Noel Treacy (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

Is cúis áthais dom deis a bheith agam freastal ar an ábhar tábhachtach idirnáisiúnta seo. The question of whether Ireland should commemorate the 60th anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki was addressed by the Taoiseach in a reply to a parliamentary question on 24 May. In his reply, the Taoiseach indicated that he does not envisage an official event being organised in Ireland to mark this event. He recalled that a commemorative event is held annually at Merrion Square, Dublin, usually on Hiroshima Day, 6 August, which he commended to all people concerned.

Nobody could doubt the terrible nature of the events in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which brought an end to a World War marked by death, destruction and atrocity on an unparalleled scale. However, it has not been the practice in Ireland to organise national commemorations to mark the anniversary of particular events of that dreadful passage in the history of mankind. Citizens and groups of citizens have often commemorated such events according to their conscience and beliefs. I would suggest that this tradition would most appropriately apply to the proposal to mark one minute's silence on 9 August in commemoration of the bombing of Nagasaki. I commend Senator Quinn on his appeal to all people to remember the tragedy at 11.02 a.m. on that day and, where possible, attend the annual commemorative event in Merrion Square on 6 August. While attending Expo 1990 in Japan, I had an opportunity to witness at first hand the effects of the devastation visited on the unfortunate people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Important as it is to remember past tragedies, it is more important to learn from them. Strong as our sympathy is for the hundreds of thousands who died in the atomic cataclysm of August 1945 or from its after-effects, our determination must be stronger to ensure that devastation is not visited upon this or future generations by nuclear weapons many times more powerful that those which destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The only way to guarantee the avoidance of nuclear weapons is to totally and irreversibly eliminate them. Ireland has been to the forefront of international efforts to bring this about. The non-proliferation treaty, NPT, which is the most universal multilateral instrument in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, was negotiated following an initiative by the late Frank Aiken as Minister for External Affairs in 1958. His leadership, commitment and dedication on behalf of Ireland received international recognition and has often been referred to at international conferences.

A review conference of the NPT was held in New York between 2 and 27 May. The Minister for Foreign Affairs made clear in his address to the conference that Ireland's highest priority in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation has been support for efforts to strengthen the treaty and to ensure full respect for all its provisions. These include obligations in respect of nuclear disarmament.

The Government remains concerned, some 15 years after the end of the Cold War, at the unsatisfactory progress towards the objective of a world free from the dangers of nuclear weapons. We will continue to press for a global security order where nuclear weapons have no place. I know that this vision is shared by every Member. It is also of considerable importance to people throughout Ireland and across the world. The day before the NPT conference began, the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki led an estimated 40,000 people to a rally in Central Park in New York in support of efforts to ensure the total elimination of all nuclear weapons. There can be no doubt that the most lasting memorial to those who died as a result of the attacks in Hiroshima and Nagasaki is to ensure that nothing remotely similar is ever again visited upon mankind. I reiterate Senator Quinn's appeal that as many people as possible commemorate this tragic event at the appropriate time in August.