RESUME DISMANTLING OF EXISTING NUCLEAR WEAPONS

VATICAN CITY, 2 OCT 2008 (VIS) - On 29 September, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States, addressed the 52nd General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is being held in Vienna, Austria, from 29 September to 3 October.



Speaking in English, he recalled how the IAEA works "to protect and promote life in a most crucial area of human endeavour: the peaceful use of nuclear energy". The agency's more than 50-year history "bears testimony to the pressing need we have in today's world to work together for the one human family", he said.



The archbishop expressed the view that " the first obligation we share is the obligation of working together, of sharing our expertise, of building up a common consensus through common effort and commitment. Thus, the overriding characteristic that must pervade the work the IAEA undertakes in the three areas of its mandate, namely, technology, safety and verification, should always be to unite and associate, not to divide and oppose".



"The Holy See desires to see all States work together to ... promote nuclear safety and security, ensure the non-diversion of nuclear materials and the absence of undeclared nuclear activities. These instruments will not only contribute to the fight against nuclear terrorism, but also to the concrete realisation of a culture of life and peace capable of promoting in an effective way the integral development of peoples".



"A second level of the 'working together obligation' is working together for the use of peaceful and safe nuclear technology respecting the environment and ever mindful of the most disadvantaged populations", said Archbishop Mamberti, going on to point out that globalisation imposes upon the IAEA the obligation of "working together to contribute not only to a specific project or to a certain government or agency, but above all to the good of all the people of the world. Thus, the worth of a project will be measured by the impact it will have on cultural and other human values, as well as on the economic and social well-being of a people or nation".



The third obligation identified by the Holy See secretary for Relations with States was that of " working together for nuclear disarmament". The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, "the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, ... must not be allowed to be weakened", he said.



"The Holy See entreats and encourages those in authority to come together in order to resume with greater determination a progressive and mutually agreed dismantling of existing nuclear weapons", said the archbishop in conclusion. "Global security must not rely on nuclear weapons. The Holy See considers the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty an important tool to achieve this aim".

DELSS/NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT/MAMBERTI VIS 081002 (460)