The Conference on Disarmament, Plenary Meeting Geneva, 21 Feb. 2020

بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم

Statement

By

Mr. Reza Dehghani

Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Before

 The Conference on Disarmament, Plenary Meeting

Geneva, 21 Feb. 2020 

Mr. President,

We congratulate you for assuming the presidency of the CD. We also welcome the Vietnamese’s ambassador and wish her all the best in her new post.

Iran’s support for the effective functioning of the CD has been steadfast, genuine and strategic. We regard the CD as the unique negotiating forum for nuclear disarmament. We need to make every effort to preserve the CD as such and avoid any disruptions which may undermine its core mandate which is critical to the maintenance of international peace and security. The world with increasingly sophisticated nuclear weapons is not a safe place and we need to work together to craft a Programme of Work to advance the cause of nuclear disarmament.

            The CD managed to make very important progress during the exemplary president of Algeria and we encourage the president to continue the same path in order to bring all member states to consensus. The Algeria’s package was the outcome of many weeks of hard work carried out with professional dedication and skillful transparency as well as unbiased attitude. That should be continued.

Mr. President,

            My delegation will continue its constructive engagement with you and with other delegations, as we have already done so through bilateral and informal multilateral consultations during this week. We believe that each and every member of the CD has a key role to play but of course those states that have nuclear weapons bear the lion share responsibility in helping the CD discharge its mandates. 

            Last but not least, with regard to the report of the P5 Conference in London and reference to name my country in the context of nonproliferation, my delegation would like to strongly advise, through you Mr. President, our British colleague that it would have been absolutely appropriate if they had put in the agenda of the London Conference the issue of US and their own non-compliance with the UNSC resolution 2231 as well. Those who have violated a UNSC resolution either directly by withdrawing from JCPOA or indirectly by succumbing to illegal pressures and impulsive unilateralism of the United States, have no moral or legal high ground to preach Iran about its commitments. Iran's peaceful nuclear programme has been and continues to be purely peaceful and portraying it as a proliferation concern is simply far from honesty.

I thank you Mr. President