Tehran International Conference on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, 2010

International Conference on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, 2010
Host country Iran
Dates April 17–18, 2010

Iran convened a conference titled "International Disarmament and Non-proliferation: World Security without Weapons of Mass Destruction" on 17 and 18 April 2010 in Tehran. The theme of the conference was Nuclear Energy for All, Nuclear Weapons for No One.[1]

The conference resulted in Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's call for action toward the elimination of all nuclear weapons.

Background

The New START treaty was signed on April 8, 2010, in Prague by U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. This treaty resumed the START process of reducing the number of nuclear weapons in the two nations, for the first time requiring verifiability between them.

The conference was held just days after a Nuclear Security Summit was held in Washington, D.C. on April 12–14 over the security of "vulnerable nuclear material."[2] This conference was viewed as a counterpoint to the Washington summit.[3] Its intention was to prove Iran's national and political will for the eradication of nuclear weapons, where Iran said the chemical weapons convention determined such weapons should be destroyed but the United States had chosen to ignore it.[4]

In May 2010, the review conference for the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was held at United Nations headquarters in New York City.[5]

In May 2009, the EastWest Institute released a joint U.S.-Russian Threat Assessment on Iran's Nuclear and Missile Potential. The report said there was no specific evidence that Iran was seeking the ability to attack Europe and that "it is indeed difficult to imagine the circumstances in which Iran would do so." It added that if Iran did pursue this capability, it would need six to eight years to develop a missile capable of carrying a 1,000 kilogram warhead 2,000 kilometers; and that Iran ending "IAEA containment and surveillance of the nuclear material and all installed cascades at the Fuel Enrichment Plan" might serve as an early warning of Iranian intentions. The report concluded that there was "no IRBM/ICBM threat from Iran and that such a threat, even if it were to emerge, is not imminent."[6] Incoming Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Yukiya Amano said he had not seen any evidence in IAEA official documents that Iran was seeking the ability to develop nuclear weapons.[7]

Participants

Experts and officials from about 60 countries were invited to the conference. However, as of April 15 only 35 countries had indicated they would send delegations,[8] 24 of whom would be Foreign or Deputy Foreign Ministers.[9] Many non-governmental organisations were also to be present.[10][11]

Countries attending the summit.
Country Name Title
 Arab League Vael al-Assad[12] Representative
Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi[12] Vice President and Head
CTBTO Jean Du Preez[12] Representative
 International Atomic Energy Agency[13]
 Organisation of the Islamic Conference Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu[14] Secretary General
 United Nations Taijiro Kimura[12] Director of the UN Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmmament for Asia and the Pacific
 Armenia[15] Edward Nalbandian Foreign Minister
 Algeria[16] Ben Shahedani[12] General Director of the Diplomatic Relationship and International Security of Algeria
 Austria[16]
 Azerbaijan[16]
 Bangladesh[16]
 Belarus[16] Victor Rybak[12] Ambassador
 Belgium[16]
 Brazil[16]
 Brunei Darussalam[16]
 Cape Verde[16]
 Central African Republic[16]
 China[17] Cheng Guoping[12] Assistant Foreign Minister
 Republic of the Congo[16]
 Cuba[16]
 Ecuador[16]
 Egypt[16]
 France[16]
 Germany[16]
 Georgia[16]
 Guyana[16]
 India[16] Sh. Gaddam Dharmendra[12] General Director of Disarmament and International Security of India
 Indonesia[16] Marty Natalegawa Minister of Foreign Affairs of Unitary Republic of Indonesia
 Iran host Mahmoud Ahmadinejad President
 Iraq[16] Jalal Talabani / Hoshyar Zebari[18] President / Foreign Minister
 Italy[16]
 Japan[16]
 Jordan[16]
 Kuwait[19] Mohammad Abdullah Abu Al-Hassan Special envoy
 Lebanon[20] Ali al-Shami Minister of Foreign Affairs
 Libya[16]
 Malaysia[16] Dato Lee Chee Leong Deputy Foreign Minister
 New Zealand[16]
 Nicaragua[16]
 Oman[16] Yussef bin Alawai bin Abdullah Foreign Minister[12]
 Pakistan[16] M. B. Abbasi[12] Ambassador
 Paraguay[16]
 Philippines[16] Ambassador[12]
 Qatar[16] Mahammed ben Abdollah al—Romeihi[12] Deputy Foreign Minister
 Russia[21] Sergei Ryabkov Deputy Foreign Minister
 Senegal[16]
 Singapore[16] Umej Bhatia[12] Counselor to the Foreign Minister
 Sudan[16]
 Swaziland[16]
 Sweden[16]
  Switzerland[16]
 Syrian Arab Republic[16] Walid Muallem[18] Foreign Minister
 Tajikistan[16]
 Tanzania[16] Juma[12] Ambassador
 Turkmenistan[22] Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow / Rasid Meredov[12] President / Foreign Minister
 Turkey[16] Hakki Akil[12] Deputy Foreign Minister
 Uganda[16] Okello Oryem[12] Minister of State for International Affairs
 United Arab Emirates[16]
 United Kingdom[16]
 Venezuela[16] Jorge Valero[12] Deputy Foreign Minister
 Zimbabwe[16] Borniface Chidyausiku Permanent Representative to the United Nations

Issues

The conference was composed of three panels focusing on the following topics:

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said he had "stressed that nuclear energy must be for everybody. While [the Washington summit] discussed the protection of nuclear material, in this coming conference we will emphasise the necessity of disarmament."[9]

Discussions

Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei sent a message to the nuclear disarmament conference clarifying that "Iran regards utilising nuclear weapons as forbidden in Islam and it is incumbent on everyone to safeguard humanity from such weapons," while "every nation is entitled to the peaceful use of this technology."[14] He called the U.S. the world's "only nuclear scofflaw" for its advocating of arms control while maintaining a huge nuclear arsenal of its own as well as support for Israel notwithstanding their atomic arsenal despite not being a signatory of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT).[24] (The U.S. and Iran are signatories of the NPT).[25]

Ahmadinejad said that "threatening with nuclear weapons only dishonoured the American government officials and more fully exposed their inhumane and aggressive policies." He also called for more rigorous action than that outlined by the U.S. summit. His comments drew applause when he called for the destruction of all atomic weapons, starting with those in the U.S. arsenal.[26] He further called on the U.S. to end its "blind support" for Israel, which he estimated has 200 atomic warheads but has failed to sign the NPT, of which Iran and the U.S. are both signatories. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reiterated a religious edict he had issued earlier against the use of all nuclear weapons, and called the nuclear arsenal of the U.S. "tools of terror and intimidation."[26] Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said that a nuclear weapons-free Middle East requires "the Zionist regime to join the NPT." This was seen as a call for Israel to join the NPT and open up its nuclear facilities to international inspectors.[18] The Secretary General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, added that "Israel should ink the NPT without any waste of time," adding that the Middle East should be turned into a region free from nuclear weapons. He also called for tangible measures in this regard, and cautioned that "Either you should destroy the WMDs or they will kill us."[27]

The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation Ali Akbar Salehi said the NPT was under threat as it currently stood. "If countries armed with nuclear weapons want to respect and bolster NPT, they should fully fulfill their pledges to this end. There is no doubt that [the] continuation of [a] nuclear arms race and adoption of dual-standard policies in dealing with peaceful nuclear energy will create a challenge for the world. If policies such as selective approaches, use of language of threat, unjust and dual standard polices are not halted at the earliest opportunities, NPT will lose its legitimacy and the IAEA will be deviated from its main principles." He added that "interference [from] certain western countries [are] weakening of the NPT's letter of association, the body is now serving [the] United Nations Security Council which pursues politically-motivated policies of [a] few countries."[28] In this vein, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council of Iran, Saeed Jalili, called for strengthening of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as the only way to stop nuclear proliferation. According to IRNA, Jalili said "preventing Major powers from imposing their influence on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is another way of promoting nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation and strengthening of NPT."[29] As Iranian chief nuclear negotiator, Jalili, underlined Tehran's commitment to dialogue to remove concerns through the implementation of undertakings of all the relevant sides.[30] He put forward a proposal which consists of three pillars:

Iran's ambassador to the IAEA said he had offered proposals for a better future for the IAEA.[4]

Results

A 15-point communique was released at the end of the conference.[32]

Ahmadinejad called for "an independent international group which plans and oversees nuclear disarmament and prevents proliferation...This group should act in a way where all independent countries and governments could have a say and role in running the affairs of that group. Until now the presence and political domination of the agency has prevented them from carrying out their duties and has diverted the agency from performing its legal obligations." He also took blows at the United States in saying "[Those who] possess, have used or threatened to use nuclear weapons [should] be suspended from the IAEA and its board of governors, especially the US which has used a weapon made of atomic waste in the Iraq war."[3] He suggested that the United States and its vast arsenal of atomic warheads was delaying the long-awaited prospect of global nuclear disarmament. He said its so-called deterrence policy had been the primary reason behind the proliferation of WMD's in recent years. "Washington has not only applied nuclear weapons against other nations, but has for years threatened to use weapons of mass destruction against world countries in order to gain the upper hand...such countries should be stripped of their membership to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). They have no place [in the UN nuclear watchdog] or its Board of Governors."[33] Iran's ambassador to the IAEA said he had offered proposals to better the body in the future.[4]

On April 18, Iran's Foreign Minister indicated that "Iran plans to hold talks with all 15 members of the UN Security Council in an effort to break a deadlock over a nuclear fuel deal."[34] Mottaki said "The talks will focus on the fuel exchange [deal]. They will be conducted by Iran's missions in those countries. In principle the issue of fuel exchange has been agreed upon ... We think ... details could be worked out."[18]

Reactions

Iranian reactions

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, saying "The estimates show that this conference will be warmly welcomed by countries"[35] He added a thinly veiled attack on the United States in saying that "The world is currently witnessing discrimination. On one hand, using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is limited while at the same time, countries which possess nuclear weapons do not allow nations to access nuclear energy. These countries allow themselves to use nuclear weapons and announce that they will not hesitate to use these arms against other nations. This can lead to a collective effort. The international community would like to set in motion a real move to enjoy nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and for national development. We are witnessing big threats by possessors of nuclear weapons. They are boldly threatening to use nukes. Any use of nuclear weapons to harm humanity is condemned."[36] The Deputy Foreign Minister for Education and Research, Mohammad Bagher Khorramshad accusing the West of having made a hue and cry to prevent the conference from going through because they feared the conference would question their own sincerity to international community and adding that "A few colonial powers seek to monopolize production of nuclear energy and deprive other of it. It is among [the] legitimate rights of every nation to make use of nuclear technology and no one is authorized to deprive them of such a privilege.[37] Meanwhile, Mottaki closed the conference saying that "Those who think of attacking Iran are playing with fire. They will very well realize the consequences of their actions. "We don't believe they will attack. We do not see they have the capacity on the ground."[18] He also called the conference a success because the participants achieved the goal of highlighting the necessity of nuclear disarmament.[38]

Unofficial reaction came from such places as the academics at the University of Tehran, one of whom suggested that "Most countries in the world do feel that the UN Security Council as well as the IAEA board of governors is not democratic, so it is something that most people in the south have a great deal of sympathy with. The problem that Iran is facing right now is the fact that western countries are very much biased against the country. So he is using this opportunity to point out Iran's position and show that it is a very reasonable and logical one and the reason that Iran is unable to get its voice across is because these bodies are undemocratic."[3]

External reactions

Countries

Miscellaneous

Controversies

Iran said there would be some sort of American representation at the conference, however this was denied by the U.S. State Department which stated that no U.S. official had been invited.[9]

Former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami was encouraged not to attend another nuclear disarmament conference in Hiroshima, Japan.[9] His aide claimed there was an outright ban on him leaving the country.[49]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Tehran nuclear disarmament conference will be a success:Iran Foreign Ministry Spokesman
  2. ↑ Iran to host conference on nuclear disarmament
  3. 1 2 3 (in English) Aljazeera.net
  4. 1 2 3 CMS.MFA.gov.ir
  5. ↑ Disarmament: NGOs Praise U.S. Leadership on Nukes
  6. ↑ East-West Institute: Iran’s Nuclear and Missile Potential
  7. ↑ Westall, Sylvia (2009-07-03). "No sign Iran seeks nuclear arms: new IAEA head". International. Reuters. Retrieved 2009-12-01.
  8. ↑ Iranian FM: 35 countries to attend Tehran nuclear disarmament conference
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Iran to open nuclear summit". Al Jazeera. April 17, 2010. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  10. ↑ Almanar.com.lb
  11. ↑ "Ahmadinejad to give opening speech at Iran nuclear summit". AFP. April 16, 2010. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 List of speakers (17 April)
  13. ↑ Senior IAEA officials to participate in Tehran conference on nuclear disarmament
  14. 1 2 Weapons of mass destruction are haram: Leader
  15. ↑ Iran Calls For New Body To Oversee Nuclear Disarmament
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 Official website
  17. ↑ Tehran to host conference on nuclear disarmament
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Almanar.com.lb
  19. ↑ Almanar.com.lb
  20. ↑ Almanar.com.lb
  21. ↑ Russian Deputy Foreign Minister to attend Tehran nuclear disarmament conference
  22. ↑ PressTV.ir
  23. ↑ Tehran International Conference on Disarmament and Non- Proliferation
  24. ↑ Iran lashes out at U.S. during Tehran nuclear summit
  25. ↑ Federation of American Scientists, "Signatories and parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of nuclear weapons," FAS.org
  26. 1 2 Washington Post, April 17, 2010, "At Iran Nuclear Summit, Ahmadinejad Calls for U.S. to Disarm First", WashingtonPost.com
  27. ↑ CMS.MFA.gov.ir
  28. ↑ CMS.MFA.gov.ir
  29. ↑ Jalili Stresses Strengthening NPT for N-Disarmament, Non-Proliferation
  30. ↑ Jalili: N. Armed States Incompetent to Fulfill Disarmament
  31. ↑ Address by Saeed Jalili at the International Conference on Nuclear Disarmament
  32. ↑ Salamiran.org
  33. ↑ SMS.MFA.gov.ir
  34. ↑ Iran to talk with Security Council members on nuclear deal
  35. ↑ MGA.gov.ir
  36. ↑ CMS.MFA.gov.ir
  37. ↑ CMS.MFA.gov.ir
  38. ↑ PressTV.ir
  39. ↑ PressTV.ir
  40. ↑ Almanar.com.lb
  41. ↑ Russia Prods Iran at Tehran-Hosted Nuclear Disarmament Conference
  42. ↑ CMS.MFA.gov.ir
  43. ↑ CMS.MFA.gov.ir
  44. ↑ Bernama.com
  45. ↑ MFA.gov.ir
  46. ↑ PressTV.ir
  47. ↑ PressTV.ir
  48. ↑ Ahmadinejad's Answer to Obama's Nuclear Summit
  49. ↑ (in English) Aljazeera.net
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