Т е к с т 6. Memorandum by the European Union at the 54th United Nations General Assembly

(4.500)

The memorandum is circulated concurrently with the speech delivered at the

General Assembly of the United Nations on September 21st, 1999

by H.E. Ms Tarja HALONEN, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, on behalf of the

European Union. It forms an integral part of the speech.

II. Security issues

1. Disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation

For the European Union progress in the areas of disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation is vital for the maintenance of peace and the strengthening of international security. Support to the reinforcement of global non-proliferation and disarmament are at the core of the external action of the European Union, which reiterates its commitment to actively contribute to the successful outcome of the work within the various international conferences and other for a aimed at these objectives.

The EU's readiness to participate in international cooperative efforts to promote arms control and disarmament was incorporated into the Common Strategy on Russia adopted by the European Council on 4 June.

1.1. Principles and objectives of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament

For the Union, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) remains the cornerstone of the global non-proliferation regime and the essential foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament. In this spirit, the EU supports and promotes the implementation of the objectives laid down in the Treaty itself and in the decisions of the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference - the Decision on Strengthening the Review Process for the Treaty, the Decision on Principles and Objectives for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, together with the Decision on the extension of the Treaty - as well as the Middle East Resolution. The EU continues to attach special importance to achieving universal adherence to the NPT. It welcomes the accession of Brazil to the NPT in September 1998 and urges the four States which have not yet done so to follow its example. Following the successful first session of the Preparatory Committee, which set in motion the new strengthened review process for the Treaty, and in preparation of the second PrepCom, the EU defined a Common Position in April 1998 on how to contribute to a successful outcome of the 2000 NPT Review Conference. […]

The EU Member States have decided to strengthen their cooperation in support of an early entry into force of the CTBT through a common position adopted on 29 July 1999. In this context, they underline the importance of the first conference to be held in accordance with article XIV of the Treaty, which is expected to take place in Vienna in October 1999, and their commitment to contributing to the successful outcome of the Conference. All the Member States of the EU signed the CTBT on the day of its opening for signature. Since then, 11 of them, including the nuclear weapons States France and the United Kingdom, have ratified it and all the others have initiated national ratification procedures. The Union calls on all States to sign and ratify the CTBT especially those on the list of the 44 States whose ratification is needed for the Treaty to come into force. The Union expresses its full support for the efforts of the Preparatory-Commission of the CTBTO to establish the Treaty's verification regime in a timely and effective manner and in accordance with the Treaty.

In the EU's view, a convention banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices (the cut-off treaty) constitutes a second major step towards the achievement of both the nuclear non-proliferation and the nuclear disarmament objectives envisaged in the document on Principles and Objectives. The EU urges all members of the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva to re-establish without delay the ad hoc committee to negotiate a cut-off treaty.

The EU Member States all agree that systematic and progressive efforts towards nuclear disarmament as set out in the 1995 Principles and Objectives decision are essential if we are to make progress towards our common goal; the ultimate elimination of nuclear weapons and general and complete disarmament. In past years, significant progress has been made both through unilateral and bilateral efforts towards the reduction of nuclear arsenals. The agreements reached in this area must now be fully implemented and followed up with negotiations on further reductions.

Задания

1. Выявите систему языковых средств, оформляющих текст международных документов.

2. Определите, есть ли в тексте:

• термины,

• клише,

• прецизионная лексика.

3. Выполните письменный перевод текста на русский язык, соблюдая специфику данного жанра.