on nuclear disarmament for all Non-Proliferation Treaty Parties, in particular the nuclear-weapon States, to fulfil their obligation under the Treaty to undertake negotiations on effective measures leading to nuclear disarmament;

30. We recognise the fundamental role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the application and verification of compliance with the international safeguards regime provided for in the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the relevant Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone treaties as well as efforts to strengthen the effectiveness of the IAEA safeguards system. We urge all States that have not yet concluded comprehensive safeguards agreements to do so as soon as possible;

31. We urge all Member States of the Conference on Disarmament (CD) to adopt and implement a balanced and comprehensive Programme of work, bearing in mind the primary role of the Conference as the single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum;

32. We reiterate our demand for the total ban of all nuclear tests and the need for reaching universal adherence to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), particularly by all nuclear weapon States and Annex 2 States, and in that regard we call for the upholding and maintenance of the moratorium on such tests or any other nuclear explosions pending the entry into force of the Treaty;

33. We reiterate our deep concern over the potential serious ecological and security risks of transporting radioactive material and other dangerous wastes by sea or other navigable waters and urge all States, particularly those that transport such materials, to strengthen the international legal code as regards security and responsibility measures applicable to this mode of transportation, through the effective application of the commitments adopted within the International Atomic Energy Agency and the International Maritime Organization, and other international fora. We also urge all States to exchange information at the government level on the transport of radioactive material and urge all States shipping radioactive materials to work with potentially affected States to address their concerns in this regard;

34. We are convinced of the benefit that the use of the resources devoted to nuclear weapon programmes could have for humanity if they were utilized for supporting social and economic development;

35. We express our interest in promoting initiatives aiming to strengthen national capacities and education in order to increase public understanding of the dangers posed by nuclear weapons and to promote their total elimination;

36. We will continue to pursue international efforts to achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world. In this regard, we intend to foster cooperation among the Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones to fully implement the principles and objectives of the treaties and to exchange relevant ideas and best practices in areas of mutual interest. To maintain continuity in the enhanced interaction among the Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones generated at this Conference, we will explore, through diplomatic channels, the appropriate modalities for maintaining contact and disseminating relevant information among the Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones during the inter-sessional period.

Mr. President:

I am glad to inform this assembly that the Second Conference of States Parties to Treaties that Establish Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones was preceded by a meeting organized by civil society, at which important concepts and opinions were expressed that strongly support our efforts to achieve nuclear disarmament. The conclusions of this meeting of civil society have been included as an annex to the Final Document.
As I had the opportunity to point out at the opening of the Second Conference, the States Members of the Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones wish to play an active and positive role at this Review Conference and we all hope to act as genuine friends of the President.

We hope that this message will serve the lofty goal to which it aspires.

Thank you.