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Vietnam reaffirmed its foreign policy of peace and disarmament with highest priorities attached to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation at the general debate of the UN First Committee in New York on October 15.
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Ambassador Le Hoai Trung, Head of Vietnam’s permanent mission to the United Nations (Photo: vuongdinhhue.net) |
Following is the speech by Ambassador Le Hoai Trung, Vietnam’s Permanent Representative to the UN at the debate:
“Mr. Chairman,
At the outset, allow me, on behalf of the delegation of Vietnam, to express our warm congratulations on your assumption of the Chairmanship of the First Committee of the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. It is our confidence that with your vast experience in multilateral affairs, you will lead this year’s session to a successful outcome.
Vietnam associates itself with the statement made by H.E. Ambassador Desra Percaya of Indonesia on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, and the statement made by H.E. Ambassador U Maung Wai of Myanmar on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Mr. Chairman,
As we begin the 68th Session of the First Committee, conflicts and the accompanied inhumane use of weapons are still raging across regions, including the use of chemical weapons last August which was widely condemned. It is our collective responsibility to address these issues given the fact that major multilateral negotiations related to disarmament continue to fail to overcome the current impasse.
However, there is room for cautious hope for future successes thanks to well-grounded reasons, including the high-level meeting of the United Nations on nuclear disarmament. It is however a long way to go from these first-step achievements to the long overdue disarmament instruments. Therefore, it is critical that we do not lower our own standard of success and intensify our efforts to move forward the multilateral disarmament agenda.
Mr. Chairman,
Vietnam’s foreign policy is always of peace and for disarmament. It is our conviction, shaped by decades of war and human suffering, that disarmament must be complete and general, implemented in a balanced and comprehensive manner, with highest priorities attached to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
It must be reiterated that the three pillars of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, namely nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear technologies, must be moved forward in a balanced manner. As there is only one more session of the Preparatory Committee in 2014 before the 2015 Review Conference, it is of utmost importance that every party concerned must accelerate efforts to fulfill their obligations set out by every single point contained in the 2010 Action Plan. We commend the continued role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in providing technical assistance to states in pursuit of peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Vietnam has closely cooperated with the IAEA in ensuring nuclear safety and security in the development of nuclear power infrastructure in Vietnam. We will make every effort to fulfill our responsibilities as the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the IAEA for the term 2013-2014.
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