General Assembly Official Records Sixtieth Session
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United Nations A/60/PV.41 General Assembly Official Records Sixtieth session 41st plenary meeting Monday, 31 October 2005, 3 p.m. New York President: Mr. Eliasson ............................................ (Sweden) The meeting was called to order at 2.40 p.m. technology and the complications that can arise from the peaceful use of nuclear energy. While the IAEA Agenda item 84 (continued) protects the right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, it must also ensure that such a right is Report of the International Atomic Energy Agency exercised in compliance with States’ non-proliferation obligations under article II of the NPT and the full Note by the Secretary-General (A/60/204) implementation of IAEA safeguards, and with the utmost transparency. Draft resolution (A/60/L.13) The IAEA has a central role in combating nuclear Mr. Ng (Singapore): My delegation would like to proliferation. It is therefore vital that its safeguards congratulate the Director General of the International regime remains capable of responding to new Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mr. Mohamed challenges within its mandate. In this context, ElBaradei, and the IAEA itself on being jointly Singapore supports the several key initiatives taken awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. This award is recently by the IAEA Board of Governors. They both well deserved and timely. It reflects the important include the creation of an advisory committee of the role the IAEA plays in nuclear non-proliferation. Board on safeguards and verification, establishing the Additional Protocol as the new standard for safeguards With the increasing challenges posed by nuclear verification, and ushering in a modified version of the proliferation, coupled with the rise of nuclear power as Small Quantities Protocol. an energy source, strict conformity to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and to As a reflection of our strong commitment to non- the Agency’s safeguards obligations are crucial. As a proliferation, Singapore signed the Additional Protocol member of the IAEA Board of Governors, Singapore on 22 September 2005. In our view, States themselves will continue to lend its full support to the Agency and must also enhance and continue to enhance its work. international cooperation to counter nuclear proliferation. In this regard, Singapore supports the full Over the past few years, the NPT has faced and effective implementation of Security Council serious challenges. This fact has emphasized the need resolution 1540 (2004) which, inter alia, calls on for the Treaty to be underpinned by a strong safeguards United Nations Member States to enhance domestic regime. There is now significant potential for nuclear controls and step up cooperation against the proliferation, given the discovery of a sophisticated proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. While and clandestine nuclear procurement network, the legally binding multilateralism should be the basis of spread of nuclear knowledge, access to sensitive This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the interpretation of speeches delivered in the other languages. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room C-154A. Corrections will be issued after the end of the session in a consolidated corrigendum. 05-59013 (E) *0559013* A/60/PV.41 the global non-proliferation regime, other multi- nuclear energy. We fully support that decision. country initiatives, such as the Proliferation Security Singapore looks forward to further cooperation with Initiative, are important elements in international the Agency in bilateral technical cooperation counter-proliferation efforts. initiatives. I would like next to touch upon the rise of nuclear Singapore will continue to support the work of energy as an energy option. There is a clear trend the Director General and the Agency in all its three towards the use of nuclear power in the developing pillars of promoting nuclear safety and security, world, particularly in Asia, as our energy needs peaceful applications of nuclear science and increase. Effective nuclear safety and security regimes technology, and nuclear verification and safeguards. must therefore be strongly emphasized. Singapore Mr. Sumaida’ie (Iraq) (spoke in Arabic): At the strongly commends and endorses the Agency’s efforts outset, I would like to express our appreciation to the to promote adherence to IAEA safety standards and Director General of the International Atomic Energy guidelines. We urge member States to make effective Agency (IAEA), Mr. Mohamed ElBaradei, for his use of the Agency’s safety review services and other presentation of the annual report of the Agency to the forms of assistance to raise nuclear safety standards General Assembly. We extend our congratulations to and uphold an effective nuclear safety culture. It is him and to the Agency on their earning the Nobel incumbent upon States to establish regulatory Peace Prize through the actions they have undertaken infrastructures that will support credible national to spare humanity from the disasters that could be nuclear safety regimes. caused by the use of weapons of mass destruction. The While ensuring nuclear safety ultimately remains IAEA’s activities contribute to the establishment of the national responsibility of States, the cross-border peace in the world and help secure the benefits of implications of radiological fallout make nuclear safety sharing nuclear technology internationally to achieve very much a transnational concern. Nuclear safety and socio-economic development. security are closely interrelated. In this regard, Cognizant of the important role that the Agency Singapore places a high degree of importance on plays, my Government realizes that it must have the continued measures by the IAEA to improve nuclear funds necessary to support its technical programmes security and protection against nuclear and radiological and activities through payment by States of their terrorism. We welcome the IAEA Board’s adoption in assessments to the budget. Based on this, my September of a Nuclear Security Plan for 2006 to 2009. Government has requested the Secretariat to transfer The importance of transboundary emergency Iraq’s arrears to the IAEA’s fund for the period 1991 to preparedness capability, including appropriate regional 2005 from our money that was deposited with the cooperation, could not be emphasized more. United Nations. This initiative is the result of my Singapore is also pleased to note that the Government’s interest in creating an effective and Agency’s Technical Cooperation Programme has supportive role for the activities of the IAEA. expanded and improved its management and delivery This is the first occasion on which my delegation of technical assistance projects. The needs-driven has taken the floor in the General Assembly to speak approach adopted by the Agency together with member on this item since the collapse of the previous Iraqi States targets the particular concerns identified by regime, whose relationship with the IAEA was often member States, while optimizing the Agency’s characterized by an absence of understanding and by financial resources. tension. I can state with confidence that a new era has Singapore firmly supports the Agency’s technical begun in the relationship between my Government and cooperation activities. In recognition of this, we have the IAEA, one based on full cooperation, transparency consistently contributed our full assessed share of the and respect by Iraq for the commitments that it has IAEA’s Technical Cooperation Fund. The IAEA Board entered into under international conventions and of Governors recently agreed in broad terms that the treaties relating to disarmament and non-proliferation. prize money awarded to the IAEA for the 2005 Nobel We have taken a number of new measures that Peace Prize should be used to fund the needs of reflect our new attitude. We have established a developing countries in the peaceful application of commission to control radioactive materials, which is 2 A/60/PV.41 based on the IAEA’s guiding principles and code of previous regime, as set out in the report under the conduct. The Commission began work this year on a heading of verification in Iraq pursuant to Security comprehensive action plan to control stocks of Council resolutions. depleted radioactive sources, bury low-grade We would like to take this opportunity to express radioactive waste and tighten border controls in our appreciation for the efforts of the IAEA to conduct conjunction with competent Iraqi authorities. An its active annual verification of nuclear stocks in Iraq institution dedicated to banning the spread of weapons that are subject to the comprehensive safeguards has been established, as has, in the Ministry of the regime. An Agency delegation conducted a verification Environment, a centre for radiation protection, which exercise in September. We also commend the efforts monitors the movement and use of radioactive sources, made by the IAEA’s Marine Environment Laboratory including their import, export, transfer, purchase, sale concerning the contamination resulting from ship stockpiling and circulation. The national control wreckage in the Arab Gulf close to the port city of Um service, in the Ministry of Science and Technology, is Qasr. implementing a continuous monitoring, verification and inspection plan for controlling materials and The spectre of nuclear terrorism threatens equipment of dual usage. international peace and security. We must remain cautious and make a collective effort to prevent Working with the committee on the Treaty on the terrorists and non-State actors from acquiring and Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and using nuclear weapons with a view to achieving their disarmament bodies, our National Security Council is goals. My Government has taken the necessary implementing Security Council resolution 1540 (2004), measures to prevent such threats, in accordance with and we are submitting reports in that regard.