IAEA Board of Governors Meeting: 8 June 2016
Statement by HE Mr David Stuart, Resident Representative to the IAEA
Agenda Item 8 (d): Application of Safeguards in the DPRK
Mr Chair,
Australia condemns in the strongest possible terms North Korea’s ongoing provocative, dangerous and destabilising behaviour, which aggravates tensions in our region and beyond.
Australia, with our friends and neighbours in the region, and the wider international community have made clear that North Korea’s continued development of nuclear and WMD technologies is unacceptable. North Korea’s latest provocation will only strengthen the resolve of the international community. We note advice in the Board that there is evidence North Korea is seeking additional weapons grade nuclear material from reprocessing.
North Korea’s provocative actions constitute a clear breach of unanimously agreed UN Security Council Resolutions, including UN Security Council Resolution 2270 which strengthens significantly international sanctions and limits the North Korean regime’s ability to develop its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. These measures are designed to target the North Korean regime, not the civilian population. North Korea’s regime should desist immediately from its irresponsible and dangerous actions and it should focus instead on the welfare of the people of North Korea.
Mr Chair,
For our part, Australia is implementing UN Security Resolution 2270 and reviewing our own autonomous sanctions regime. We hope this will further hinder the regime’s efforts to proliferate dangerous ballistic missile and weapons technology.
North Korea’s ongoing development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, and its proliferation of sensitive technologies also challenge the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). North Korean testing is the only exception to the global nuclear test moratorium in the 21st century.
Australia joins others in urging North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner. Australia calls on North Korea to cease its nuclear-weapons program; comply with IAEA resolutions calling for a restart of full cooperation with the IAEA and its safeguards obligations; heed the requirements of the UN Security Council to cease its nuclear activities; and fulfil its commitments to denuclearise under the 2005 Six-Party Talks Joint Statement and under relevant UN Security Council Resolutions.
We support the IAEA maintaining its readiness to play a key role in verifying North Korea’s nuclear program.
I thank you.