42nd IAEA General Conference

Sri Lanka, Ambassador C.S. Poolokasingham

Sri Lanka has significantly benefited from the Technical Cooperation Programme of the Agency, through which the country acquired the capability of using nuclear technology for improving health care facilities, and agricultural and industrial productivity. The speaker welcomed the initiatives taken by the Agency to ensure greater socioeconomic benefits and better end-user orientation of the Technical Cooperation Programme, and expressed concern over progressive reduction in TC Resources since 1995. He added that Sri Lanka will continue to pursue its policy of utilizing Nuclear Science and Technology to improve the quality of life of its people. For this purpose, the government has allocated Rs93 million to build new laboratories of the Atomic Energy Authority and adequate financial resources are being made available for its development. In spite of its financial constraints Sri Lanka has agreed to double its Assessed Programme Cost payments to the Agency in order to settle the arrears in a shorter period. Referring to the Agency’s efforts to improve the Radiation and Waste Management Infrastructure in the Member States, the speaker noted that the technical assistance received by his country under the Inter-regional Model Project on Improving Radiation and Waste Management Infrastructure has made it possible to significantly improve its Regulatory Programme. However, the time allocated to achieve all the objectives of this project is not sufficient and should be extended by two years. The Regional Cooperative Agreement (RCA) for Asia and Pacific, whose activities range from use of nuclear technologies in Medicine, Agriculture, Industry, Environment, Radiation Protection to Nuclear Power, has resulted in considerable benefits for participating countries. He welcomed the improvements being made to its Management Structure. In the field of disarmament and arms control, many issues still remain unresolved. Despite the reduction in stockpiles due to arms control measures, the size of existing nuclear arsenals today is actually not dramatically lower than the level that existed when the NPT was signed more than thirty years ago. More disturbing is the fact that very little has been done to achieve nuclear disarmament in keeping with Article VI of the Treaty. He welcomed ratification of the CTBT by France and the United Kingdom, two of the five Nuclear Weapons States and urged all Nuclear Weapons States to follow suit as soon as possible. Only 21 out of 44 States required for the Treaty to enter into force have so far ratified the CTBT. He added that the treaty does not ban all nuclear weapon tests such as sub-critical experiments and computer simulations, and is limited to nuclear test explosions. Nuclear Weapons States should refrain from undertaking such tests which contravene the fundamental spirit of the Treaty. Furthermore, prevention of vertical proliferation of nuclear weapons is as important as preventing horizontal proliferation. He also supported the establishment of the Ad Hoc Committee in the Conference on Disarmament for a proposed Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty, designed to ban production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. Sri Lanka hopes to see the early ratification of the second phase of the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks and the early commencement of its third. He closed by welcoming bilateral negotiations between the Russian Federation and the USA on nuclear disarmament. Similar talks at multilateral level should be permitted to address the vital issues of nuclear disarmament to achieve the total elimination of nuclear weapons.

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Sri Lanka, Ambassador C.S. Poolokasingham



Sri Lanka has significantly benefited from the Technical Cooperation Programme of the Agency, through which the country acquired the capability of using nuclear technology for improving health care facilities, and agricultural and industrial productivity. The speaker welcomed the initiatives taken by the Agency to ensure greater socioeconomic benefits and better end-user orientation of the Technical Cooperation Programme, and expressed concern over progressive reduction in TC Resources since 1995. He added that Sri Lanka will continue to pursue its policy of utilizing Nuclear Science and Technology to improve the quality of life of its people. For this purpose, the government has allocated Rs93 million to build new laboratories of the Atomic Energy Authority and adequate financial resources are being made available for its development. In spite of its financial constraints Sri Lanka has agreed to double its Assessed Programme Cost payments to the Agency in order to settle the arrears in a shorter period. Referring to the Agency’s efforts to improve the Radiation and Waste Management Infrastructure in the Member States, the speaker noted that the technical assistance received by his country under the Inter-regional Model Project on Improving Radiation and Waste Management Infrastructure has made it possible to significantly improve its Regulatory Programme. However, the time allocated to achieve all the objectives of this project is not sufficient and should be extended by two years. The Regional Cooperative Agreement (RCA) for Asia and Pacific, whose activities range from use of nuclear technologies in Medicine, Agriculture, Industry, Environment, Radiation Protection to Nuclear Power, has resulted in considerable benefits for participating countries. He welcomed the improvements being made to its Management Structure. In the field of disarmament and arms control, many issues still remain unresolved. Despite the reduction in stockpiles due to arms control measures, the size of existing nuclear arsenals today is actually not dramatically lower than the level that existed when the NPT was signed more than thirty years ago. More disturbing is the fact that very little has been done to achieve nuclear disarmament in keeping with Article VI of the Treaty. He welcomed ratification of the CTBT by France and the United Kingdom, two of the five Nuclear Weapons States and urged all Nuclear Weapons States to follow suit as soon as possible. Only 21 out of 44 States required for the Treaty to enter into force have so far ratified the CTBT. He added that the treaty does not ban all nuclear weapon tests such as sub-critical experiments and computer simulations, and is limited to nuclear test explosions. Nuclear Weapons States should refrain from undertaking such tests which contravene the fundamental spirit of the Treaty. Furthermore, prevention of vertical proliferation of nuclear weapons is as important as preventing horizontal proliferation. He also supported the establishment of the Ad Hoc Committee in the Conference on Disarmament for a proposed Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty, designed to ban production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. Sri Lanka hopes to see the early ratification of the second phase of the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks and the early commencement of its third. He closed by welcoming bilateral negotiations between the Russian Federation and the USA on nuclear disarmament. Similar talks at multilateral level should be permitted to address the vital issues of nuclear disarmament to achieve the total elimination of nuclear weapons.