Seán Ryan (Dublin North, Labour)
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Question 27: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Government's position in regard to compliance with the nuclear non-proliferation treaty in view of recent events. [26860/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, NPT, 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 on 2 to 27 May 2005 at the United Nations in New York. In my statement during the general debate, which can be found on my Department's website, I recalled Ireland's close association with the treaty, which was negotiated following an initiative in 1958 taken by the then Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Frank Aiken. I re-affirmed the importance the Government attaches to a rules-based international order and strong international institutions. I emphasised that, for Ireland, upholding the integrity of the treaty means respect for all its provisions, but noted the particular importance attached by Ireland to fulfilment of the nuclear disarmament obligations set out in Article VI and reaffirmed and developed at previous NPT review conferences.

The review conference regrettably ended without agreement on substantive conclusions and recommendations on how to strengthen the non-proliferation regime. This was a missed opportunity for the international community to tackle some key threats to global peace and security and to agree an effective collective response. We continue to believe that global challenges are best tackled together, through such a response. That is why efforts to strengthen the treaty and ensure full respect for all its provisions remain our highest priority in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation.

Last month, at the summit meeting in New York, the international community again failed to bridge what the United Nations Secretary General has called "the deep rifts over how to confront the challenges we face" in regard to these issues. The agreement reached by Heads of State and Government on a programme of UN reform has many important and positive elements. As the Taoiseach and I both made clear in our addresses to the General Assembly at that time, however, it is deeply disappointing that the agreement contains nothing on disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, or on the need to strengthen the NPT.

We cannot permit these setbacks to give rise to discouragement or despair. The challenges of which the Secretary General has spoken will not vanish by simply being ignored. I am firmly of the view that the NPT is now more than ever of tremendous importance to the achievement of international peace and security and Ireland will continue to work with like-minded partners to promote progress under it. Moreover, it is essential that all parties to the NPT behave in a manner which is fully and demonstrably in accordance with all its provisions, and this is the objective of the European Union in the approach it has taken in regard to Iran.