Statement
by
H.E. Mr. Hubert Vedrine
Minister for Foreign Affairs
at the Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
2001/11/12, United Nations,
New York
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(Unofficial courtesy translation from the French)
Mr President,
Working to speed up the entry into force of the CTBT is fully in line with the shared undertaking to promote disarmament and non-proliferation.
It has taken the international community over forty years to develop a legal instrument to ban nuclear tests.
On 6 April 1998, France was the first nuclear-weapon state, along with the United Kingdom, to deposit its instruments of ratification.
France thus followed the commitments it undertook under Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. France closed and dismantled its Pacific test site and its plants for the production of fissile material for use in nuclear weapons.
These decisions are in line with the objective of maintaining the credibility of its nuclear deterrent based on the principle of sufficiency and its constant rejection of any new arms race.
Mr President,
With 161 signatory States, including the five nuclear powers, and 84 ratifications to date, the CTBT can pride itself on a success.
It is a success because 31 States of those 44 whose ratification is necessary for the entry into force of the Treaty have already ratified the Treaty.
It is also a success because an organisation was established in Vienna to implement the Treaty’s provisions.
It is thirdly a success because the foundations of a credible verification system have already been laid. France has relentlessly defended the idea of an effective and deterrent international verification system.
Nevertheless five years after it was concluded, the Treaty has still not entered into force. France addresses again the call, in particular to the countries whose ratification is required for the Treaty to enter into force, to sign and ratify the Treaty.
We need multilateral legal instruments for the control of the proliferation in armaments. The obligations and the verification mechanisms, which they will entail, are elements of confidence and stability.
Let us not loose the achievements of continued efforts during the last
decades.