INTERVENTI DELLA SANTA SEDE AL CONSIGLIO DI SICUREZZA DELL’ONU E ALLA CONFERENZA DEL CTBT ● INTERVENTO DI S.E. MONS. DOMINIQUE MAMBERTI AL CONSIGLIO DI SICUREZZA
● INTERVENTO DI S.E. MONS. DOMINIQUE MAMBERTI ALLA CONFERENZA DEL CTBT
Dal 22 al 26 settembre 2009 S.E. Mons. Dominique Mamberti, Segretario per i Rapporti con gli Stati della Santa Sede, ha partecipato a numerosi incontri svoltisi nel Palazzo di Vetro delle Nazioni Unite, a New York. Il 22 settembre ha preso parte al Vertice sui cambiamenti climatici, convocato dal Segretario Generale dell’ONU, S.E. il Sig. Ban Ki-moon. Il 23 settembre ha assistito all’apertura del dibattito generale della LXIV sessione dell’Assemblea Generale delle Nazioni Unite, mentre il 24 settembre è stato presente alla 6191^ sessione del Consiglio di Sicurezza dell’ONU, presieduta dal Presidente degli Stati Uniti d’America, S.E. il Sig. Barack Obama. In tale occasione, S.E. Mons. Mamberti ha consegnato un contributo sul tema oggetto della riunione: il disarmo e la non proliferazione nucleare. Il 24 settembre il Segretario per i Rapporti con gli Stati ha preso la parola nella VI Conferenza per facilitare l’entrata in vigore del Trattato sull’Interdizione Globale degli Esperimenti Nucleari (CTBT), svoltasi nei giorni 24 e 25 settembre 2009. Lo stesso 24 settembre, ha preso parte alla riunione commemorativa del 60° anniversario della fondazione dell’United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Il 26 settembre, infine, ha partecipato alla sessione ministeriale di lavoro, convocata dal Ministro degli Affari Esteri della Svizzera, S.E. la Sig.ra Micheline Calmy-Rey, per celebrare il LX Anniversario delle Convenzioni di Ginevra.
Pubblichiamo di seguito i contributi che S.E. Mons. D. Mamberti ha offerto al Consiglio di Sicurezza dell’ONU e alla Conferenza del CTBT:
● INTERVENTO DI S.E. MONS. DOMINIQUE MAMBERTI AL CONSIGLIO DI SICUREZZA
The Holy See supports the initiative undertaken by the Security Council, presided over this month by the United States, to convene a Summit at the level of Heads of State and Government to discuss nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament. This is a very timely and crucial event considering that it is being held in conjunction with the Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), where still nine ratifications are required for its entry into force. Furthermore, it is conducted in close proximity to the 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, aimed at promoting universal adherence to, compliance with and full implementation of the Treaty. The Summit could also be considered as a valid and concrete response to the global appeal to seize new political momentum and openness in nuclear disarmament.
At the outset, it should be recognized that the Security Council’s approach to weapons of mass destruction, including efforts to prevent proliferation of such weapons, has largely been at the country or case-specific level. The Council has firmly acted against some States’ nuclear programmes and has been strong in its preventive response to threats by non-state actors. No achievements, however, have been reached in formulating plans for the establishment of a system for the regulation of armaments (Art. 26), in particular nuclear weapons and their proliferation, as a necessary element in maintaining international peace and security and creating an environment favourable to ensuring human advancement (Art. 11)*.
Endorsed by the Summit’s high-level participants and following the October 2008 Secretary-General’s five-point proposal, the Security Council has yet another great opportunity in becoming a strong guarantor of security to all non-nuclear-weapon States in that they will not be the subject of the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons. The Council is also encouraged to commence discussions and give concrete guidance on security issues in the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation process. The Council should seize this moment and become a valid advocate in the cause of reaching a world free of nuclear weapons and take a leadership role in bolstering international support for multilateral nuclear arms control treaties and ongoing nuclear disarmament efforts. For this, the Holy See urges concerned States to adopt clear and firm decisions and commitments, and strive for a progressive and concerted nuclear disarmament.
Nuclear weapons assault life on the planet, they assault the planet itself, and in so doing they assault the process of the continuing development of the planet. In their nature, nuclear weapons are not only baneful but also completely fallacious. Taking into account that nuclear deterrence pertains to the Cold War era and is no longer justifiable in our days, the Holy See strongly advocates re-directing those military doctrines which continue to rely on nuclear weapons as a means of security and defence or even measure of power, which have evidently shown to be among the main causes preventing genuine nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, thus jeopardizing the very integrity of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Abandoning such doctrines is to freeze nuclear tests, still witnessed recently; it is to address seriously the issues of nuclear strategic arms, the tactical ones and the means of delivery of these weapons. The entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) therefore is of the highest priority, and the realization of which requires concrete steps towards its ratification by nine States. The universal banning of explosions would inhibit the development of nuclear weapons, contributing to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, and preventing further damage to the environment. In this direction, it is crucial to halt the production and transfer of fissile material for weapons. The immediate commencement of a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT) is a matter of responsibility and it must not be further delayed.
The Cold War era has given to the world a nuclear arms race, where the winner was the State with the biggest and most powerful arsenals of nuclear weapons. Today’s world demands a courageous leadership in reducing those arsenals to a complete zero. In order to achieve this, States need trust and security. Nuclear-weapons-free zones are the best example of trust, confidence and affirmation that peace and security is possible without possessing nuclear weapons. The Holy See thus encourages the nuclear-weapon States and those which possess such weapons to ratify all the protocols to the Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone treaties and strongly supports efforts to establish such a zone in the Middle East.
Celebration of the World’s Day of Peace on 21 September has concluded the Secretary-General’s multiplatform campaign "WMD-WeMustDisarm" aimed at raising awareness of the dangers and costs of nuclear weapons and whose acronym derives from that of the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). The Holy See shares and firmly commends this strong message which must resonate in all the disarmament debates, leading to the creation of an environment favourable to ensuring human advancement (cf. Art. 11)*. Disarmament and development are interrelated and complementary. Hence, to this campaign "We Must Disarm" we all may add: and the "World Must Develop" towards advancement of the culture of peace and achievement of the development goals for the enduring benefit of each individual member of the human family and for generations to come in a world free of nuclear weapons.
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*
The Charter of the United Nations [01406-02.01] [Original text: English]
● INTERVENTO DI S.E. MONS. DOMINIQUE MAMBERTI ALLA CONFERENZA DEL CTBT
Messieurs les co-Présidents, Monsieur le Secrétaire exécutif, Mesdames et Messieurs les participants,
Je suis heureux de vous transmettre les salutations de Sa Sainteté le Pape Benoît XVI, qui m’a chargé de vous assurer qu’il suit avec attention le débat sur le désarmement et sur la non-prolifération nucléaire, lui attachant une importance particulière. En effet, il s’agit de questions essentielles pour promouvoir une culture de paix, fondée sur le primat du droit et du bien commun.
Comme l’a souligné le Saint-Siège dans la ratification du Traité d’interdiction complète des essais nucléaires (TICE) en 2001, « au début du troisième millénaire, l’implémentation d’un système de désarmement généralisé et complet, capable de favoriser un climat de confiance, de collaboration et de respect entre tous les États, représente une part constitutive de la mise en œuvre réelle de la culture de la vie et de la paix » (Déclaration jointe à l’instrument de ratification du TICE, 18 juillet 2001).
Messieurs les co-Présidents,
La paix est un édifice en continuelle construction. La contribution que le TICE peut fournir pour en rendre les fondements plus robustes est évidente : les essais nucléaires sont, en effet, l’expression d’une ‘culture du conflit et de la mort’, qui ne met pas seulement en danger la paix, mais l’existence même de la famille humaine. Il n’est plus convaincant de justifier ces essais par l’intention de développer des armes nucléaires ‘intelligentes’, à cause des risques que ces essais font courir au régime de non prolifération nucléaire, comme aussi à cause des dommages incontrôlables et irréversibles que ces armes – même si elles sont ‘intelligentes’ – produisent.
Dans sa dernière encyclique, Caritas in veritate, le Pape Benoît XVI affirme que « sans vérité, sans confiance et sans amour du vrai, il n’y a pas de conscience ni de responsabilité sociale, et l’agir social devient la proie d’intérêts privés et de logiques de pouvoir, qui ont pour effets d’entraîner la désagrégation de la société, et cela d’autant plus dans une société en voie de mondialisation et dans les moments difficiles comme ceux que nous connaissons actuellement » (n. 5).
Cette réflexion s’applique de façon éclairante à la matière dont traite notre Conférence, particulièrement en ce qui concerne la responsabilité qui incombe à la communauté internationale de bannir les essais nucléaires et de promouvoir avec fermeté et efficacité le désarmement nucléaire.
Dans ce cadre, l’entrée en vigueur du TICE pourra non seulement donner une réponse significative aux risques de prolifération nucléaire et à la menace du terrorisme nucléaire, mais elle donnera aussi une impulsion au désarmement nucléaire. En outre, l’entrée en vigueur du TICE favorisera une meilleure réponse à certaines catastrophes naturelles, grâce à son application potentielle comme instrument d’«alerte rapide» dans le domaine civil et scientifique, en vertu du système de monitorage international qu’il prévoit. Il s’agit de composantes importantes pour la réalisation d’un authentique développement humain intégral.
Pour cela, je désire renouveler l’appel du Saint-Siège afin qu’adhèrent le plus tôt possible au TICE tous les Etats qui ne l’ont pas encore fait et surtout ceux dont la ratification est nécessaire pour l’entrée en vigueur du Traité. Le moment actuel représente pour ces derniers une occasion spéciale pour montrer, face à la famille humaine tout entière, un leadership courageux et un haut sens de responsabilité politique. De la Conférence d’examen du traité de non prolifération des armes nucléaires et du processus d’universalisation du TICE, sortiront des indications importantes pour créer un climat de confiance qui valorise le dialogue multilatéral, à travers une coopération cohérente et responsable entre tous les membres de la communauté internationale.
Merci, Messieurs les co-Présidents.
[01407-03.01] [Texte original: Français]
[B0603-XX.01]
