Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

Does the Minister agree there is a misconception in regard to the relationship between the IAEA and the nuclear non-proliferation treaty? The IAEA is not the secretariat to the NPT. Does the Minister agree it would be valuable to follow the Blix proposal that a secretariat be established to the NPT to advance it?

Dr. El Baradei's view in regard to the non-signatory countries, including Pakistan, India, Israel and possibly Iran, which are effectively adopting a policy of constructive denial, is to construct a set of bilateral treaties. Does the Minister agree it would be impossible to sustain the NPT, press on for universality or achieve a comprehensive ban on testing if there was a conscious alternative of separate bilateral treaties, some of which are negotiated on commercial grounds? The United States-India deal, for instance, is worth $100 billion to the United States nuclear industry. Does the Minister agree, therefore, that it is reasonable to see Dr. El Baradei's views as not essentially integrated with those who support the NPT?

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