Mr. President,

Let me join previous speakers in congratulating you on your election as the President of this Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. To start, allow me to refer to the statement made by the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs on behalf of the European Union and the Associated Countries, the statement to which Slovakia fully subscribes.
 

Mr. President,

Attention of the press on this conference is very important, but still it is just one part of the effort leading to the Entry into force of the CTBT. In my country's view, what is equally important if not even more, is the attention and interest of all governments having this conference as planned in this year. I am convinced that it is an extremely important signal to all governments including those who still have not signed or ratified the Treaty. I hope that the tragedy that happened on I Ph September not far from this very place will pull us closer together to find the best way to bring the Treaty into effect as soon as possible.
 

Mr. President,

My delegation considers the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) together with the Treaty on the Non - Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as exceptionally important global instruments for dealing with the issues of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and nuclear disarmament. Since 1996 the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO PrepCom) with its Provisional Technical Secretariat (PTS) have performed a great deal of work in order to establish the Treaty's verification regime and a new organization in Vienna. In this respect, let me express our gratitude to Dr. Hoffmann for his outstanding leadership, in serving so ably as Executive Secretary.
 

Mr. President,

I would like to stress Slovakia's on-going support for the work of the CTBTO PrepCom. From the beginning we have been actively involved in the work of the Preparatory Commission and its subsidiary bodies, including the chairmanship of the PrepCom in 1997.

As all delegates were informed, at the end of September and beginning of October an OSI Field Experiment was carried out in Slovakia with the aim to support the development of the OSI operational manual. In a quick view I would like to use this opportunity to officially express my thanks to all PTS Staff for a very good cooperation with the Experiment. The preparations and the experiment itself are extremely relevant to the effectiveness of the CTBT. Although the overall evaluation of the experiment is still to be conducted, the experiment has certainly produced useful lessons and confirmed the appropriateness of these activities for the preparation of the CTBT verification regime. Slovakia stands ready to host activities related to the development and practical examination of OSI procedures for the future.

Moreover, our support to the entry into force of the CTBT is evident by our timely fulfillment of all our financial obligations. We would like to see the new international verification regime operational and fully effective by the time of entry into force of the CTBT and we are prepared to provide the necessary finances for this very important security goal.

We believe that universal and global comprehensive international control in the nuclear field is an effective way to strengthen stability and build confidence among states in the fact that nuclear technology is developed and utilized exclusively for peaceful purposes. It is the way to formally establish an additional tool for further international cooperation in peaceful use of nuclear energy.
 

Mr. President,

My country is committed to the CTBT and promotes its early entry into force. Slovakia signed the Treaty in September 1996 and ratified it in March 1998 as one of the first signatories and ratifiers listed in Annex 2 of the Treaty. With regards to the ratification process, remarkable progress has been achieved in the number of ratifications - an increase by over 50% since the last Conference in 1999. I am happy to point out that the Eastern European region is the first region with all countries being State Signatories and the first region which fulfilled ratification requirement for the Treaty's entry into force.

Although the CTBT is not yet in force we applaud the fact that the de-facto moratorium on nuclear testing has not been broken since the last Conference. We consider the observance of the nuclear test moratorium as an important element of the CTBT ratification process. Against this background, it is disappointing that the ratification process is not fully satisfactory in relation to the countries whose ratifications are needed for the Treaty's entry into force. It is encouraging that all the nuclear weapon states have signed the Treaty and some of them have already ratified it. It goes without saying that ratification by all nuclear weapon states would be a very important signal and a powerful example to others.
 

Mr. President,

In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that Slovakia calls on all States that have not yet done so, to sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty without delay. We would like to see the Treaty in force as soon as possible as an instrument with an operational, effective and efficient verification regime.
 

Mr. President,

I wish you all success in your efforts and this Conference a successful conclusion of the work lying ahead.
 

Thank you.
 

Sources

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