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AG/RES. 1499 (XXVII-O/97)

CONSOLIDATION OF THE REGIME ESTABLISHED IN THE TREATY FOR THE PROHIBITION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

(Adopted at the seventh plenary session, held on June 5, 1997)

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

RECALLING resolution AG/RES. 1414 (XXVI-O/96) on the importance of achieving full consolidation of the regime established in the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (Treaty of Tlatelolco), within the framework of cooperation for security in the Hemisphere and regional contributions to global security;

RECOGNIZING:

That the creation of nuclear-weapon-free zones is an important step toward disarmament, which significantly strengthens all aspects of the international nonproliferation regime;

That the Treaty of Tlatelolco is a momentous contribution to international law and to the ceaseless efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons and guarantee international peace and security; and

That the Treaty of Tlatelolco has become the model for the establishment of other nuclear-weapon-free zones in various regions of the world, such as the South Pacific (Treaty of Rarotonga), Southeast Asia (Treaty of Bangkok), and Africa (Treaty of Pelindaba), which, when they enter into force, will cover more than half the countries of the world and all of the Southern Hemisphere;

POINTING TO the success of the pioneering effort made by the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean to achieve the first populated nuclear-weapon-free zone, an undertaking which involves all nuclear-weapon states and the countries in the Hemisphere and elsewhere that, de jure or de facto, bear international responsibility for territories located within the Treaty's zone of application;

BEARING IN MIND:

That the Eleventh Special General Conference of the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL) was held on February 14, 1997, to mark the 30th anniversary of the opening for signature of the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (Treaty of Tlatelolco); and

That, on January 29, 1997, the Permanent Council approved resolution CP/RES. 693 (1101/97), commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Treaty of Tlatelolco; and

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that the Treaty of Tlatelolco is now in force for 32 sovereign states of the region,

RESOLVES:

1. To welcome the specific steps taken by a number of countries for consolidation of the regime of military denuclearization established by the Treaty of Tlatelolco.

2. To urge the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean to contribute to consolidating the regime of military denuclearization established by the Treaty and to its enhancement through the ratification, by all of the signatory states, of the amendments arising from resolutions of the General Conference of the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL): 276 (E-V) of July 3, 1990; 268 (XII) of May 10, 1991; and 290 (VII) of August 26, 1992.

3. To renew its appeal to the governments that have not yet done so to negotiate, as soon as possible, bilateral or multilateral agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency for application of that Agency's safeguards to their nuclear activities, as stipulated in Article 13 of the Treaty of Tlatelolco.

4. To recognize the importance of strengthening OPANAL as the appropriate legal and political forum for ensuring unqualified observance of the Treaty in its zone of application and in cooperation with the agencies of other nuclear-weapon-free zones.

5. To reaffirm its commitment to continue striving for a universal, genuine, and nondiscriminatory nonproliferation regime in all its aspects.

6. To transmit this resolution to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and to other relevant international organizations.

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