Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 143: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps being taken to promote the updating of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty at international level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19571/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland has a particularly close association with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which came into existence following an initiative taken by the late Frank Aiken. His pioneering efforts were duly recognised when Ireland was invited in 1968 to be the first country to sign the Treaty after it had been negotiated. Since then, support for the Treaty has been our highest priority in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation.

At the Review Conference last May, there were a number of specific proposals on actions that States Parties might take to meet the challenges confronting the Treaty. Regrettably, the Conference ended without agreement on substantive conclusions and recommendations on how to strengthen the non-proliferation regime.

The next scheduled Review Conference of the NPT will not take place until 2010. It will be preceded by a series of preparatory meetings beginning in 2007. Ireland will in the meantime continue to work with like-minded countries in identifying areas where implementation of the Treaty can be strengthened. I made clear, including in my address to the United Nations General Assembly last September, the Government's deep disappointment at this outcome. 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 are firmly of the view that the NPT is now more than ever of tremendous importance to the achievement of international peace and security. Action to strengthen the Treaty, and ensure full respect for all its provisions, remains essential and we will spare no effort in pursuit of this objective.

Ireland is committed to the full implementation of the NPT and, in particular, believes that the 13 practical steps outlined in the Outcome Document of the 2000 NPT Review Conference set out a clear road by which the objective of nuclear disarmament can be achieved. In Geneva last March, the Permanent Representative of Ireland to the Conference on Disarmament reiterated the Irish position with regard to the NPT and emphasised the need for greater transparency on the part of the Nuclear Weapons States in their respective nuclear disarmament processes.

Most recently, we have committed ourselves to co-funding a seminar on NPT issues organised by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). The seminar is taking place in Geneva on 23-24 May and will examine such issues as compliance, nuclear disarmament measures and possible ways to strengthen the Treaty. We also intend to participate in a discussion of nuclear disarmament obligations, set out in Article VI of the Treaty, in a seminar organised by non-governmental organisations scheduled to take place in Canada next September.