MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the Non-Proliferation Treaty
3.3.2010
pursuant to Rule 115(5) of the Rules of Procedure
Roberto Gualtieri, Hannes Swoboda, Adrian Severin on behalf of the S&D Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0137/2010
B7‑0412/2010
European Parliament resolution on the Non-Proliferation Treaty
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the forthcoming 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT),
– having regard to its resolutions of 26 February 2004[1], 10 March 2005[2], 17 November 2005[3], 14 March 2007[4] and 24 April 2009[5] on nuclear proliferation and nuclear disarmament,
– having regard to its resolution of 5 June 2008 on implementation of the European Security Strategy and ESDP[6],
– having regard to the European Union Strategy against the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), adopted by the European Council on 12 December 2003,
– having regard to the UN Security Council resolutions relating to issues of non‑proliferation and nuclear disarmament, especially Resolution 1540 (2004),
– having regard to the report on the implementation of the European Security Strategy agreed by the European Council on 11 December 2008,
– having regard to the European Council declaration on Iran of 10-11 December 2009,
– having regard to Rules 115(5) and 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the proliferation of WMD, and their means of delivery, represents one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and whereas the most pressing security priorities are to prevent terrorists or additional states from obtaining or using nuclear weapons, to reduce global stockpiles and to move toward a world without nuclear weapons,
B. whereas the NPT remains the cornerstone of the nuclear non-proliferation regime and the essential foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy,
C. whereas all the Member States are party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and whereas two Member States are nuclear weapon states as defined by the NPT,
D. whereas since the op-ed in the Wall Street Journal in January 2007 by former Secretary of State George Shultz, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of Defence Bill Perry and former Senator Sam Nunn in support of a world free of nuclear weapons, similar endorsements have been expressed in Europe by former statesmen in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium,
E. whereas the revision of NATO’s Strategic Concept offers an opportunity for reassessing the nuclear policy of the alliance as a whole so as to reach the objective of a world without nuclear weapons; whereas under NATO nuclear-sharing or bilateral arrangements, an estimated 150 to 200 tactical nuclear weapons continue to be deployed in five NATO non‑nuclear states (Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey); whereas forward-deployed US nuclear weapons are no longer essential to preserving the security of the NATO Alliance,
F. whereas Iran missed the end-of-year deadline for complying with calls to open its nuclear facilities to International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors; whereas Iran has so far done nothing to rebuild the confidence of the international community in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear programme,
1. Stresses the need to further reinforce all three pillars of the NPT: non‑proliferation, disarmament and cooperation on the civilian use of nuclear energy; calls upon the EU and its Member States to come forward with a strong common position at the 2010 NPT Review Conference, and to work actively for a successful outcome;
2. Recalls the EU’s commitment to make use of all instruments at its disposal to prevent, deter, halt and if possible eliminate proliferation programmes causing concern at global level, as clearly expressed in the EU Strategy against Proliferation of WMD, adopted by the European Council on 12 December 2003;
3. Greatly welcomes US President Barack Obama’s speech in Prague on 5 April 2009 expressing his commitment to taking nuclear disarmament forward and his vision of a world without nuclear weapons, calls on the Council to express its explicit support for this commitment and asks the two European nuclear powers, specifically, to come forward with new measures designed to achieve it;
4. Applauds the convening of the 2010 Global Summit on Nuclear Security, recognising that the unauthorised trade in, and use of, nuclear materials is an immediate and serious threat to global security;
5. Welcomes the commitment of the Russian Federation and the United States to the further reduction and limitation of their strategic offensive arms and to concluding, as soon as possible, a new, comprehensive, legally binding agreement to replace the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), which expired in December 2009;
6. Stresses the importance of the earliest possible entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT); welcomes in this context the US Administration’s intention to secure the Treaty’s ratification; asks the Council to give its full support to the negotiation of a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear devices as soon as possible;
7. Draws attention to the strategic anachronism of tactical nuclear weapons and the need for Europe to contribute to their reduction and to eliminate them from European soil in the context of a broader dialogue with Russia; against this background, notes the German coalition agreement of 24 October 2009 to work towards the withdrawal of US nuclear weapons from Germany; encourages other Member States with US nuclear weapons on their soil to make a similar clear commitment; welcomes the letter sent on 26 February 2010 by the Foreign Ministers of Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Norway to the Secretary General of NATO calling for a comprehensive discussion in the Alliance on how it can move closer to the overall political objective of a world without nuclear weapons;
8. Encourages efforts to promote the development of peaceful uses for nuclear energy by countries seeking to maintain or develop their capacities in this field in a framework that reduces proliferation risks and adheres to the highest international standards with regard to safeguards, security and safety;
9. Supports the dual-track approach to Iran’s nuclear programme; urges Iran once again to comply fully and without further delay with its obligations under the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in order inter alia to meet the requirements set out by the IAEA Board of Governors resolution of 27 November 2009; urges the Council to support action by the United Nations Security Council if Iran continues not cooperating with the international community over its nuclear programme; calls on the Council to be ready to take the necessary ‘smart’, targeted and non‑proliferation-focused measures to accompany this UNSC process;
10. Calls on both the Council and the Commission to present a progress report to Parliament on the outcome of the 2010 NPT Review Conference in due time;
11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Presidency-in-office of the Council, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the UN Secretary-General, all States Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and the International Atomic Energy Agency.