GABON
 

Short speech
of
Mr. Alfred Moungara-Moussotsi
First Counsellor
Permanent Mission of Gabon to the United Nations

in front of
the 2nd Conference in order to facilitate
the entry into force
of the Treaty of Complete Prohibition of the Nuclear Tests
 

New York, November 13 2001

(Only the marked speech is taken)

Mr. President,
Mister the Secretary-general,
Excellence Foreign Ministers,
Excellence Permanent Representatives,
Distinguished delegated,
Mesdames and Messrs,

1. Exactly five years ago, general Sécrétaire of the United Nations solemnly opened with the signature the Treaty of complete prohibition of the nuclear tests (TICE), September 24, 1996, in this same room of the Trusteeship Council.

2. Since this date, 161 States, whose Gabon, signed this significant Traité and thus confirm the universal aspiration of the international community for the complete stop of the nuclear explosions of any nature.

3. In order to mark its attachment with the aims in view by the Treaty, including those of the nonproliferations and disarmament nuclear, Gabon, in the respect of the national procedure in the matiére, ratifé the Treaty of complete prohibition of the nuclear tests on September 20 2000.

4. It is particularly encouraging to note that to date, 84 States on the whole already ratified the Treaty, in the number of which appears 31 of the 44 States indicated to the Appendix 2 whose ratification is necessary to the entry into force of the Treaty. In this respect, the ratification of the TICE by three of the five nuclear powers takes, a very particular significance.

5. Here appears the pressing need for an unambiguous adhesion of all the States whose signature and ratification are, under Article XIV of the Treaty of prohibition complete of the nuclear tests, a condition of its existence even and its full application.

6. The sad events which occurred on the American ground on September 11 2001 plead in favour of a consensual action of the international community against the dangers of proliferation of all the weapons of massive destruction, and particularly of the nuclear weapons.

7. I thus call some with the goodwill of all the nuclear States, so that they are essential moratoriums on the nuclear tests on unspecified duration, to the input as a vigor of the Treaty of complete prohibition of the nuclear tests. My delegation invite them également.à to abstain from all actions being able to call into question the aims in view by the TICE.

8. In other words, so that the TICE can truly be an effective instrument against the nonproliferation of the nuclear weapons, an equal reserve with regard to the improvement of this type of weapons by all other means should be scrupulously observed.

9. In comparison with the obstacles which, here and there, are still drawn up on the way towards the entry into force of the Treaty, force is to recognize, which the call launched two years earlier, at the time C the Conference aiming at facilitating the entry into force of the Treaty of prohibition, complete of the nuclear tests, which was held â Vienna, from the 6 to October 8, 1999, only partially in was tightened. This appel.mérite thus to be renewed and reinforced at the end of these bases.

10. With our humble opinion, the preparatory Commission of the Organization of the Treaty of complete prohibition of the nuclear tests offers a political framework of dialogue and technical development suitable, likely to allow implementation a progressive of the Treaty, so that it is with the height of the requirements of checking that we expect some.

11. For this reason, report/ratio VERTIC, produced by the Commission independent on the verifiability of the Treaty of complete prohibition of the nuclear tests is worthy of interest, because it relates to one of the key elements of this Treaty.

12. What this report/ratio reveals, it is that with-délà legitimate reserves expressed, once the world mode of checking completed, the TICE will make it possible to identify fiablement all attempts to violate the fundamental obligations of them. Nest this not well there originality this Treaty?

13. Gabon, which shelters on its territory a station for the auxiliary seismological monitoring of the international monitoring System of the TICE, makes a point of reaffirming its availability to cooperate with the preparatory Commission and supports its efforts aiming at the establishment of the world mode of checking of the Treaty.

14. I would also like to seize this occasion to renew our sincere congratulations with the executive Secretary of the preparatory Commission, Mr Wolfgang Hoffmann, and with all the members of the Secretariat which it directs for remarkable work carried out in order to promote the cause of the Treaty and to encourage the States to join this significant instrument which aims at reinforcing peace and the regional and international security.

15. I thus invite the Secretariat of the preparatory Commission to continue his international co-operation and training program, in order to allow a participation as broad as possible in the world mode of checking in process of establishment.

16. From this point of view, I am pleased with the behaviour of the sous-régional Workshop on the international co-operation and the national procedures of application and ratification of the TICE, for the States of and central Africa West Africa, envisaged from the 13 to November 15 2001 in Dakar.

17. It is indeed important to support an access right and equitable of all the States left not only to the stimulant work which calls the application of the Treaty, but also with the various advantages which could rise from the use for peaceful purposes of the technologies employed in the installation of the mode of checking of the TICE.

18. Also, believe we in the need for reinforces the means available to the preparatory Commission in Vienna, so that it can continue in a more effective way the participation of the developing countries in its work and activities.

19. By doing this, the universality of the Treaty that we appellons of all our wishes could be translated in the facts by an access of all to the technological and scientific repercussions discounted.

20. My delegation remains convinced of the founded good to have maintained the organization of this conference. The current international context indeed invites us to redouble, more than ever with paravant, our engagement in favour of the nonproliferation of all the types of armaments.

21. But to be really effective, our efforts of nonproliferation will have also to be accompanied by a real will to engage us on the way of disarmament, thus reducing the dangers which weigh on our humanity.

22. Can this Conference offer a new occasion to us to make a significant projection in the realization of the commitment entered into by our respective Leaders, at the time of the Summit of the Millenium, for, and I cite:"... to work with the elimination of the weapons of massive destruction, in particular the weapons nuclear, and not to draw aside any possible solution to arrive at this objective... ", end of quotation.

23. The Treaty of complete prohibition of the nuclear tests forms part of the instruments précisemment that it will resolutely be necessary for us to apply, in order to reach one of the major objectits of the international community which is to arrive to a world free from annes nuclear.

I thank you.