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UNCHANGING PRINCIPLES IN CHANGING TIMES:
TRANSFORMING COMMITMENT INTO ACTION
H.E. DR. ALBERTO G. ROMULOSecretary of Foreign Affairs
General Debate, 2010 Review Conference of theNuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
3 May 2010, United Nations, New YorkHis Excellency, Ambassador Libran Cabactulan, President of the Review
Conference;
His Excellency, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations;
Distinguished Delegates, Good Morning,
Changed New World, Same Old Fears

The Cold War has long ended, but its tragic legacy of fear and mistrust abounds
and lingers, A wave of democracy and hope has since swept the world, But weaponsof mass destruction continue to pose grave threats to humanity, Advances in technology
and communication have brought nations closer, Yet mistrust and suspicions have kept
their peoples apart,
We have indeed changed the world, but the threat to our future remains
undiminished, Nuclear weapons have slipped the cordons of the nuclear powers andinto the arsenals of countries which bode ill for peace, Non-state actors have shown
ruthlessness and blatant disregard for life which becomes even more frightening withthe thought they might one day wield nuclear armaments,
Since 1968, the non-proliferation treaty has been the reason John F, Kennedy'snightmare vision of 15 to 20 nuclear states has been avoided, Instead, there are lessthan 10 - the original 5 plus probably four to five more, It is these additions that makes
urgent the Imperative to close the treaty loopholes that makes it possible for countries tolegally acquire bomb-making skills and equipment under the guise of civilian nuclear
program,That is the challenge and opportunity before us in this historic conference,
In our changed world, a danger to one is a danger to all. No nation can remain
unaffected by the events in any other country or another region

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Nothing conceived by man can match nuclear weapons in its sheer
destructive force - it is the most inhumane weapon ever created.
Deliberately weilding these weapons would be catastrophic. Unleashing its
power by accident would be beyond tragic. It is perhaps by sheer luck thatneither have befallen us.
But how long will our luck hold out? In this race between cooperation andcatasptrophe, we all know who the clear winner should be.
Our Resolution on the Middle East
No nation or its people can be safe from these weapons.
For a country like the Philippines, with over a tenth of its nationals spread
across the globe, the dangers posed by nuclear weapons are particularly stark.
In the Middle East alone, there are two million Filipinos.
The Philippines firmly believes that promises made in past agreements
must be kept. Among the most crucial of these promises is the need to realize the1995 Resolution in the Middle East and the establishment of a nuclear weapons
free zone in that region.
Fulfilling the promise could help usher in peace and stability in a region
that has known neither.
Dialogue and Diplomacy Over Deterrence

We will not be able to sustain our efforts towards nuclear disarmament unlessfundamental changes are made on how some nations address their security concerns.
Finding comfort in deterrence
disarmament and non-proliferation.

has beena great hindrance to nuclear

Many states still live under the protection of decades-old nuclear umbrellas.
Others are giving in to the temptation of having their own nuclear protective parasols.
For lasting peace and security, we must replace deterrence with diplomacy.
With the historic changes in our world, Cold War adversaries should now bedisarmament disciples.
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Others who possess these weapons should abandon them now. And for those
who hope to possess these weapons, do not give in to its siren call.
We are at a Turning Point
The Review Conference meets at a time of renewed hope that major gains canbe achieved in nuclear disarmament. Momentum is building behind efforts to eliminate
nuclear weapons. We are at a turning point.
On the multilateral front, nuclear disarmament is once again taking center
stage on the agenda of the United Nations, through collective endeavors. and the visionof our Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
He shares with many of us the belief that the world is over-armed, anddevelopment is under-funded. He has pointed out that spending on weapons worldwide
is now well above one trillion dollars a year - and rising.
Two weeks ago, General Assembly President Abdussalam Treki convened a
special Thematic Debate on disarmament. It was a timely gathering and helped add
momentum in favor of the success of the Review Conference.
Just last week, the States Parties and Signatories to nuclear weapons free zone
agreements met here at the United Nations for the second time in five years and threw
their strong support behind the success of our review conference.
At the Nuclear Security Summit last month in Washington, world leaders met toreinforce international cooperation on nuclear security and to reiterate their commitment
to nuclear disarmament.
On the bilateral front, the United States and Russia sealed a new START
Treaty - a huge leap in the right direction towards reduction, and hopefully, the totalelimination of nuclear weapons
The United States and Russia has shown a willingness never before seen
to reduce their arsenals. Their commitment provides a new opportunity - the firstsince these weapons ended World War 1/ - to turn back the nuclear tide.

On the national front, the recent policy changes adopted by the United States in
its Nuclear Posture Review also helps set the stage for greater advancement towards aworld without nuclear weapons
In addition, the Philippines deeply appreciates the work undertaken by othergroups, including the Non-Aligned Movement, the New Agenda Coalition, the De­
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Alerting Group, and the International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation andDisarmament, for contributing to the a successful outcome for the this ReviewConference.
Nuclear Disarmament
The vast majority of states have adhered to the NPT. They have every
justification to believe that the Nuclear Weapon States should not only take greater
disarmament measures, but should offer security guarantees to enhance the global
security climate.
What we need are timelines and realistic and clearly defined benchmarks fornuclear disarmament by the Nuclear Weapon States.
The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) is a crucial complement to theNPT. It must come into force. This is one of the 13 Practical Steps agreed upon byduring the 2000 Review Conference, and this Review Conference must support thed rive towards th is critical objective
Similarly, our Review Conference must help bolster the work of the Conference
on Disarmament (CD), particularly on negotiations for a Treaty on Fissile Materials ­a vital element of our global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime.
Nuclear Non-Proliferation
We must also face the undeniable reality that proliferation is a danger to all. We
must maximize our toolkit of international policies and mechanisms that address thisdanger, principally centered on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The IAEA's system of safeguards, with complete impartiality and without any
double-standards must be respected. States that have not done so must adhere to theadditional protocols.
As the vanguard of the non-proliferation regime, the IAEA should have a strong
nuclear verification capability. We must address the need to strengthen the capacityof the IAEA for this indispensable purpose.
Nuclear weapons free zones further strengthen the nonproliferation anddisarmament norm. We must strongly support the establishment of nuclear weapons
free zones so that, one day, nuclear weapons will no longer be welcome in any cornerof our world.

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Towards this end, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN,established the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapons Free Zone. We encourage theNuclear Weapon States and other partners with interests in the region to accede to theSEANWFl treaty
Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy

The Philippines reaffirms the inalienable right of States Parties to develop,
research, production and use of nuclear energy without discrimination and in conformity
with the provisions of the Treaty. But claims to unqualified rights to nuclear energy,
without adequate checks and safeguards, are dangerous, do not contribute to the causeof non-proliferation and should be seriously resisted and rejected.
Accordingly, the Philippines supports the IAEA's technical cooperation program
for the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, which can be of vital importance fordevelopment.
In view of the global nuclear renaissance, with some sixty (60) countries now
interested in nuclear power programs, safety and security considerations will also
increase and should be commensurately addressed.
As one of the countries considering the inclusion of nuclear power in its energy
mix, the Philippines recognizes the critical importance of nuclear security and considers
it as an "enabler" rather than a constraint in the utilization of nuclear energy for peacefulpurposes.
In this regard, the Philippines reiterates its support for a multilateral approach to
the nuclear fuel cycle that guarantees equal access, and that avoids any monopolistic
control by any state or group of states, with the IAEA having a central role.
Strengthening of the NPT Regime

The NPT is the heart of our global disarmament and non-proliferation aspirations.
Yet, despite our lofty proclamations, the NPT does not have any dedicatedinstitutional support of its own. Simple reason dictates that this situation beaddressed, so that our peoples can see the seriousness of our collective commitment toattaining a world free of nuclear weapons.

There are several proposals on how this can be done and these should be
looked at and seriously considered during this Review Conference.
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But perhaps more importantly, the NPT regime will be far stronger and more
resilient when it has achieved universality. I reiterate our call for States that have notyet done so, to become States Parties to this crucial agreement.
I would also like to strongly encourage those who might be considering leaving
the NPT, to exert every effort to work out what ever differences they may have withothers over the Treaty or its interpretation.
Giving Life to the NPT
The Philippines deeply appreciates the trust that has been placed on us to leadthis critical gathering. We take on this responsibility firm in the belief that international
peace and security is the concern of all, and that among the gravest threats facing ourcommon humanity is the existence of nuclear weapons.
Every year, billions of dollars go to nuclear weapons research and arsenalmaintenance, as much as $30 billion, by some estimates.
For 2010, the World Food Program, the world's largest humanitarianorganization, has projected a shortfall of 75% of its requirements. A fraction of what isspent on nuclear weapons could readily erase that shortfall.
When countries continue to spend lavishly on weapons of mass destruction,
mortgaging our children's future and letting people die of disease and hunger, thenclearly there is still much that we must do towards making our planet a free andpeaceful world.
Here in the midst of new hope for a world free from nuclear weapons. we must
continue to transform our words and our commitments into actions.
Thank you.

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