Imbalances between nuke haves and have-nots threaten NPT: RI

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The growing imbalances between nuclear weapon states (NWS) and non-nuclear weapon states (NNWS) may pose a threat to the credibility of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) itself if they are not redressed, a senior government official warned on Monday.

Since 1970, there has been a sharp increase in the imbalances in implementing the obligations and responsibilities of the nuclear haves and have-nots, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said.

The NPT -- a multilateral nuclear arms control agreement, which opened for signature in July 1968 and became effective in March 1970 -- was always structurally flawed by the dichotomy between NWS and NNWS that weakened the basic principles of the regime and led to considerable backsliding.

"This imbalance has been a perennial source of complaints on the NPT and is likely to pose one of the greatest challenges to the Treaty's credibility if it is not redressed," Hassan said while opening a workshop on "Toward the 2005 NPT Review Conference: Challenges and Prospects" in Jakarta.

According to Hassan, deliberations within the NPT regime, as well as in other areas of disarmament had reached a stalemate.

"There is a great need to restore balance in the fulfillment of the three pillars of the Treaty," he said referring to nuclear non-proliferation, nuclear disarmament and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

The minister expressed disappointment in some countries for choosing to emphasize the role of nuclear weapons in their military doctrines and for developing enhanced and "usable" nuclear weapons. He said that those countries also resorted to threatening pre-emptive and preventive military action to dissuade their foes from acquiring weapons of mass destruction, to ensure the effective enforcement of their regimes.

"In my view, one of the best ways to strengthen the non- proliferation regime is through full compliance by all State Parties with the provisions of the Treaty,"

Indonesia, which joined the NPT in 1979, sees it as the cornerstone of the global non-proliferation regime.

"We reaffirm our reliance on the NPT as the corner stone of the global non-proliferation regime and the essential foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament," he said.

Hassan also urged Asia-Pacific states to work together to prevent militant groups from obtaining nuclear weapon technology on the black market.

"The possibility of the acquisition of nuclear weapons and other weapon of mass destruction by non-state actors has added a new layer of threat," he said.

The three-day workshop aims to review pertinent issues and determine the most effective ways to fully implement the NPT. The outcome of the workshop, which was sponsored by Japan, would contribute to the success of the Third Prepcom session, which is to be held in New York from April 26 to May 7, 2004.

Indonesia's senior foreign ministry official Sudjadnan Parnohadiningrat has been elected the head of the Third Preparatory Committee (Prepcom), which will prepare the groundwork for the 2005 NPT Review Conference.

The workshop is being attended by some 60 representatives of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries, ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations Department for Disarmament Affairs and experts from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Centre for Non-Proliferation Studies and the Research Institute for Democracy and Peace (RIDEP).