P6_TA(2007)0072

Non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament

European Parliament resolution of 14 March 2007 on non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the third session of the Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) for the 2010 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, which is due to take place in Vienna from 30 April to 11 May 2007,

- having regard to the consensus within the European Union on reviving and strengthening the NPT in the period leading up to the forthcoming 2010 NPT Review Conference,

- having regard to UN Security Council Resolutions 1540 (2004) and 1673 (2006) on the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD),

- having regard to the implementation of the European Security Strategy and, in particular, of the EU strategy against proliferation of WMD adopted by the European Council on 12 December 2003,

- having regard its previous resolutions on the NPT, in particular its wide-ranging resolution adopted on 10 March 2005 on the Non-Proliferation Treaty 2005 Review Conference — Nuclear arms in North Korea and Iran, [1]

- having regard to Council Common Position 2005/329/PESC of 25 April 2005 relating to the 2005 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons [2],

- having regard to Rule 103(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. having regard to the overwhelming consensus within the European Union on reviving and strengthening the NPT in the period leading up to the forthcoming 2010 NPT Review Conference,

B. underlining that the European Security Strategy, the EU strategy against proliferation of WMD and UN Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004) emphasise the importance of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, describing the proliferation of WMD and their means of delivery as one of the most important threats to international peace and security,

C. recalling the statement in the report of the UN Secretary-General's High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change entitled "A more secure world: our shared responsibility", that "we are approaching a point at which the erosion of the non-proliferation regime could become irreversible and result in a cascade of proliferation",

D. having regard to the growing international consensus on the urgent need for nuclear disarmament, as promoted by the New Agenda Coalition and in the Rome Declaration of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates (convened by Mikhail Gorbachev and the Mayor of Rome, Walter Veltroni) of 30 November 2006,

E. highlighting the role of parliaments and parliamentarians in promoting nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament and, against this background, welcoming the efforts of the global Parliamentary Network for Nuclear Disarmament,

1. Reaffirms its position that the NPT is the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, the essential foundation for promoting cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and an important element in furthering the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general disarmament in accordance with its Article VI;

2. Calls upon all States whose activities violate the non-proliferation regime to cease their unwise and irresponsible behaviour and to comply fully with their obligations under the NPT; reiterates its call on all States not party to the NPT to comply voluntarily with and accede to the Treaty;

3. Urges both the Council and the Commission to participate actively in the discussions held at the NPT PrepCom in Vienna and to make a coordinated, substantial and visible contribution to a positive outcome of the 2010 NPT Review Conference;

4. Invites both the Council and the Commission to clarify which steps they envisage taking to strengthen the NPT and to pursue effective multilateralism, as set out in the December 2003 EU Strategy against proliferation of WMD;

5. Affirms that, for multilateral efforts to be effective, they must be set within a well-developed vision of achieving a nuclear-weapon-free world at the earliest possible date;

6. Urges the Council Presidency to produce regular progress reports in the years leading up to the 2010 Review Conference on the implementation of each of the 43 measures adopted in Council Common Position 2005/329/PESC, as well as a list of new commitments that the Council hopes to achieve at the 2010 NPT Review Conference;

7. Urges the Council Presidency to promote at the NPT PrepCom a number of disarmament initiatives based on the "Principles and Objectives for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament" agreed upon at the 1995 NPT Review Conference and the "13 Practical Steps" agreed unanimously at the Year 2000 NPT Review Conference, which must improved upon and implemented in order to make progress and to avoid regress or standstill;

8. Urges the Council Presidency in particular to break the deadlock on establishing a verifiable Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty, to speed up the signing and ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) by all States, in particular those whose ratification is required for it to enter into force, to advocate a complete cessation of all nuclear-weapons testing pending the entry into force of the CTBT, and to prioritise the importance of lowering the risk of nuclear terrorism by developing and enforcing effective export and border controls on sensitive WMD-related materials, equipment and/or technologies;

9. Calls on the international community to promote initiatives towards an international multilateral process of uranium enrichment under the control of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA);

10. Recommends that a delegation be sent to Vienna to participate in the NPT PrepCom events; asks the Council Presidency to include Parliament representatives in the EU delegation (a precedent set by the EU delegation to the UN 2006 Small Arms Conference in New York);

11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the United Nations Secretary-General, the governments and parliaments of the member states of the United Nations, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Parliamentary Network for Nuclear Disarmament, Mayors for Peace, and the other organisers of the international conference on nuclear disarmament scheduled to take place in Parliament on 19 April 2007.

[1] OJ C 320 E, 15.12.2005, p. 253.

[2] OJ L 106, 27.4.2005, p. 32.

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