Intervenção do Ministro das Relações Exteriores, Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, na Conferência Ministerial da Agência Internacional de Energia Atômica para Segurança Física Nuclear
Intervenção
do Ministro das Relações Exteriores, Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, na
Conferência Ministerial da Agência Internacional de Energia Atômica para
Segurança Física Nuclear
Viena, 1º de julho de 2013
Dear Minister János Martonyi, President of the Conference,
Dear Ambassador Yukiya Amano, Director-General of the IAEA
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It
gives me great pleasure to attend this International Conference on
Nuclear Security. I welcome the Director-General’s initiative to enhance
this edition by providing for a ministerial segment. It is a well-timed
signal of the central role the IAEA must play in these efforts.
Let
me also thank the two co-chairs, my fellow countryman Ambassador Vinhas
and Ambassador Csuday of Hungary, as well as the Secretariat, for
the excellent work in preparation for this Conference and the
Ministerial Declaration to be adopted today.
Mr. President,
To
be consistent and ultimately effective, nuclear security must be
articulated within the international community’s broader efforts to
promote
the goals of nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and the
advancement of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
These
are objectives that we must, with coherence and determination, actively
pursue in our multilateral efforts aimed at promoting sustainable
peace, security and increased levels of well-being for each nation and
for humankind as a whole.
For
us to succeed in these endeavors, we cannot subscribe to piecemeal,
selective approaches deprived of a truly comprehensive view on the root
causes of the challenges associated with nuclear security.
We
should also be aware that concerns with nuclear security cannot be
invoked to preclude the legitimate right of States to develop research,
production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes in
conformity with Article IV of the Non Proliferation Treaty.
We
cannot ignore that the continued existence of many thousands of nuclear
weapons constitutes a great and immediate menace to international
peace and security, as they threaten the very survival of life on
Earth.
While
the physical protection of nuclear weapons is the primary
responsibility of States possessing them, these weapons are a legitimate
concern
of the entire international community. Their fate is our responsibility
also.
We
have indeed a shared responsibility to ensure that systematic and
progressive steps are taken, in accordance with the obligations
contained
in the NPT, for the complete elimination of all nuclear arsenals.
As
long as nuclear disarmament remains unrealized, measures aimed at
securing the physical protection of nuclear materials and facilities
will
be tinged with precariousness. As United States President Barack Obama
recently stated in Berlin, "so long as nuclear weapons exist, we are not
truly safe".
The
continued reliance on nuclear arsenals in national and collective
security strategies leads to the prevalence of a logic which favors the
preservation of these arsenals, with negative impact on the
international community's efforts not only for disarmament, but also in
the field of non-proliferation.
The status quo is not acceptable.
In
this context, we welcome the fact that the Declaration to be adopted
today recognizes, in line the view taken by UN General Assembly
Resolution
67/44, “progress is urgently needed in the area of disarmament and
nonproliferation in order to maintain international peace and security
and to contribute to global efforts against terrorism".
Mr. President,
All
of this is serious enough. But the adverse impact of nuclear weapons
extends beyond the realm of security and negatively affects living
conditions on the planet. In addition to their inherent risks, the
option for a nuclear deterrent presents other direct and indirect
consequences which cannot be underestimated.
In
this respect, Brazil commends the UN Secretary-General, Mr Ban Ki-Moon,
for his apt remarks on the fact that “the world is over-armed and
peace is under-funded”. We must reflect on these words and act upon
them.
It
is cause for serious concern that in 2010, global military spending
exceeded US$ 1,6 trillion – nearly 4,6 billion a day, which alone is
almost twice the United Nations regular budget for a year - while ODA
expenditures reached only US$ 128 billion in that same year.
Furthermore,
in advancing nuclear security, we cannot ignore the fundamental
question of the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any possible
use of nuclear weapons, either by intent or by accident.
There
is a relevant ongoing international debate on this issue and we
strongly invite committed participation by all, especially by those
possessing
nuclear weapons.
We
should also encourage greater involvement of civil society
organizations in our future work in this area. The risks involved are
simply too
high. They are of interest to ordinary citizens whose voices must be
heard.
Surely
nuclear weapons cannot be uninvented but they can be outlawed and
eventually eliminated if we manage to deal satisfactorily with the
three hurdles – psychological, geopolitical and technical – recently
pointed out by former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans.
Nuclear
weapons should not be seen as a sign of prestige or status, much less a
pre-requisite for a permanent seat at the United Nations Security
Council. On the contrary, as the International Court of Justice
determined, their threat and use would be contrary to the rules of
international law and in particular the principles and rules of
humanitarian law, especially as they do not differentiate between
combatants and civilians.
Mr. President,
The
risks stemming from the possibility of State or non-state actors having
access to nuclear weapons or nuclear materials are of special concern.
Brazil
has adopted comprehensive national legislation in this field, and is
party to all relevant international instruments on the promotion
of nuclear security and the suppression of terrorism.
I
shall also note that the internal procedures for the ratification of
the amendment to the Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear
Material
proceed apace.
Brazil
is ready to contribute to the establishment of more nuclear-weapon free
zones around the Globe. We believe that the experiences of Tlatelolco,
the Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear
Material (ABACC), Pelindaba in the African Continent, Rarotonga in the
South Pacific region, Bangkok in South East Asia, the Central Asian
nuclear-weapon free-zone treaty and Mongolia´s nuclear
weapons free status can be important contributions in this regard,
especially in the case of the Middle East, where we continue to urge for
the early convening of the Conference agreed to at the 2010 NPT Review
Conference. We call upon all countries in the
region to engage actively in this endeavor, which is an integral part
of the present review cycle, and as such must be held as soon as
possible, preferably not later than December 2013.
We
should not accept the argument that progress in the establishment of a
nuclear weapon free-zone in the Middle East be held hostage to
improvements
in the overall political agenda. They must evolve in tandem if they are
to succeed, including in our efforts towards nuclear security.
In
the context of the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone (ZOPACAS),
we are working with our partners from South America and Africa to
consolidate the South Atlantic as a region free of nuclear weapons and
other weapons of mass destruction.
Mr. President,
This
Conference should provide for a platform to affirm not only the
Agency’s central role in nuclear security but also to raise awareness as
to how our objectives of advancing the peaceful uses of nuclear energy
in adequate security conditions can benefit from a more consistent
approach to our obligations under the UN Charter, the AIEA Statute, the
NPT and other applicable multilateral instruments.
To
conclude, Mr. President, I reiterate Brazil’s staunch support for the
IAEA, the appropriate overarching institution to deal with the issues
at hand, as this Conference unambiguously demonstrates.
It
is our firm conviction that a sustainable nuclear security strategy
goes well beyond ensuring better standards of physical protection to
both civilian and military nuclear materials and facilities. It also
demands vigorous good faith negotiations towards the elimination of
nuclear arsenals, and the urgent promotion of an updated multilateral
framework for a more secure, peaceful and prosperous
world.
Nuclear
energy has granted humanity huge benefits and its peaceful applications
offer us many future rewards if we are serious in meeting our
commitments and direct its use to improving life, rather than
threatening survival to humankind.
I thank you, Mr. President.
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