Opinion - News Analysis   

Practical action needed against proliferation

Alexander Downer

THE SPREAD of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) is one of the main threats to international and regional security. As irresponsible states and terrorists seek to gain access to devastating weapons, no country is immune to this menace, even those in regions currently free of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons.

Moreover, terrorists have shown they will stop at nothing to enhance their ability to kill. The horrific recent bombings in Bali only strengthen our resolve to keep WMD beyond their reach.

Inaction is simply not an option for any nation that values its security and prosperity. Australia is firmly committed to practical action to stop proliferation. A new paper, Weapons of Mass Destruction: Australia's Role in Fighting Proliferation, outlines contemporary proliferation threats and the Australian Government's multidimensional strategy for addressing them.

Since the end of the Cold War, the proliferation threat has diversified. While the risk of nuclear conflagration has receded, checks on proliferation have failed to keep pace with new global security realities. And globalisation has increased the availability of materials and technologies required to make WMD.

Certain countries and groups have violated international norms on WMD and missiles for delivering them. Earlier this year, North Korea claimed that it possessed nuclear weapons. Iran is on notice to dispel ambiguity over its nuclear programme. Some countries, or rogue elements within them, have even exported their deadly expertise. The A.Q. Khan nuclear network is a case in point.

The rise of global terrorism has further raised the proliferation stakes. Al-Qaeda has made no secret of its ambitions to acquire and use WMD. Terrorist groups in South East Asia have similar ambitions. WMD proliferation is an actual threat, not just a potential one. It needs to be urgently addressed in comprehensive and proactive ways.

In the face of the U.N. Summit's lamentable failure to deliver outcomes on non-proliferation, Australia remains committed to strengthening multilateral treaties. Put simply, countries that ignore their non-proliferation obligations must be held to account by the international community. Australia has led the way by calling on the UN Security Council to assume greater responsibility in this area and by promoting more stringent safeguards that would provide early warning of covert nuclear activities.

At the same time, the Australian Government recognises the need for innovation and flexibility by embracing new thinking to stop proliferation as it occurs.

Australia has been a pioneer in the Proliferation Security Initiative. With no overarching treaty or secretariat, PSI demonstrates what can be achieved within international and national law to disrupt WMD-related trade, drawing on the support of more than 60 countries. A good example is the successful interception of centrifuge parts bound for Libya's nuclear weapons programme before that country's welcome decision to renounce WMD.

The Australian Government has been assiduous in ensuring that Australian exports do not contribute to WMD programmes. And we continue to work with like-minded countries to harmonise export controls, especially through chairmanship of the Australia Group, which sets benchmarks in preventing chemical and biological weapons proliferation.

We have also moved to strengthen domestic measures to prevent proliferators and terrorists from gaining access to sensitive materials, such as radioactive sources, and expanded our efforts to encourage regional countries to do likewise, including through provision of technical training. Importantly, we have done so through a cooperative approach, integrating a growing role for many of the arms of government — defence, intelligence, and border protection.

Australia's commitment to fighting proliferation will not be deterred by the complexity of present-day threats. Through the Government's wide-ranging policies and measures and close cooperation with like-minded countries, we will continue to address them in comprehensive, innovative and practical ways. Weapons of Mass Destruction: Australia's Role in Fighting Proliferation can be accessed at {lt}www.dfat.gov.au/publications/wmd{gt}.

(The writer is Australia's Foreign Minister.)

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Inflation fears and tighter money
Internet governance and development
Uses of domestic dissent in foreign policy
Britain's new racial divide
Practical action needed against proliferation
Moscow, Teheran, and Washington
Will Syria benefit from Iraq's lessons?
Court's observation
Assuming leadership
Economics & politics

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu