Vatican
welcomes Iran agreement, urges greater nuclear disarmament
(Vatican
Radio) The Holy See has welcomed Iran’s efforts to reduce or convert its
nuclear facilities to peaceful purposes in return for the lifting of economic
sanctions. In a statement delivered to the 59th General Conference of the
International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna on Monday, the Holy See’s
Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, said the
Vatican “values positively” Iran’s recent agreement with the European Union and
the so-called ‘P5 plus 1’ group of nations because “it considers that the way
to resolve disputes and difficulties should always be that of dialogue and
negotiation”.
The
Vatican’s foreign minister spoke of the IAEA’s important role in promoting
sustainable and integral human development, using nuclear technologies for
improving agriculture, pollution control, water management, nutrition and food
safety, and infectious disease control. But he also insisted that “spending on
nuclear weapons squanders the wealth of nations”, adding that “the dubious
strategic rationales for maintaining and even strengthening” nations’ nuclear
arsenals are “morally problematic”.Billions are wasted each year to develop and
maintain stocks that will supposedly never be used, Archbishop Gallagher said,
adding “How are these expenditures consistent with progress towards nuclear
disarmament?”
Archbishop
Gallagher said that while the Holy See has “no illusions about the challenges
involved in achieving a world free of nuclear weapons”, nuclear powers must
take more “concerted steps” to break the political deadlock over disarmament,
in particular by facilitating the entry into force of the Comprehensive Test
Ban Treaty (CTBT)
The
Archbishop called for the “logic of fear and mistrust” to be replaced by a new
global ethic of responsibility, solidarity and cooperative security to ensure
that nuclear technology is only used for peaceful purposes “and is no longer a
sword of Damocles hanging over the earth”.
Please
find below the full statement delivered by Archbishop Paul Gallagher
STATEMENT
OF THE HOLY SEE TO THE 59TH GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC
ENERGY AGENCY
DELIVERED
BY H.E. PAUL R. GALLAGHER SECRETARY FOR THE HOLY SEE'S RELATIONS WITH STATES
Vienna,
14 September 2015
Mr.
President,
I
have the honour of conveying to you and to all the distinguished participants
at this 59th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency the
best wishes and cordial greetings of His Holiness Pope Francis.
For
me personally it is a singular honour to address this august institution for
the first time and to congratulate you, Mr President, on behalf of the
Delegation of the Holy See, on your election as President of this distinguished
Conference. I would like to take this opportunity also to express our
appreciation and gratitude to Director General Yukiya Amano and to the
Secretariat for their dedicated work for the benefit of the whole IAEA family.
On
this occasion, the Holy See, along with various states, welcomes and
congratulates the Republics of Djibouti and Guyana on becoming members of the
IAEA.
Mr.
President,
The
Holy See commends and supports all the activities of the IAEA which foster
international cooperation in the use of nuclear technology for peaceful
purposes and integral human development, and which prevent nuclear
proliferation and contribute to nuclear disarmament. Seventy years after
Hiroshima and Nagasaki and after nearly six decades of successfully confronting
many challenges, the IAEA remains an indispensable agency for promoting human
security.
Many
around the world are not aware of the IAEA’s role in promoting sustainable and
integral human development. The IAEA helps open up interesting
possibilities for harnessing the power of science and technology to address
pressing problems of poverty, health, and environmental degradation.
Peaceful applications of nuclear technologies allow many States to come closer
to the achievement of their development goals and are in keeping with Pope
Francis’ call, in his recent Encyclical Letter, “Laudato Si’” for responsible
stewardship of our human and natural resources. Nuclear technologies are
improving agriculture, pollution control, water management, nutrition and food
safety, and infectious disease control. Of special note is the invaluable
contribution the IAEA is making in fighting cancer, one of the great scourges
of mankind, especially in some of the world’s poorest countries. These and
other efforts are improving the quality of life for millions of people.
Clearly, the IAEA’s contributions to sustainable development must continue to
be supported and enhanced to meet the many challenges that remain.
Mr.
President,
In
his recent encyclical, Pope Francis highlights a fundamental challenge posed by
our technological prowess: those with the knowledge and resources to use modern
technologies have unprecedented power over the future of humanity, “yet nothing
ensures that it will be used wisely, particularly when we consider how it is
currently being used.” The failure to use technology wisely is due to the fact
that “our immense technological development has not been accompanied by a
development in human responsibility, values and conscience”. Too
often, necessity, defined in terms of utility and narrow conceptions of
national security, is the prevailing norm governing the uses of technology,
rather than responsibility, solidarity and cooperative security.
Nowhere
is this more evident than with the power unleashed by the splitting of the
atom. As Pope Francis reminds us, the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki remain
“the symbol of mankind’s enormous destructive power when it makes a distorted
use of scientific and technical progress and serves as a lasting warning to
humanity so that it rejects forever war and bans nuclear weapons and all
weapons of mass destruction”.
The
world’s nuclear arsenals are much reduced since the height of the Cold War, but
they remain excessive. Moreover, the dubious strategic rationales for
maintaining and even strengthening these still bloated arsenals are morally
problematic. Nuclear deterrence can hardly be the basis for peaceful
coexistence among peoples and states in the 21st century, since it is unable to
be broadly responsive and tailored to the security challenges of our times;
furthermore, it risks being used in a way that would cause severe humanitarian
consequences. Instead of being a step toward nuclear disarmament, nuclear
deterrence has become an end in itself, and risks, compromising the
non-proliferation regime and undermining real progress toward a nuclear-free
world. Moreover, as Pope Francis said in his message to the Vienna Conference
last December, “Spending on nuclear weapons squanders the wealth of nations. To
prioritize such spending is a mistake and a misallocation of resources which
would be far better invested in areas of integral human development, education,
health and the fight against extreme poverty”. Billions are wasted each
year to develop and maintain stocks that will supposedly never be used. How are
these expenditures consistent with progress toward nuclear disarmament? How are
they consistent with the Non-Proliferation Treaty?
Mr.
President,
The
discriminatory nature of the NPT is well known. The status quo is unsustainable
and undesirable. Just as wealthy nations have incurred an “ecological debt”
that demands more from them in addressing the environmental crisis,
nuclear weapons states have incurred a nuclear debt. Because of the risks their
nuclear arsenals pose to the world, nuclear weapons states bear a heavy moral
burden to ensure that their nuclear weapons are never used and to reduce their
stocks substantially while taking the lead in negotiating a nuclear ban. While
it is unthinkable to imagine a world where nuclear weapons are available to
all, it is reasonable to imagine, and to work collectively for, a world where
nobody has them. A world without nuclear weapons is not just a moral
ideal, but must be pursued through concrete policy initiatives, particularly on
the part of the nuclear powers.
The
Holy See has no illusions about the challenges involved in achieving a world
free of nuclear weapons. Progress has been made through the NPT, the CTBT,
START, NEW START, unilateral initiatives and other measures. But these steps
are limited, insufficient, and often frozen in space and time. Precisely
because of growing tensions, the nuclear powers must renew arms control and
disarmament processes. In this regard, a very important sign would be to make
real efforts towards facilitating the entry into force of the CTBT, which
represents the best hope of stemming nuclear proliferation and is a key to
progress on nuclear disarmament. Much more concerted steps must be taken to
break the political deadlocks, evident in the failure of the recent NPT Review
Conference, that prevent other responsible institutions from playing their
rightful role in the non-proliferation and disarmament processes. The three
Conferences on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons and the humanitarian
pledge adopted by more than 100 states are positive developments that deserve
support. Also deserving of support is the establishment of zones free of
nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, especially in the Middle
East. For its part, the IAEA’s indispensable role in nuclear safety and
waste disposal, verification and monitoring will become ever more important as
the use of peaceful nuclear energy expands and as the world moves toward nuclear
disarmament.
Mr.
President,
The
Holy See welcomes the IAEA’s participation in the verification and monitoring
of Iran’s nuclear-related commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of
Action (JCPOA). The Holy See values positively this agreement because it
considers that the way to resolve disputes and difficulties should always be
that of dialogue and negotiation. The JCPOA is the result of many years of
negotiation on an issue that had caused grave concern within the international
community. It is clear that the agreement requires further efforts and
commitment by all the parties involved in order for it to bear fruit. We hope
that the full implementation of JCPOA will ensure the peaceful nature of Iran’s
nuclear programme under the NPT and will be a definitive step toward greater
stability and security in the region.
In
a region where there are already too many conflicts, to reach an agreement on a
sensitive issue is an important step that will promote dialogue and cooperation
on other issues. In this respect it is worth stating once again that the way
for the solution of conflicts in the Middle East, which must be addressed at
global and regional levels, is that of dialogue and negotiation and not that of
confrontation. It is true that this path requires courageous decisions for the
good of all, but it is one that will eventually lead to the desired peace in
the region.
Mr.
President,
These
and many other steps that must be taken will require the world to face a
fundamental moral challenge. The logic of fear and mistrust must be replaced
with a new global ethic. We need a global ethic of responsibility, solidarity,
and cooperative security adequate to the task of controlling the power of
nuclear technology so that it is only used for peaceful purposes and is no
longer a sword of Damocles hanging over the earth.
All
States have the right to national security. But reducing security, in practice,
to its military dimension is artificial and simplistic. Security also requires
socio-economic development, political participation, respect for fundamental
human rights and the rule of law, and cooperation and solidarity at the
regional and international level. Is it not urgent to revisit in a transparent
manner how States, especially nuclear weapons states, define their national
security? As Pope Francis said last December, “The security of our own future
depends on guaranteeing the peaceful security of others, for if peace, security
and stability are not established globally, they will not be enjoyed at all”.
Mr.
President,
In
conclusion, the Holy See attaches great importance to the successful
cooperation of the IAEA with other relevant International Organizations in
ensuring the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies. The IAEA
deserves continued support as it seeks to fulfill, in ever more effective ways,
its indispensable role in ensuring international security and promoting
sustainable and integral human development, especially in the poorest regions
of the world.
Thank
you.
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