Minutes of 18/05/2000 - Provisional Edition
Non-Proliferation Treaty
B5-0439, 0445, 0453, 0464 and 0472/2000
European Parliament resolution on the Non-Proliferation Treaty
The European Parliament,
- having regard to its previous resolutions on nuclear non-proliferation, especially the resolution adopted on 13 March 1997 on the Non-Proliferation Treaty(1),
- having regard to the sixth nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference taking place in New York until 19 May 2000,
- having regard to the Common Position of the Council of the European Union adopted on 13 April 2000,
A. whereas the NPT Conference in 1995 resulted in agreements on strengthening the review process of the Treaty, principles and objectives for nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament and an indefinite extension of the Treaty,
B. whereas this is the first Review Conference since the new review process for the Treaty was adopted at the time of its indefinite extension in 1995 and whereas it will thus be a vital first test of the strengthened new regime since 1995,
C. whereas a constructive session with concrete outcomes will help ensure a strong future for the NPT and the non-proliferation regime as a whole,
D. recalling the active role played by the EU during the NPT Review and Extension Conference in 1995 and in the Preparatory Committees in 1997, 1998 and 1999,
E. noting the very recent resolutions supporting the NPT Review Conference in the Australian and Canadian Parliaments, and the motion in the German Bundestag,
F. welcoming the ratification by France and the UK of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, the first nuclear states to ratify the CTBT; recognising the important contribution this will make to improving chances for a successful NPT Review Conference and welcoming the unilateral moves towards nuclear disarmament these two states have taken in the years since the 1995 Review and Extension Conference,
G. taking into account the efforts of the New Agenda Coalition, on which Parliament passed a near
unanimous resolution on 19 November 1998(2), and of which Ireland and Sweden are founding members, to contribute substantively to the debate on the question of nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and other matters related to the Treaty's objectives,
H. believing that the report of the Canberra Commission and the statement by the former generals and
admirals of 4 December 1996 on the obligation to pursue nuclear disarmament in good faith are important contributions to the implementation of Article 6 of the NPT,
I. believing moves towards nuclear disarmament by the nuclear weapon states to be an essential component of non-proliferation measures taken under the Treaty and in other fora, according to their obligations under Article 6 of the NPT,
1. Believes that the NPT remains the cornerstone both for the nuclear non-proliferation regime globally and for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament;
2. Welcomes and shares the objectives of the Common Position adopted by the Council of the European Union on 13 April 2000 relating to the 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons;
3. Calls on the Council to promote policies and mechanisms for the NPT that look forward to future action, not just backwards to progress already achieved, and which should include a set of new benchmarks for progress until the next Review Conference in 2005;
4. Calls on all states party to the NPT to actively pursue their efforts and obligations to promote the
universality of the Treaty which may include, but is not limited to, an open formal dialogue between NPT
states and the states still outside the Treaty;
5. Calls on the United States and Russia to redouble their efforts to ensure early implementation of START II and urges both to maintain at all costs the integrity of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM), which is a cornerstone of strategic stability and a precondition for progress on non-proliferation and disarmament;
6. Urges those states that have not already done so, to take the necessary steps to accede to the NPT;
7. Calls on all Member States of the European Union to ratify the CTBT urgently, and to adopt a joint action under Article 13(3) of the EU Treaty to promote signature and ratification by other states, to include all necessary assistance to these states to enable them to comply with the provisions of the Treaty;
8. Regrets deeply that the US conducted its third subcritical nuclear test on 6 April 2000 at 3.30 p.m. and urges all states to stop subcritical nuclear testing and other means of nuclear testing by simulation;
9. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States, the UN Under-Secretary General for Disarmament Affairs and the President of the 2000 NPT Review Conference.
(1) OJ C 115, 14.4.1997, p. 175.
(2) OJ C 379, 7.12.1998, p. 261.
Source:
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8 November, 2001
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