EGYPTThe Permanent Mission of Egypt
to the United Nations
New York

Statement byAmbassador Hisham Badr
Permanent Representative of Egypt
To the United Nations in Geneva
On Behalf of theNew Agenda Coalition

General Debate
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
2010 Review Conference
4 May, 2010, New York

Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honor to take the floor today on behalf of the seven members of theNew Agenda Coalition; Brazil, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa,
Sweden and my own country, Egypt. At the outset and on behalf of theCoalition, allow me to extend to you our congratulations on yourappointment as President of this important event, and reaffirm our readinessto fully engage with you and all delegations to ensure its success. Mr.
President, you have our full cooperation and support.

It is often stated that the NPT is the bedrock of the global nuclear
disarmament and non-proliferation regime. This is a statement of fact that theCoalition fully subscribes to. Because of our firm commitment to this Treaty
and its objectives our Coalition has been working, for over a decade, toadvance nuclear disarmament as a central goal. The total elimination ofnuclear weapons and the assurance that they will never be produced again isthe only absolute guarantee against the use or threat of use of nuclearweapons.

With that in mind, and 40 years after the entry into force of the Treaty, theCoalition calls upon all States Parties to fulfill all their Treaty commitments
and obligations. Moreover we call upon China, France, Russia, the United
Kingdom and the United States to comply with their disarmament
commitments and obligations under Article VI. The Coalition furtherreaffirms that achieving NPT universality is of paramount importance. In thatregard, we call upon India, Israel and Pakistan to accede to the Treaty
promptly and without any conditions as non-nuclear-weapon States and,

pending their accession, to adhere to its terms. Furthermore we urge theDPRK to rescind its announced withdrawal from the Treaty.

Mr. President,
The NAC welcomes the recent signature of the New START agreement
between Russia and the United States, significantly reducing their deployed
nuclear arsenals and looks forward to its early entry into force. Thisagreement is an important step forward, but only one of many necessary steps
needed to achieve nuclear disarmament. As a next step, further, deep cuts
should be agreed, including in the area of non-deployed and non-strategic
nuclear weapons. Moreover weapons reductions need to be irreversible,transparent and internationally verifiable.
The NAC also welcomes moves towards reducing the role and potential usesof nuclear weapons in the security strategies of some nuclear weapon States,
most recently as announced by the United States. However, further
significant doctrinal shifts by all nuclear-weapon States are urgently needed
to bring us closer to a nuclear-weapon-free world.

Mr. President,
The Coalition has serious concerns regarding the continued existence of
nuclear weapons so long after the entry into force of the Treaty. Furthermore
the CTBT has as yet not entered into force, the conclusion of a treaty on
fissile materials still eludes us, and the creation of a zone free from nuclear
weapons in the Middle East has still not been realized. Those are all serious
matters that deserve our urgent attention.

Mr. President,iii

The New Agenda Coalition notes that there has been an increased global
momentum to advance nuclear disarmament objectives. This is a positive
development welcomed by the Coalition as a signal that the political will
necessary to achieve our common and agreed upon objectives may be forthcoming and we see this Review Conference as a critical opportunity to turnrhetoric into action and herald a new era of progress on global disarmament.
However, given the disappointing outcome of the last Review Conference in2005, we are forced to look further back for our reference point from which
to move forward. For us as a Coalition those reference points are the Final
Document of the 2000 Review Conference, and the three Decisions and theResolution on the Middle East agreed in 1995.

In 2015, we want to be quoting the success of the 2010 Review Conference
as the base from which to move forward, and not have to search 15 or 20years back for a common position that remains unfulfilled to a Treaty whose
credibility and viability would thus be in serious jeopardy. We are committed
to working with you and all delegations to ensure that this Treaty, our Treaty,
is respected, strengthened, and adhered to. This can only be achieved if thebalance between all three pillars of the Treaty is respected. Further progress
is urgently needed on the disarmament pillar.

Mr. President,
This Review Conference must move beyond mere words and politicalposturing and get to the heart of matters quickly and directly if success is tobe achieved. It is critical that the outcome include a reaffirmation of theunequivocal undertaking by nuclear-weapon States to accomplish the totalelimination of their nuclear arsenals, and a call upon all States Parties to theTreaty to accelerate the implementation of the practical steps for systematicIVand progressive efforts to achieve nuclear disarmament that were agreed
upon at the 2000 Review Conference and to pursue policies that are fullycompatible with the objective of achieving a world free from nuclear
weapons.
Beyond looking at the past, we must also look towards the future and agree
clear benchmarks with which to evaluate our success as we move forward
towards a world free from nuclear weapons. A forward looking action planthat provides a clear framework and measurable benchmarks for our work in
the coming period will be key.
With that in mind, the Coalition has submitted a working paper (workingpaper 8) to this Conference that contains a wide range of concrete andpractical measures to advance the cause of nuclear disarmament- theparamount goal of the Coalition- aimed at achieving a world free from
nuclear weapons as enshrined in the NPT. It is important to highlight that thisworking paper draws upon all NAC working papers submitted during thisentire Review Cycle, which in turn remain valid and current. It is our hopethat the concise and practical approach adopted by the Coalition in
formulating the recommendations and elements in our working paper will
help enhance its utility. The fact that it encompasses the views of a crossregional grouping of countries should also serve to maximize the possibilityof fostering consensus around the elements and language it contains.

Mr. President,
In relation to nuclear-weapons-free zones, the Review Conference should
also welcome the entry into force of the Semipalatinsk Treaty on 21st March2009 and the Pelindaba Treaty on 15th July 2009 and encourage theestablishment of further additional nuclear weapon-free zones, on the basis ofarrangements freely arrived at among the States of the regions concerned. Inaddition the Coalition urges all concerned States to take all necessary
measures to bring about the entry into force of the relevant Protocols toTreaties establishing nuclear-weapon-free zones, and the withdrawal of any
related reservations or unilateral interpretative

declarations that areincompatible with the object and purpose of such Treaties

Mr. President,
The 1995 Middle East Resolution is a matter of paramount importance. To
date no progress has yet been achieved on the establishment of a nuclearweapon-free zone in that region. The Review Conference should renew its
support for the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons,
as well as other weapons of mass destruction, and for the taking of concreteand practical steps towards the full implementation of the 1995 Resolution on
the Middle East. The Conference should renew its call to Israel, as the onlyState of the region not yet a party to the Treaty, to accede to it as a nonnuclear-weapon State promptly and without conditions, and to place all of its
nuclear facilities under comprehensive IAEA safeguards.

Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
In conclusion allow me, on behalf of the Coalition, to reiterate our support toyou and your team and stand ready to fully and effectively engage with all
Parties to ensure success.

Thank You.
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