UAE to continue developing nuclear programme

The UAE has said that it will continue to take further steps towards developing its peaceful nuclear energy program in order to meet its growing needs of electricity within the framework of the safeguards and supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). "The UAE will continue to take further concrete steps towards developing its peaceful nuclear energy program in order to meet its growing needs of electricity within the framework of the safeguards and supervision of the IAEA in compliance with the highest standards of transparency, safety and nuclear security and nonproliferation and in full cooperation with the Agency and other friendly and responsible states with relevant experience in this field," said Ambassador Ahmad Al Jarman, Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN in a statement before the General Debate of the First Committee on "Disarmament and International Security" on the occasion of 66th Session of the General Assembly here in New York. "We wish to reiterate the acquired right of developing countries to participate without discrimination in nuclear energy research and in the production and use of energy for peaceful purposes within the safeguards of the IAEA", the ambassador added. The full text of his speech: Mr. Chairman, At the outset and on behalf of the United Arab Emirates Delegation, it gives me great pleasure to congratulate Your Excellency on your election as Chairman of this important Committee. I would also like to thank the Undersecretary General for Disarmament Affairs for his valuable statement at the beginning of this Committee's work, and wish to express our support for the statement given by the Representative of Indonesia on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement on the agenda items of this committee. Mr. Chairman, The United Arab Emirates, which has recently participated in the meetings of the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Initiative (NPDI), hopes that nuclear states enter into serious and effective negotiations that will lead to ending all operations aimed at improving and developing nuclear weapons and their delivery systems, and ensure gradual elimination of these weapons and converting their uses to peaceful purposes within the agreed time frame stipulated in Article VI of the NPT, under strict and effective international supervision and in accordance with the recommendations of the International Court of Justice in this regard. In this context, we also urge states not party to treaties on disarmament of weapons of mass destruction to accede to these strategic treaties as soon as possible, notably the Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), in order to enhance the universality and inclusiveness of these treaties. We also renew our support for the proposal of the Non-Aligned Movement to convene an international conference as soon as possible to achieve international consensus on the practical and transparent methods, on which the NPT was founded and which can be used in eliminating existing nuclear arsenals and guaranteeing that non-nuclear states will not seek to acquire such weapons, which will contribute to enhancing the credibility and universality of this treaty. We also call upon the international community to intensify international efforts aimed at exerting pressure on Israel to subject its nuclear facilities to the control of the International Energy Agency (IAEA) in implementation of the relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, including the resolution issued by the Sixth Review Conference of the NPT of year 2000, which all call for the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East. We also demand for the international community, particularly nuclear states and other effective countries, to demonstrate a genuine political will in order to achieve an early progress in the full implementation of the Action Plan adopted at the NPT Review Conference in 2010, and in the efforts of the Arab States aiming at establishing a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East. We also hope that the preparatory efforts undertaken by the UNSG and the three depositary countries of the NPT in consultation with all countries of the region for holding a Conference on this issue in 2012 will be crowned with success. Mr. Chairman, The UAE believes that promotion of the international disarmament agenda requires activation of the Conference on Disarmament (CD), which is the international multilateral body responsible for promoting universal negotiations on disarmament issues. Hence, the UAE calls upon all states to demonstrate further political will and flexibility towards reaching an early agreement on a comprehensive and balanced program of action for this conference, an agreement which is capable of launching an inclusive genuine negotiating process on the key issues of global armament, including issues related to elaborating a convention on the final disposition of nuclear weapons by year 2025 as a time frame to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons through these negotiations. In this context, we declare our support for starting negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty, and a legally binding international instrument that assures non-nuclear-weapon states against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, until the complete elimination of these weapons. We wish to reiterate the acquired right of developing countries to participate without discrimination in nuclear energy research and in the production and use of energy for peaceful purposes within the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). We also urge nuclear states to unconditionally provide developing countries with their needs of material, scientific equipment and technology required for continuing their development programs. In this context, we affirm that the UAE will continue to take further concrete steps towards developing its peaceful nuclear energy program in order to meet its growing needs of electricity within the framework of the safeguards and supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in compliance with the highest standards of transparency, safety and nuclear security and nonproliferation and in full cooperation with the Agency and other friendly and responsible states with relevant experience in this field. Mr. Chairman, The UAE attaches special importance to current efforts aimed at achieving international consensus on the elements of the Declaration of the Fourth Decade of Disarmament, including the identification of focus issues of the Fourth Special Session of the General Assembly on Disarmament, and on the work of the organizational session of the Open-Ended Working Group, hoping that the Group will be able to submit its report before the end of the sixty-seventh session of the General Assembly. Mr. Chairman, In conclusion, my country reaffirms its continued political commitment to all multilateral diplomatic efforts undertaken at the international and regional levels with the aim of building confidence in the area of disarmament of strategic weapons in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law. We hope that our deliberations in this important Committee will lead to achieving international consensus on promoting and developing our efforts to realise security, peace and development as well as regional and international stability.