Disarmament Diplomacy
Issue No. 19, October 1997
UK Ratification of Rarotonga Treaty:
Statement by Australian Foreign Minister
'Australia welcomes United Kingdom ratification of South Pacific
Nuclear-Free-Zone Treaty,' Statement by Foreign Minister Alexander
Downer, Foreign Ministry Media Release FA 120, 1 October 1997
Editor's note: see last issue for UK announcement.
Full text
"I warmly welcome the ratification by the United Kingdom of the
Protocols to the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone (SPNFZ) Treaty -
the Treaty of Rarotonga.
Ratification of the SPNFZ Protocols by the United Kingdom is a
welcome contribution to the strengthening of the international
network of nuclear-weapon-free zones, and thus advances the
principles and objectives for nuclear non-proliferation and
disarmament adopted by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review
and Extension Conference in 1995.
Signature and ratification of the SPNFZ Protocols by all five
nuclear-weapon States has long been a major Australian and South
Pacific Forum objective. The Australian Government welcomed last
year the signing of the three Protocols by France, the United
Kingdom and the United States. France ratified the Protocols on 20
September 1996.
Four of the five nuclear weapon states have now ratified
relevant Protocols to the Treaty. Australia looks forward to the
early completion of ratification procedures by the United
States.
The Protocols apply the prohibitions of the Treaty related to
manufacture, stationing and testing of nuclear devices to non-self
governing territories within the zone and provide assurances that
nuclear weapon states will not use or threaten to use nuclear
weapons against members of the Treaty and will not test nuclear
explosive devices within the zone."
© 1998 The Acronym Institute.
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