New Zealand Permanent Mission to the United Nations

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2010 REVIEW CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE TREATY ON THE
NON-PROLIFERATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS
3-28 MAY 2010

GENERAL DEBATE

STATEMENT BY HON GEORGINA TE HEUHEU,MINISTER FOR DISARMAMENT AND ARMS CONTROL

4 MAY 2010

Check against delivery

Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen
At the outset let me congratulate you, Mr President, on your appointment asPresident of this critical meeting for our collective security. It is a pleasure tosee a representative from the Asia-Pacific region presiding over this Review
Conference. You can be assured of New Zealand's full support as you guide us
toward a successful outcome.
This year marks the fortieth anniversary of the entry into force of the Treaty.
The world has changed dramatically over that time. The first half of the period
was dominated by the Cold War The second half has witnessed worrying
episodes of nuclear proliferation and a growth in the risk of nuclear terrorism.
But one constant has been the NPT's place at the heart of our collective efforts
to achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world.
New Zealand has long maintained an independent and principled voice on
nuclear issues
These are issues that New Zealanders feel passionately about.
TheNew Zealand civil society contingent here today is one demonstration of thisconcern. We come to New York committed to listening and to dialogue. In mymore than twenty-five years of public service and experience in implementing
our own special Treaty of Waitangi I have also counselled listening rather thantalking past each other, on focussing on what unites rather than what divides.
Mr President
The issues at the heart of the Treaty are of a global nature. We are all
impacted by the proliferation of nuclear weapons. We would all suffer thecatastrophic consequences of nuclear war.
The Treaty provides a vehicle fora global solution although it is tantalisingly short of universality
New Zealand recognises the need to fully implement the three pillars of theTreaty - nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and peaceful uses - inachieving our goals.
We are committed to all aspects of the Treaty, including the decisions andoutcomes that were agreed at the 1995 and 2000 Review Conferences. They
remain an integral and lasting part of the Treaty's overall fabric. We must
implement them, and we must build on them.
Our Prime Minister John Key stated recently,"
a world free of nuclear
weapons is a world that we should all want to see ... ".
New Zealand will beworking with all other States parties towards a robust outcome here in
New York that brings us closer to that goal - a world without nuclear weapons.

New Zealand values highly its cooperation with our New Agenda Coalition
partners on nuclear disarmament, and we are pleased to associate ourselveswith the statement that will be delivered by Egypt on behalf of the Coalition. Our
aim is an aspirational, but practical, forward-looking outcome, that furtheradvances the NPT's objectives.
Mr President
While New Zealanders would certainly wish for the immediate abolition ofnuclear weapons, we accept that an incremental approach to nuclear
disarmament is the only realistic option. Systematic and progressive steps thatcan be evaluated periodically are necessary.
We continue to call for nuclear reductions leading to the elimination of nuclear
arsenals, the negotiation of a fissile material treaty, the lowered operational
readiness of nuclear weapon systems, security assurances and the entry into
force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. We call for a diminishedrole for nuclear weapons in security policies which goes hand in hand with
reducing the demand for them.
The announcement yesterday that Indonesia is initiating the process of ratifying
the Test Ban Treaty is a cause for celebration. We would urge others especiallythose that are Annex 2 States to ratify the Treaty as a matter of priority.
Mr President
An effective non-proliferation regime is essential. Accountability, through theTreaty's safeguards system, is a key element. We all have a role to play insupporting the system to provide assurances that nuclear activities undertaken
by states are purely for peaceful purposes. We all have the responsibility tohold to account any state party not living up to its commitments. We calion Iranto meet its international obligations.
New Zealand supports robust safeguards agreements, including the Additional
Protocol as a condition of nuclear supply, as well as strong export controls toprevent the proliferation of nuclear material, equipment and technology.
In this context New Zealand is pleased to associate itself with the statement
made by Australia on behalf of the Vienna Group of 10.
Mr President
New Zealand acknowledges the many benefits that can come from the peacefuluses of nuclear energy. We need to ensure that nuclear technology remains
accessible to all while at the same time ensuring that such technologies aremanaged safely and securely, and do not contribute to the proliferation ofnuclear weapons. Effective physical protection of nuclear material and facilities

is essential and we must work to combat illicit trafficking of nuclear materials
and other radioactive substances.
Mr President,New Zealand joined others the world over last year in welcoming the vision
outlined by President Obama in Prague of a world free of nuclear weapons
Similarly, New Zealand welcomes the steps that have been taken by nuclear
weapon States in respect of their nuclear disarmament obligations since the2005 Review Conference. The most recent of these is the historic agreement
between the United States and Russia on a new strategic reductions agreement
and the US's Nuclear Posture Review.
Just yesterday US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that theAdministration would seek Senate consent to ratifying protocols to the nuclear
weapon free zones established by the Treaties of Rarotonga and Pelindaba.
This was very welcome news for our regions. We also congratulate the US on
its announcement that it will pursue concrete steps to improve the transparencyof the US nuclear arsenal. These are all tangible demonstrations of the UScommitment to working toward the Prague vision.
Mr President,
These landmark developments, together with initiatives such as the UN
Secretary General's five-point plan, have lent significant positive momentum toour work here at the Review Conference. They have the potential to set in trainsystematic reductions, each a milestone along the road to the realisation of ourcollective goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world.
Let us make sure that the steps in this process are firm, not faltering, bold rather
than begrudging. Forty years on, this is surely not too much to ask.