Traduction de «Conférence du Comité des dix sur le désarmement » (Français → Anglais) :

Calls for a strengthening of the international system of treaties and regimes against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; stresses the need for closer cooperation between the EU and the United States in combating terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, in compliance with international law, and for both sides to support the role that the UN must play in these areas; urges the Council to discuss with its US counterparts how to make a positive approach to future NPT Preparatory Committees (NPT PrepComs), as a first opportunity to strengthen the global non-nuclear proliferation regime in the run-up to the N ...[+++]PT Review Conference in 2010; underlines the need to discuss at the summit a number of nuclear disarmament initiatives based on the ‘13 practical steps’ agreed to unanimously in the 2000 NPT Review Conference; hopes that at this summit the US Administration will be willing to adopt a common strategy with the EU aimed at making progress on disarmament in terms of both weapons of mass destruction and conventional weaponry; calls on the EU and the United States to avoid the potential vacuum in the period 2009-2010, when the major agreements on disarmament will be due to be renewed; hopes that the very important agreements reached in 1999, 2000 and 2001 with Russia will be maintained; calls on the United States to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) as a meaningful step towards reducing the operational relevance of nuclear weapons;

Is of the opinion that the 40th anniversary of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) on 1 July 2008 must be seen as an opportunity for the EU to promote the need for nuclear disarmament in its Strategy Against the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, with a view to the Preparatory Committees for the forthcoming NPT review conference; reiterates its view that this includes the need for the ‘recognised’ nuclear weapons powers to put forward disarmament initiatives, to make Europe a nuclear-weapon-free zone, and to conclud ...[+++]e a global convention banning nuclear weapons;

(d) help build consensus on substantive issues in the 2000 NPT Review Conference and its three main committees, taking into account the substantive preparations in the three sessions of the Preparatory Committee and bearing in mind the fundamental importance of the decisions and resolution adopted by the 1995 Review and Extension Conference, namely on principles and objectives for nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.

Canada pursues this policy in all fora, ranging from support for regional measures, the strengthening of the NPT through its enhanced Review Process, by advocating an Ad hoc Committee in the Conference on Disarmament (CD) to discuss nuclear disarmament issues, and by encouraging and supporting bilateral reductions such as the US-Russia START process.

In reporting to the Senate today on the same conference, I would like to focus on the work of two IPU committees, the first Committee on Political Questions, International Security and Disarmament as well as the Committee on Human Rights of Parliamentarians, because I believe that much of the important work of the union takes place at these committees.

Although the Conference on Disarmament has now admitted 23 States, 13 further applications for membership are still to be considered, including those of 4 European Union Members, some of which were submitted over a decade ago.