By NNN-KUNA,
United Nations : The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) has said that the use of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes without discrimination is an “inalienable” right and therefore any restrictions to limit that use is “regrettable” and “should be removed.”
Addressing the high-level Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference which opened here Monday, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said on behalf of NAM that the group’s members, including Iran, underscore their “inalienable right” of research, produce, and use of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes without discrimination.
“Nothing in our discussion here should detract from the provisions in the treaty for the development of peaceful uses of energy,” he said.
The West accuses Iran of developing a nuclear weapon and is working to impose further sanctions on Tehran as a punishment. Iran rejects the accusation, saying its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only.
Natalegawa recalled that the 2010 Review Conference clearly confirmed that “each country’s choices and decision in the field of peaceful uses of nuclear energy should be respected.”
“NAM states do not see any room for reinterpretation or setting of conditions for the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The undue restrictions currently being applied to many developing countries, parties to the NPT, are regrettable, and should be removed,” he said.
He said NAM members will continue to engage “constructively” on the full implementation of the NPT.
However, he added, “we expect that the nuclear weapon states will also demonstrate greater political will and discharge their multilaterally agreed obligations and commitments on nuclear disarmament.”
Natalegawa took the opportunity to call on the states remaining outside the NPT, such as Israel, Pakistan and India, to “come into its fold.”
“It is unacceptable that nuclear weapon states and those remaining outside the NPT continue to retain and even modernize their nuclear arsenals, imperiling regional and international peace and security, in particular in the Middle East,” he said.
The fact that all states in the Middle East region with the exception of Israel are parties to the NPT, he said, has resulted in the continued exposure of non-nuclear weapon states of the region to nuclear threats, mainly to the threat of a nuclear arms race of a catastrophic regional and international potential.
He urged the conference to adopt an action plan with benchmarks and timeframe towards realising the objective of a world free of nuclear weapons. “Failure cannot and must not be an option,” he said.