MEDIA RELEASE

MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS   ALEXANDER DOWNER

FA54 22 May 2000

NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION AND DISARMAMENT REGIME   REINFORCED

I am delighted that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, which   concluded in New York on 20 May, and which I addressed on Anzac Day, has agreed on a   program to advance global nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.

As one of the strongest supporters of the NPT, Australia worked hard in the lead-up to the   Conference and at the Conference itself to achieve this positive outcome.

Proposals developed by Australia and Japan on further measures to implement the NPT have   been reflected in the Conference’s forward looking program.

This very important outcome sends a clear message that all states parties to the NPT remain   strongly committed to the goal of a nuclear weapon-free world. For the fast time since 1985,   states parties to the Treaty - of which there are now 187 - were able to agree on both a review   of the Treaty and a series of next steps for the Treaty’s implementation.

That all countries represented at this conference were able to reach such a consensus   underlines international acceptance of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as the best   vehicle for preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and working towards nuclear   disarmament.

The NPT is the instrument through which the Nuclear Weapon States have committed   themselves to the elimination of their nuclear arsenals, and through which almost every other   country in the world has agreed not to acquire nuclear weapons. The Treaty therefore makes a   vital contribution to global, regional and national security.

At this conference, NPT members have committed themselves to goals for which Australia   has long worked, such as early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban   Treaty (CTBT), continuing a moratorium on explosive nuclear testing,’ negotiation of a treaty   to ban the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons, universal adherence to the   International Atomic Energy Agency’s strengthened safeguards system and universal   membership of the NPT.

I particularly welcome the unequivocal commitment of the Nuclear Weapon States to the total   elimination of their nuclear arsenals. It is also a measure of the the NPT’s strength that a   common approach was agreed on regional issues, including the Middle East and South Asia.

Media contacts: (Ministerial) James Baker (02) 62 777-500   (Departmental) Matt Francis/Julie McDonald (02) 6261-l 555

Media releases and speeches are available from DFAT via the internet. http://www.dfat.gov.au/

