International Atomic Energy Agency Information Circular (Unofficial electronic edition)

INFCIRC/492 15 November 1995 GENERAL Distr. Original: ENGLISH and FRENCH

1. On 23 October 1995, the Director General received a letter dated 20 October 1995 from the Permanent Mission of France transmitting a joint Statement of 20 October 1995 by France, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America about their intention to sign the Protocols to the Treaty of Rarotonga.

2. As requested by the Permanent Mission of France, the text of the Statement is being circulated for the information of Member States.

"The Governments of the French Republic, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America believe that internationally recognised nuclear weapons free zones, on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at among the States of the region concerned, can contribute to international peace and security. The 1995 NPT review and extension conference recognised this fact and encouraged the creation of such zones as a matter of priority. The conference also recognised that the cooperation of all the nuclear weapon States and their respect and support for the relevant protocols is necessary for the maximum effectiveness of such nuclear weapons free zones and the relevant protocols. In this regard, we are jointly announcing today our intention to sign the relevant protocols to the treaty of Rarotonga in the first half of 1996."