Mr. President

Distinguished Delegates,

As current chairman of the Pacific Islands Forum Group, I have asked for the floor today to make a statement on, behalf of Australia, Fiji, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and my own country, Nauru.

Although there have been dramatic changes in the global political environment such as the end of the Cold War, there continues to be threats to humanity represented by the continued possession of nuclear weapons and the attendant possibility of use or threat of use of nuclear weapons.

The CTBT is a crucial element of any nuclear non-proliferation strategy and eventually disarmament. It will prevent nuclear weapon states from testing or having confidence in new designs of nuclear weapons. The CTBT can also prevent any potential violators from developing thermonuclear weapons where they already possess fission weapons or develop such weapons clandestinely.

Nuclear testing in the Pacific

Mr. President

It is significant that Pacific Island countries make a statement at this second CTBT Article MV Conference. The region that the Pacific Islands Forum members represent have a long history of supporting disarmament borne of the region's harsh direct experience with nuclear testing by colonial powers in the Pacific. This has included testing in Maralinga, Mururoa, Fangataufa, Republic of the Marshall Islands and Christmas Island.

Tragically, the people of our region still suffer the consequences of this testing and in some cases are still seeking compensation and assistance for the consequences to their health and environment. Let me also remind you that testing only ceased in our region as late as 1996 after five decades of atmospheric and underground testing. No other region has had such an experience.

The Pacific Islands Forum has called on all nuclear powers that have conducted nuclear tests in the region to accept full responsibility and liability for past nuclear testing. Forum Leaders have also called on all states concerned to fulfil their responsibilities to ensure that sites where nuclear tests have been conducted are monitored scrupulously and to take appropriate steps to avoid adverse impacts on health, safety and the environment as a consequence of nuclear testing.

In 1985, the Forum Leaders adopted the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty (the Rarotonga Treaty). At the time, the Leaders observed that the endorsement of the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, which would establish only the second nuclear weapons free zone in a permanently inhabited area, reflected the deep concern of all Forum members at the continuing nuclear arms race and the risk of nuclear war.

The South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty has been signed and ratified by all Forum members within the original geographical boundaries of the Treaty. The former USSR and China have signed and ratified Protocols Two and Three to the Treaty and France, and the United Kingdom have signed and ratified Protocols One, Two and Three. Although the United States has signed all three Protocols, it has yet to ratify them. We take this opportunity to again call on the United States to ratify the Protocols to the Treaty.

There is now the Antarctic treaty and the treaties of Tlatelolco, Rarotonga, Bangkok and Pelindaba. We recall and support the UNGA resolutions calling upon the States parties and signatories to the treaties of Tlatelolco, Rarotonga, Bangkok and Pelindaba to pursue the common goals envisaged in those treaties, promote the nuclear -weapon-free status of the southern hemisphere and adjacent areas, and to explore and implement further ways and means of cooperating among themselves and their treaty agencies. We recall the Final Document of the 2000 NPT Review Conference, adopted by consensus, which recognized the continuing contributions of these treaties towards the achievement of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament objectives, particularly in the southern hemisphere and adjacent areas, and towards keeping the areas covered by the treaties free of nuclear weapons, in accordance with international law.

Regional response to CTBT

Mr. President

In 1997, Forum Leaders warmly welcomed the adoption of the CTBT at the UN General Assembly on 10 September 1996, and its opening for signature. Forum Leaders congratulated Forum members who had been amongst the first countries to ratify the CTBT. At its annual Leaders' meetings, the Forum has repeatedly called for early entry into force of the CTBT, and for all its members to accede to it.

Twelve of the sixteen Forum members have signed the CTBT with five Forum members having ratified. This includes the only Forum member who is an Annex 2 State. Nauru will be depositing its instrument of ratification tomorrow. While all Forum countries support the Treaty, a few have severe resource constraints, and are therefore not in a position to sign or ratify the treaty as soon as they would have liked. Regional countries are working together to expedite further signatures and ratification's so that all Forum member countries can accede to the Treaty.

Forum members will be hosting 38 International Monitoring System stations, two radionuclide laboratories and a global communications information hub. Forum members that have been chosen to host monitoring stations (Australia, Look Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Solomon Islands) are working with the Preparatory Commission for the CTBT® to complete the arrangements for setting up the stations as soon as practicable. We acknowledge the importance of these monitoring stations particularly because of the vast oceans in the region and their attractiveness in being used for secret testing.

At this years Forum Leaders' meeting which was held in Nauru from 16-18 August, the Leaders in recalling their 1999 decision to pursue genuine and universal disarmament, further urged all its members, its development partners and all those countries which had not done so, in particular the outstanding Annex 2 States, to sign and ratify the CTBT.

Leaders encouraged all Forum members to attend this Second Conference on Facilitating the Entry, into Force of the CTBT and encouraged those of its members who have been chosen to host monitoring stations under the International Monitoring System of the global verification regime provided for under the CTBT, to complete the arrangements for the setting up of those stations as soon as practicable.

Conclusion

Mr. President

The Forum members support the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and nuclear disarmament. We recognize the important role that the CTBT plays in achieving that aim. We stand ready to assist in any way with the adoption of measures consistent with international law to accelerate the ratification process in order to facilitate the early entry into force of the Treaty We reiterate our call to all other countries that have yet to do so to complete all steeps for treaty ratification as soon as possible.

Thank you. Mr. President
 

Sources

• http://www.un.org/webcast/ctbt/statements/nauruE.htm>