Primary Document

Minutes of 19/11/1998 - Provisional Edition

Nuclear disarmament

B4-0998, 1009, 1031, 1035, 1040 and 1044/98 A

Resolution on the New Agenda Coalition on nuclear disarmament

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on nuclear disarmament, testing and non-proliferation,

A. welcoming the joint statement of 9 June 1998 by the Foreign Ministers of Brazil, Egypt, Ireland, Mexico,

New Zealand, Slovenia, South Africa and Sweden, entitled, 'Towards a nuclear-weapon-free world: the

need for a new agenda', a group also known as the New Agenda Coalition (NAC),

B. welcoming the broad diversity of this coalition of countries, crossing as it does traditional lines of

co-operation, and also welcoming the eight countries' initiating a multilateral debate at the highest level of

government on such an important and urgent issue,

C. noting that the United Nations' First Committee passed the NAC resolution on 13 November 1998, with

97 votes in favour, 19 against and 32 abstentions,

D. concerned both by the continued retention of nuclear weapons by a few and the nuclear aspirations of

others, and reasserting its call for a nuclear-weapon-free world,

E. noting that this timely initiative, which includes two EU Member States and one associate member, reflects

the post-Cold War redefined security environment and sets a path towards constructive engagement

discussions on the subject of nuclear disarmament,

F. noting that the UN resolution does not propose actions that contradict any existing EU, NATO or national

policies, and supports existing policies regarding inter alia the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear

Weapons (NPT), the US-Russia START process and nuclear-weapon-free zones,

1. Calls upon the EU Member States to support the NAC initiative and to vote in favour of it in the General

Assembly in December 1998;

2. Calls on those countries that possess nuclear weapons to fulfil their commitment to disarm by virtue of

Article VI of the NPT;

3. Calls also on the non-nuclear weapon members of the NPT to fulfil their treaty commitments i.e. not to

receive, manufacture or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices;

4. Calls on states outside the NPT to immediately, and unconditionally, accede to the treaty and to place all

fissionable materials under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards;

5. Underlines the importance and the necessity of further improving existing verification procedures with a

view to ensuring effective compliance by all states concerned, including the allocation of appropriate funding;

6. Requests that those countries opposing the UN resolution make clear their objections by specifically

naming the paragraphs in question;

7. Calls upon all Member States of the EU to undertake discussions on the subject of taking nuclear forces

off their current high-sensitivity alert procedures, also known as de-alerting, as highlighted in the Canberra

Commission report of 1996;

8. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Foreign Ministers of

the NAC and the United Nations Secretary-General.

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