State Secretary Sylvi Graham

Nuclear Suppliers Group Plenary Meeting

Oslo, 23 June 2005

Distinguished delegates,

On behalf of the Norwegian Government I would like to welcome you all to Oslo and to the 2005 Plenary Meeting of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

I particularly welcome China, Estonia and Lithuania, who are taking part in their first Plenary as members of the NSG. I would also like to welcome Croatia in its capacity of observer.

Norway is committed to a strong and effective nuclear non-proliferation regime, and we attach great importance to export controls as an effective instrument in this regard. It is therefore with great pleasure that we are hosting the 2005 NSG Plenary and taking on the chairmanship for the coming year. We look forward to working closely with your governments during our chairmanship.

I also want to take this opportunity to express our appreciation to the outgoing Swedish chair, particularly Ambassador Richard Ekwall and his colleagues, for their enthusiasm and able leadership during the past year. Our warm thanks also go to Mr Richard Goorevich for chairing the Consultative Group, to Mr John Badley for chairing the Experts Group for Licensing and Enforcement, and to the staff of the NSG Point of Contact at Japan’s mission in Vienna.

Ladies and gentlemen,

This plenary meeting is taking place at a particularly critical time. The 2005 NPT Review Conference has regretfully failed to produce a balanced and forward-looking outcome. We need a strengthened Non-Proliferation Treaty more than ever in order to deal with the serious proliferation challenges we are facing. We remain fully committed to the Treaty and it is now essential to mobilise the necessary political will to move the NPT process forward.

Likewise, we need a strong and credible International Atomic Energy Agency that is fully equipped to carry out its mandate to verify that all States Parties to the NPT honour their non-proliferation obligations. We welcome the reappointment of Mr Mohamed ElBaradei as Director General of the Agency, and look forward to enhanced co-operation between the IAEA and the NSG.

There are justified concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme, and there is an urgent need to resolve this problem. This can only be done when the reporting of nuclear activities is satisfactory and there is full co-operation with the IAEA. Norway fully supports the efforts to find a diplomatic solution.

North Korea’s nuclear programme is a grave threat to regional peace and stability, and a serious challenge to the non-proliferation regime. Norway considers that North Korea is bound by its obligations under the NPT, and that it must return to the six-party talks in Beijing. The issue must be resolved through dialogue, and here again we support efforts to find a diplomatic solution.

Despite the setbacks, there have also been positive developments. We applaud Libya’s decision to renounce weapons of mass destruction and to co-operate with the relevant international agencies on verification.

Recent events, such as the revelation of the A.Q. Kahn network, have shown that criminal networks can find ways round existing controls to supply nuclear related dual-use items and technologies for clandestine activities. Pursuant to Article III.2 of the NPT, all States Parties are obliged to implement export controls. This obligation was reinforced by United Nations Security Council resolution 1540.

The adoption of this resolution was a strong message from the international community that it regards the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction as a threat to international peace and security. All UN Member States are urged to take effective national measures to prevent WMD proliferation and to co-operate between themselves. The NSG can make a strong contribution to the effective implementation of resolution 1540.

In the last year the NSG has discussed several important issues and proposals for strengthening national export control systems and keeping pace with proliferation threats. There is concern about the issue of enrichment of uranium and reprocessing of plutonium, and about recent developments in general. The reinforcement of controls for specially sensitive technologies and conditions of supply, and the question of when NSG Participating Governments should suspend nuclear transfers, are key issues in this regard.

Last, but far from least, we welcome the strengthening of the outreach dialogue with non-members that has been carried out in the last few months. We look forward to discussing the further strengthening of outreach activities and the implications of closer dialogue with non-members.

Distinguished delegates,

The Nuclear Suppliers Group plays an important role in preventing nuclear proliferation through the development and implementation of high export control standards. Participating Governments have a shared responsibility and a common interest in strengthening national export controls systems accordingly.

I am confident that by working constructively together, we will be able to deal successfully with the challenges that confront us. The decisions you will be making at this meeting will be decisive in limiting the risks posed by the proliferation of sensitive nuclear technologies.

I wish you all a successful Plenary Meeting.

Thank you.