Statement by the Republic of South Africa delivered by Minister of Energy, Ms Tina Joemat–Pettersson, MP, on the occasion of the 58th session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) general conference, Vienna
Director-General,
Honourable Ministers and Heads of Delegations,
Distinguished delegates,
Mr President,
At the outset, allow me on behalf of the South African Government to congratulate you on the occasion of your election as the President of the 58th General Conference.
Let me also extend my congratulations and welcome to the Union of Comores, Republic of Djibouti, Co-operative Republic of Guyana and the Republic of Vanuatu on their admission as new members to the Agency.
Mr President,
South Africa is committed to the achievement and maintenance of a world free of nuclear weapons and therefore remains committed to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons which forms the cornerstone of the nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation regime. The obligations under the Treaty were entered into on the basis of the historical bargain between the nuclear-weapon States and the non-nuclear-weapon States in terms of which the former undertook to eliminate their nuclear weapons based on the reciprocal undertaking by the latter not to pursue the nuclear weapons option.
We look forward to the 2015 NPT Review Conference where we will have the opportunity to review implementation of all undertakings made in the context of the Treaty and its review process, and to build on these undertakings in a concrete way.
Our vision of a nuclear weapons free world is informed by the unacceptable humanitarian consequences of a nuclear weapon detonation, whether by design or accident. In this regard, we would like to take the opportunity to express our support and appreciation for the next Conference on the Humanitarian Consequences of Nuclear Weapons which Austria will host later this year.
