NB: 　The following comments were made at the New York Workshop on Model Northeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone
at the United Nations Headquarters on April 28, 2004

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 　　　　 Paving the Way beyond the Crisis

　　　　　　　　　　　　Prof. Kumao Kaneko
　　　President, Japan Council on Energy, Environment & Security (JCEES);
　　　Special adviser to the Japanese Affiliate of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW)

General comments:

1.  In the final analysis and after all, the establishment of a nuclear weapon-free zone will be the only sure approach to the solution of North Korean nuclear weapon issue in particular and the enhancement of peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and more generally in the Northeast Asian region which is still beset with the remnants of the Cold War era..

2.  Therefore, in the proposed Model Treaty for this purpose, one of the indispensable  elements will be the assurance of security ? technically called “negative security assurance” (NSA) -- that any non-nuclear weapon State (NNWS), party to the said treaty, will never be subjected to nuclear attacks by nuclear weapon States (NWS) provided that that NNWS faithfully discharges the obligations under the NPT, inter alia, the obligation to accept full-scope safeguards and inspections, including those stipulated in the Additional Protocol, by the International Atomic Energy Agency.  The NSA should also include the assurance of security against attacks using all weapons of mass destruction.  As such, the Model Treaty might eventually be called a Northeast Asia Regional Security Treaty rather than merely a NWFZ treaty.  It will hopefully emerge out of future negotiations at the present six-party talks being held in Beijing.

3. Given the existing political situation, however, negotiations by the regional governments for such treaty will inevitably require a long time, much longer than in any other region where NWFZ has been established. Accordingly, informal preliminary exercises should be started as early as possible, initially on the non-governmental level.  Hence the special importance of the role to be played by NGOs, such as this New York Workshop, which can pave the way for governmental negotiations at the later stage.

Specific comments: