JAKARTA, Feb 28 – Indonesia urged other countries to take concrete actions to encourage nuclear disarmament at the Conference on Disarmament meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday.
Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the efforts have stagnated over a quarter of a century due to the absence of political will, the complexity of the global security situation, and the persistence of the Cold War mentality.
Without decisive concrete action, she warned that a nuclear disaster is only a matter of time, and this risk is getting bigger as the major powers rivalry intensifies.
In her address at the conference, Retno outlined three steps to encourage the progress of nuclear disarmament, which include restore political will on legally binding Negative Security Assurances (NSAs).
NSAs guarantee nuclear weapon states will not use or threaten the use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon states.
“This will incentivise states that have complied with their obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and increase mutual trust between states that possess nuclear weapons and those that do not,” Retno said.
She opined that the architecture of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation must be strengthened through the universalisation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Indonesia is completing the ratification process, and expects other countries to ratify it soon, she said, adding that the use of nuclear for peaceful purposes must strictly safeguarded and not to be diverted into weapons.
As the Chair of ASEAN this year, Retno said Indonesia will continue to promote nuclear weapon-free zones in the region by seeking the signing of the Protocol on Nuclear-Free Zones.
