Mr. Secretary-General,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Switzerland welcomes the initiative to convene a high-level meeting on strengthening the legal framework of countering nuclear terrorism, as announced at the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit.
This event is timely, since terrorism in all its manifestations remains a serious threat, a threat to the security of States, but also a threat to human security.
Acts of nuclear terrorism constitute one of the most serious security concerns for our planet. This threat has fortunately not materialized so far. Nevertheless the mere possibility of such an act calls for great vigilance and further action. A nuclear terrorist attack would be an act of utmost barbarity with, as we all know, catastrophic consequences from a humanitarian point of view. Such a humanitarian disaster would be further exacerbated by a long-lasting impact on the environment and also have profound consequences on the global economy and therefore on employment and prosperity of our societies. Our world is already sufficiently unstable; we cannot allow such a threat to materialize. We must therefore reaffirm our commitment to prevent and suppress nuclear terrorism. Let me briefly highlight, from a Swiss point of view, the areas where we need to reinforce our collective action.
First, we need more rigorous efforts to achieve universal adherence to the key international legal instruments to fight against the barbarian act of nuclear terrorism. Switzerland is a party to all existing conventions and, by providing financial support to the UNODC Global Project on Strengthening the Legal Regime against Terrorism, we help and assist other Member States to accede to them.
In particular, Switzerland wishes to highlight the importance of the 2005 Convention on the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT), which has only been ratified by 79 States so far. This is by far insufficient.
Another important instrument is the 2005 Amendment to the Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM), which has not even been ratified by all States that participated in the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit. We strongly believe that more action and less discussion is needed in this regard. We urge all those States Parties to the Convention that have not yet ratified the Amendment to do so urgently. The CPPNM is a cornerstone for the security of nuclear material and thus, a priority for our already enough unstable world.
Second, we must fully implement at the national and international levels the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy adopted by the General Assembly in 2006, as well as Security Council resolution 1540. These guiding documents give much needed prominence to the strengthening of capacity building. Here again, the moment has come for more action and less discussion.
Third, where appropriate and feasible, additional instruments should be considered. The most obvious and long overdue one would be a Fissile Material Treaty. Switzerland will redouble its efforts to help overcome the impasse which has prevented the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva from starting such negotiations. To be successful, we need your commitment.
Fourth, we need to strengthen the role of the IAEA in the area of nuclear security. We welcome the announcement by the Agency that it will organize a Conference on Enhancing Global Efforts of Nuclear Security next year. We encourage all Member States of the IAEA to participate actively in this important event which will provide a forum for the consideration of how the IAEA and other international organizations can best assist States on the issue of nuclear security.
Fifth and finally, Switzerland wants to reemphasize, as it has already done in Seoul, the link between nuclear security and nuclear disarmament. The best way to effectively improve nuclear security and prevent acts of nuclear terrorism is to tackle the problem at its source. Reducing the number of nuclear warheads, as well as fissile material produced and stockpiled for weapons purposes, and placing them under IAEA safeguards once such material is no longer required for weapons purposes, are therefore key aspects of a comprehensive strategy to prevent and suppress nuclear terrorism. The international community must act together and demonstrate its commitment to the battle against terrorism through multilateral negotiations on these issues.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
All the assets to fulfill this task are in our hands, let us act now and fulfill our moral obligation.
Thank you.