The following is drawn
from the position paper that Mexico presented to the 68th Session of the UN
General Assembly, which opened on September 17, 2013. The paper addresses a
wide range of issues; our selections focus on its position on the Middle East
and questions of disarmament:
* * *
Peace in the Middle East is still an unresolved issue on the
global agenda and it needs the utmost attention of the UN and the international
community. Mexico supports a comprehensive peace that addresses the many
intricacies and conflicts that affect this complex region through the use of
dialogue and negotiation with full respect for international law and the human
rights of all of its inhabitants.
Regarding the situation in Palestine, Mexico will continue
to promote the two-State solution, Israel and a Palestinian State, both
politically and economically viable, which exist side by side within secure and
internationally-recognized borders, in accordance with the UN resolutions. In
this regard, Mexico stresses that international law and international humanitarian
law rules must be observed at all time and under any circumstance by all
parties in the conflict.
Mexico has condemned the continued expansion of the Israeli
settlements, as well as the demolition of Palestinian homes and the evictions
in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, as acts
contrary to international law that undermine the chance of peace and affect the viability of a Palestinian
State. Our country urges the parties to resume direct negotiations.
Elsewhere, regarding the delicate situation in the Syrian
Arab Republic, Mexico strongly condemns the violence against the civilian
population and strongly deplores the use of chemical weapons under any
circumstance and by any actor. It constitutes a violation of international law
and international humanitarian law, and, as such, a war crime. Mexico has emphasized
the importance and urgency it is for the international community to get involved
and put a stop to the violence and suffering experienced by the Syrian people
during the conflict, which has lasted for two and a half years. It has
reiterated that the search for a solution in Syria must conform to the
principles and provisions of the UN Charter, especially those regarding the
right to the use of force. Mexico supports the recent diplomatic efforts to
find a peaceful political solution to the Syrian crisis, particularly the
framework agreement between the United States and Russia on the elimination of
chemical weapons.
Mexico is convinced that there can be no military solution
to the conflict in Syria. Therefore, Mexico favors a peaceful political
solution and fully agrees with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the need to convene
an international convention in Geneva, as soon as possible, with
representatives from both the Syrian government and the opposition groups, to
follow up on the process begun in June 2012.
Mexico is convinced that the Security Council is the only
body enabled to legally authorize the use of force in conformity with the
purposes and principles of the UN Charter.
The prohibition of the use of force and the peaceful
settlement of disputes are the core Constitutional principles that guide our
foreign policy, and we must act accordingly. Mexico believes that any use of
force without prior authorization from the United Nations is outside of the
principles and purposes of the UN and must be avoided. . . .
On UN Security
Council Reform
Mexico will continue to support the comprehensive reform of
the UNSC and will continue to participate actively and constructively in
intergovernmental negotiations on this issue within the General Assembly.
Mexico will continue encouraging a substantive discussion based on the
compromise proposal for reform of the Council that bridges the various
positions and has the broadest possible agreement of the Member States.
This proposal is based only on expanding the non-permanent
membership to achieve an equitable geographic representation and a reform of
the UNSC’s working methods to make them more transparent, effective, and
efficient. Mexico opposes increasing the number of permanent members of the
Council; this would not make the UNSC more democratic, transparent or
accountable.
On Disarmament and
International Security
In view of the catastrophic consequences in the aftermath of
the use of atomic and hydrogen bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945,
the first resolution adopted by the UNGA was on nuclear disarmament. Since there
are already prohibitions against biological and chemical weapons, Mexico gives
the highest priority to the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons.
It is estimated that there are currently 17,270 nuclear
weapons still in existence around the world, of which about 4,400 are on high
alert, that is, ready to be detonated. The expense of manufacturing and
maintaining nuclear weapons is notoriously disproportionate to what is spent on
development. Total military expenditure has reached 1.75 trillion dollars annually.
Just nine countries spend 100 billion dollars a year, or almost 300 million
dollars a day, on nuclear weapons.
Mexico believes that nuclear weapons should be evaluated
from a humanitarian perspective that takes into account both the short- and
long-term global effects on the population, health, environment and
development. Mexico will hold a second conference on this issue on February 13
– 14, 2014.
For Mexico, the only guarantee that the international
community has against the harm, the humanitarian, environmental, food-supply,
economical and developmental crises of a nuclear detonation is the total and
complete elimination of nuclear weapons. It is therefore essential that
21st-century society understands the devastating short and long-term damage
this type of weapon would cause to humanity, so a preventive approach may prevail
and nuclear weapons are never used again.
Mexico will be attentive to proposals that give impetus to
the multilateral negotiations on nuclear disarmament, which have been paralyzed
for 17 years. In 2012, at the initiative of Mexico, alongside with Austria and
Norway, the UNGA created an Open-Ended Working Group on Nuclear Disarmament for
all UN Member States, international organizations and civil society. The Group
met three times in Geneva in 2013 and will present its proposals on how to
advance the multilateral negotiations to achieve and sustain a world without
nuclear weapons.
Mexico will present the following resolutions on this topic:
“Consolidation of the
Regime Established in the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in
Latin America and the Caribbean” (Treaty of Tlatelolco). Mexico presents
this resolution every three years. The General Assembly recognizes the historic
contribution made by the Treaty of Tlatelolco to the nuclear disarmament and
nonproliferation regime and the work done by the Agency for the Prohibition of
Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean.
“Towards a
Nuclear-Weapon-Free World: Accelerating the Implementation of the Nuclear
Disarmament Commitments.” This resolution is presented annually by Brazil,
Egypt, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand and South Africa, the members of the New Agenda
Coalition (NAC). This is the only resolution in which the General Assembly addresses
in detail the commitments adopted by the nuclear-weapons States as part of their
obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
“Comprehensive
Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty” This resolution is presented annually with
Australia and New Zealand. The UNGA calls for the entrance into force of the
CTBT as a key step towards nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
Arms Trade Treaty
(ATT) Mexico recently reaffirmed its historic position on achieving general
and complete disarmament in the world by signing the UN Arms Trade Treaty (ATT)
on April 2, 2013. This represents an unprecedented achievement in controlling
arms transfers and is the result of complex negotiations begun in 2006, in
which Mexico played an active role, pushing for the highest standards for
regulating transfers of conventional weapons.
For Mexico, adopting the treaty is only the first step. It
signed the ATT on June 3, 2013, the first day it opened for signature, making
clear its commitment to fully implement its provisions. The Senate approved
ratification of the treaty on September 18, and the Decree of Approval was
published in the Official Journal of the Federation on September 20. Foreign
Secretary José Antonio Meade will deposit the instrument of ratification in the
United Nations on September 25, presenting at the same time a declaration of
provisional implementation of Articles 6 and 7 of the treaty until its entry
into force in accordance with Article 23 of the ATT.
* * *
Mexico’s
Position Paper for the 68th Session of the United Nations General
Assembly, Mexico, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
No comments:
Post a Comment