Statement by Ambassador O'Brien, Permanent Representative of Ireland to the Conference on Disarmament, on North Korea rocket launch
Statement by Ambassador Patricia O'Brien, Permanent Representative of Ireland to the Conference on Disarmament, 9 February 2016
Mr. President,
Thank you for giving me the floor.
Ireland would like to add some remarks in a national capacity to those delivered on our behalf by the European Union.
Only last Tuesday 2nd February in this Chamber, I quoted the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, who has observed that the DPRK nuclear test last month drew into sharp focus the urgent need for international engagement on nuclear disarmament.
My Government is therefore deeply dismayed that almost one month to the day of the January nuclear test, we are faced with yet another provocation by the DPRK, namely a rocket launch, employing ballistic missile technology, on Sunday 7 February.
As we have said, these irresponsible actions demonstrate once again the urgent need for engagement on nuclear disarmament by all stakeholders. The North Korean authorities should cease all nuclear testing and re-engage with the Six Party Talks on the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, immediately and without preconditions.
In our view, these actions represent a threat to international peace and security in the region and beyond and can only serve to aggravate existing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. We welcome the statement by the UN Security Council in this regard.
Much closer to home, Mr President, these recent events in our view only serve to reinforce our collective responsibility within this Chamber to break the logjam in the CD and to urgently agree a Programme of Work. We commend your efforts in this regard.
Permit me to conclude by strongly urging the DPRK to refrain from these actions and to comply with its international obligations.
We further exhort the DPRK to abandon its programmes to develop ballistic missiles, nuclear capabilities and weapons of mass destruction; and to carry out these processes in a manner that is complete, verifiable and irreversible.
Thank you, Mr. President.