| |
Pakistan stresses peaceful settlement of disputes
United Nations—Pakistan told the UN Security Council Wednesday that
regulation of armaments alone could not accomplish international peace
and security unless pursued in parallel with efforts to peacefully
settlement of disputes and address underlying security concerns of
states.
“Regional tensions contribute to arms race, endangering not only
international peace and security, but also undermining efforts aimed
at arms control and disarmament,” Ambassador Abdullah Hussain Haroon
said while participating in the 15-member council’s debate on
‘Strengthening Collective Security and Armament Regulation’.
Noting some weakening of the consensus underpinning disarmament and
non-proliferation, he said that States differed widely in terms of
perception, approach and modalities to promote peace and security
through disarmament and non-proliferation.
There was a need for a new consensus, based on the principles of the
United Nations Charter, with full recognition of the role of the
United Nations, reflecting the security interests of all States and
guided by the principle of “equal security for all”, the Pakistan
ambassador said.
Such a consensus should encompass, among other things: a renewed
commitment to general and complete disarmament under effective
international control; pending general nuclear disarmament; a
universal, non-discriminatory instrument on negative security
assurances to non-nuclear-weapon States; and an international
agreement on universal criteria for international cooperation in the
peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
Also, Ambassador Haroon said the militarization of outer space should
be prevented.
He said there was also an urgent need for negotiations on the balanced
reduction of armed forces and conventional armaments. Armament
regulations should not only be aimed at transfer controls, but should
also take into account existing asymmetries and military imbalances,
stockpiles, as well as production and manufacturing.
Entrusting the responsibility for collective security to the Council
was bound to raise the security concerns of the overwhelming majority
of the developing countries, who were not represented in the Council,
the Pakistan ambassador said.
The existing export control arrangements, such as the Nuclear
Suppliers Group and the Missile Technology Control Regime, were
exclusive, he said. Non-criteria-based civil nuclear cooperation based
on commercial considerations did nothing to promote international
non-proliferation objectives.
“There is a need to evolve multilaterally negotiated,
non-discriminatory and universal regulations on armaments,” Haroon
added.—APP
|
