Mr. Chairman,
My delegation endorses the statement by the Non-Aligned Movement.
Cuba is proud to belong to the region whose leaders, in an unprecedented event, formally proclaimed it as a Zone of Peace at the Second Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) held in Havana, in order to banish once and for all the use and threat to use force in our region.
Our country is committed to multilateralism as the basic principle of negotiations on disarmament and arms control. We likewise emphasize the importance of regional and subregional initiatives on this field.
In this regard, we stress that the Latin American and Caribbean Proclamation as a Zone of Peace reaffirms the commitment of States in the region to continue to promote nuclear disarmament as a priority objective and to contribute to general and complete disarmament, in order to promote the strengthening of trust among nations.
Regional disarmament efforts should duly take into account the particular characteristics of each region. Neither formulas nor actions that threaten the security of any State in the region in question can be imposed.
Global and regional approaches to disarmament and security, as well as confidence-building measures, complement each other and should be implemented simultaneously as possible.
Mr. Chairman,
The implementation of regional confidence-building measures, with the consent and participation of all States of the region concerned, helps to avoid conflicts and prevent the unintended and accidental outbreak of hostilities.
States with greater military capabilities have an important responsibility, with regional and international security. In this regard, respect for regional and subregional decisions, agreements and treaties aimed at achieving peace and security is of great importance.
Nuclear-weapon-free zones are an effective contribution to the strengthening of regional and global peace and security, and must be respected.
Within the framework of the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Treaty of Tlatelolco, which established the first Nuclear Weapon Free Zone in our region in a densely populated area, we recognize the important contribution of nuclear-weapon-free zones and reiterate Cuba's unrestricted support for the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East.
We consider it is unjustifiable the breach of the agreement on the holding of the International Conference for the establishment in the Middle East of a zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. The establishment of such a zone would represent a momentous step for the peace process in the Middle East region.
To conclude, Mr. Chairman, allow me to emphasize on the importance that Cuba attaches to the work of the UN Regional Centers for Peace and Disarmament, including the Regional Center for Latin America and the Caribbean. We believe that current resources are limited and insufficient. We hope that the role of these Centers can continue to be strengthened in the interests of disarmament, security and development at a regional level.
Thank you very much.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations.