New Zealand Executive Government News Release Archive

The Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control, Hon D.A.M. Graham, said today the Government deeply regretted the failure of the Geneva Conference on Disarmament to send the draft Test Ban Treaty to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

New Zealand is especially disappointed at India's decision to veto action on the Treaty despite the clear wishes of the international community and direct appeals by other Governments, including NZ, he said.

However, we do have a completed Treaty, which is something NZ has been advocating for over three and a half decades.

After two and a half years of negotiations, this is in itself a considerable achievement and we have not given up the fight to have the Treaty endorsed by the General Assembly and opened for signature as planned next month.

The NZ representatives in Geneva and New York have been instructed to do everything possible to help achieve this objective.

Mr Graham said in spite of the Treaty not yet being opened for signature, the negotiations have produced a commitment from all five nuclear weapon states to cease testing their nuclear weapons.

Nobody can devalue the importance of this achievement, he said.

No matter how long it takes for the Treaty to enter force, once it is endorsed by the UN General Assembly, its mere existence will reinforce the norms of international law concerning nuclear testing.

These are also reinforced by the moratoria on testing by all five nuclear weapon states, he said.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Rose Hart
Press Secretary
(04) 4719 885 (w)
(04) 4793 856 (h)

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