"Both sides will discuss points of objection that have been issued by nuclear weapon states to ASEAN about the implementation of free nuclear zone treaty in the Southeast Asia region signed by the latter," the minister said after receiving a report about the meeting result of the Commission of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty in Bali on Monday morning.
Marty expressed appreciation to the latest development arguing that the negotiations between members of SEANWFZ and five nuclear weapon states came to a deadlock during the past years especially on access of the latter to the treaty.
SEANWFZ is an joint treaty between the ASEAN ten member states to secure the Southeast Asia region from the use of nuclear weapons. The treaty was signed in 1995 and went into force as of March 1997.
The treaty obliged ASEAN member states not to develop, produce, buy or posses nuclear weapons. Members are also urged not to ask or receive any assistance in the form of nuclear weapons from third countries.
The SEANWFZ protocol itself calls on the five nuclear weapon states namely Russia, United Kingdom, France, China and the United States to respect the SEABWFZ treaty and not use or threat members of SEANWFZ with nuclear weapons.
The protocol is expected to be signed by the five nuclear weapon states but so far none of them has signed. The points of objection from the five countries are the zone of application of the SEANWFZ, sovereignty factor and insurance not to use nuclear weapons against countries without nuclear weapons.
(Uu.A051/H-NG)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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