Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 155: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the discussions regarding the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, which commenced in May 2005 at the United Nations; the discussions he has had with the Iranian Foreign Minister on the issues surrounding the development of nuclear technology by Iran; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18795/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which is the most universal of all of the multilateral instruments in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation, came into force in 1970. The treaty has been reviewed at five-year intervals to assess progress under its three pillars of disarmament, non-proliferation, and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

The seventh NPT review conference took place from 2 May to 27 May 2005 at the United Nations in New York. During the general debate, I delivered a statement on behalf of Ireland, the full text of which is available on the Department's website. The Government is deeply disappointed at the outcome of the conference, which it feels is a missed opportunity for the international community to tackle together key threats to global peace and security and to agree an effective collective response.

Failure of NPT review conferences to reach a substantive result is not without precedent in the 35-year history of the treaty, but it is all the more worrying, given the scale of the challenges that have threatened to undermine the authority and credibility of the non-proliferation regime and risk its further erosion. The challenges remain to be tackled and we must work with our partners in the EU and other groups to find a way to make progress.

The UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, in addressing the current situation, has stressed the need for leadership and pointed to the forthcoming meeting of heads of state and government in New York in September as a crucial opportunity to show such leadership. He has called upon them publicly to break the deadlock on the most pressing challenges in the field of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament and to take concrete steps to revitalise the NPT.

The Government believes that states parties to the NPT must respond to the Secretary General's call and now seek to identify ways that the NPT regime can be further strengthened. The NPT is now more than ever of tremendous importance to the achievement of international peace and security. As I noted in my address, our success in halting the erosion of the non-proliferation regime will be an acid test of the effectiveness of the entire multilateral system. This is a fight we, for our own sake and that of future generations, cannot afford to lose.

With respect to my meeting with the Iranian Foreign Minister, Dr. Kamal Kharrazi, this took place at the latter's request on the second day of the NPT review conference. The main subject discussed in this brief meeting was the Iranian nuclear programme. Dr. Kharrazi stressed the importance of nuclear power in providing for the future energy needs of his country and Iran's right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. The Minister recalled Ireland's national position on nuclear power and reaffirmed the need for the Iranian nuclear issue to be addressed within the framework of the negotiations led by France, Germany and the United Kingdom, in strict conformity with the Paris Agreement. I underlined my belief that difficulties should be resolved through dialogue and negotiation and that when a solution was found on the nuclear issue this would open the way to making progress on other issues, which could only be beneficial for both sides. The two of us also briefly discussed the UN Secretary General's reform proposals and my role as UN envoy. Dr. Kharrazi stated Iran has been following the matter closely. He believed it was an important mission and wished the Minister every success with his task.