Mr. Chairman,
The threat of an arms race in outer space and its militarization increases with the continuing development and improvement of space weapons, the presence of war materials in space such as military satellites, and the absence of a legally binding framework preventing weapons from been deployed in outer space.
Cuba supports the policy of no-first placement of any kinds of weapons in outer space and is fully committed to the prevention of the arms race in outer space.
The necessary actions should be urgently taken to ensure the strictly peaceful use of space for the benefit of the scientific, economic and social development of all States.
We condemn the existing dense spy satellite network that has saturated the geostationary orbit, and generates a significant amount of space debris.
We advocate the legitimate right of all States to access outer space under equal conditions and without any discrimination; as well as to benefit from cooperation in terms of training and transfer of space applications and technologies.
Mr. Chairman,
Cuba strongly supports the adoption of a treaty for the prevention and prohibition of the deployment of weapons in outer space, and of the threat or use of force against satellites or other kind of space objects. The draft treaty presented by Russia and China at the Conference on Disarmament constitutes good foundations for negotiations.
Pending the adoption of said treaty, the implementation of transparent international measures and confidence-building on outer space are convenient and necessary. These measures should be discussed and agreed upon in the framework of the United Nations, with the involvement and consensus of all Member States.
No Code of Conduct or similar action to build the proposed confidence must in any way legitimize the deployment of weapons in space.
We believe that the future of space activities and of a stable, peaceful and safe outer space largely relies on the strengthening of the legal regime regulating it.
It is necessary to promote a more effective cooperation among States, without discrimination, in order to achieve an optimal and responsible use of the unlimited possibilities provided by space research and applications for present and future generations.
Thank you very much.