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HomeMEDIA RESOURCES200618 April 2006 - NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS VISIT VIENNA AND GENEVA [SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE]

18 April 2006 - NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS VISIT VIENNA AND GENEVA

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Members of Science and Technology Committee's Subcommittee on Proliferation of Military Technology visited Vienna, Austria and Geneva, Switzerland from 10-13 April 2006. The delegation of 24 legislators from member and associate countries, led by Subcommittee Chairman Jérôme Rivière (France) and Committee Chairman Michael Mates (UK), met with representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO), United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). NATO PA delegation also met with several key ambassadors to the IAEA and the UN Conference on Disarmament. Members of the Subcommittee also visited the IAEA Analytical Laboratories at Seibersdorf.

Most of the discussion at the IAEA focused on implications of Iran's nuclear policy. The Agency's officials pointed out that Iranian authorities have not yet fully dispelled concerns over Tehran's nuclear endeavours, and some questions remain unanswered. The Ambassadors of France and the United Kingdom to the IAEA criticised Tehran's posture and its reluctance to cooperate with the international community. They regretted Iran's decision to decline constructive proposals from the EU and Russia, thereby leaving very little ground for optimism.

During the visit, NATO Parliamentarians also discussed other important issues, including nuclear safety in power plants, the relevance and prospects of the CTBT, missile defence and weapons in space, small arms control, challenges for the Conference on Disarmament, humanitarian demining, social and economic benefits of climatic research, prevention of natural disasters, the impact of emerging new military technologies and the prospects of the Biological Weapons Convention.
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