Mr. President,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen

The Swiss delegation congratulates you, Mr. President, on your election to the presidency of this Conference.

My delegation is confident that, under your able guidance, this meeting here in New York will give renewed impetus to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and its early entry into force.

After the tragic events of September 11, the rapid entry into force of this Treaty must be one of the priority objectives of the international community. We consider this step to be an integral part of achieving the overall objective to eliminate all arms of mass destruction. Together with a progressive reduction of offensive capabilities and measures to promote non-proliferation the ban on nuclear testing is a crucial step to attaining this goal. The importance of the CTBT has been underlined by the fact that its early entry into force constitutes one of the 13 practical steps to achieve nuclear disarmament agreed upon in the Final Document of the 2000 NPT Review Conference.

Where are we today?

To date, the CTBT has been signed by 161 States. Of these, 84 have demonstrated their strong support for the Treaty by ratifying it. We are pleased to note that since the last Conference in 1999, there have been 33 new ratifications.
Nevertheless, the CTBT still lacks, by a significant margin, the necessary number of ratifications to permit it to come into effect. Switzerland strongly regrets this fact. However, it is on the basis of this reality that we must look for concrete solutions.

What can we do?

First of all, we note that the creation of a system of international monitoring in the field is progressing steadily thanks to the considerable financial resources, which have been made available by the States Parties. The Provisional Technical Secretariat in Vienna is carrying out its duties in a very professional manner, and is benefiting from the strong support of the large number of States, which are participating in the Preparatory Commission in Vienna. These States have given top priority to making the verification system operational by the time the Treaty enters into force. They take the view that proof of the practical efficacy of the verification system will dispel remaining doubts concerning the usefulness of the Treaty.

We are convinced that persuasion through accomplishments remains a sensible approach.

At the same time, those States that have ratified the Treaty must continue via all possible channels to continue their efforts to persuade other governments to do the same. This Conference is an integral part of these efforts. Gathered here with the full attention of the international community, we express again our support for the CTBT as one of the pillars of the global regime to control arms of mass destruction. By adopting the draft final declaration, we are sending a firm message both to those States that up to now have refused to sign and ratify the Treaty, as well as to those which are delaying these procedures.

This appeal is aimed especially at those States whose ratification is required to permit the Treaty to come into effect. Hence they carry a particularly heavy responsibility. We urge these States not only to maintain the moratoria declared unilaterally, but also to make all efforts to bring the Treaty into force.

We firmly believe that multilateral mechanisms and treaties must continue to play a central role in the field of arms control and disarmament. Without doubt, unilateral procedures can serve as a catalyst or as a temporary measure. But they cannot replace multilateral treaties. These, by their very nature, possess the potential to establish universal and lasting norms, which bind and protect all members of the international community.

Switzerland, through ratifying the Treaty in 1999, has demonstrated its strong support for the policy of non-proliferation and its belief in a universal and total ban on nuclear-arms testing. It is ready to work, both at the bilateral and multilateral levels, to promote the universal ratification of the CTBT. My government considers its commitment to this goal as an essential element of its policy of security and co-operation.

Thank you, Mr. President

Sources

• http://www.un.org/webcast/ctbt/statements/switzerlandE.htm