DISARMAMENT ISSUES WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, chemical and biological weapons) and their technology, is today one of the most severe threats to international peace and security.

The use of weapons of mass destruction goes against everything that international law and, more particularly, humanitarian law stands for.

Greece consistent with its views on non-proliferation supports the globalisation of all the treaties that concern the restriction or banning of weapons of mass destruction, which is also the official common position of the European Union. It should be noted that the European Unions policy on WMD, which was shaped under Greek Presidency (General Affairs Council 16-17 June 2003) and adopted on 12 December 2003, includes a Joint Strategy and an Action Plan against the proliferation of WMD aimed at the globalization of the treaties on weapons of mass destruction and adding Protocols to them if there aren't any, as well as ensuring monitoring of their implementation. Furthermore, the EU WMD Strategy also provides for the strengthening of export controls. This Strategy is being updated in light of the European Council of December 2008.

An equally important, international treaty is the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (1996). This Treaty's particularity is in Annex 2, which stipulates that it must be ratified by 44 particular countries in order for it to enter into force. Nine of these countries have still not signed and/or ratified the Treaty (the United States, China, Israel, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, India, Pakistan, and North Korea).

Our positions are shared by our partners within the EU and have been included in various European Common Positions on disarmament issues.

Our country has ratified all the Treaties on non-proliferation of WMDs without exception: the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (), the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), and the Biological & Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC).

Within the framework of this policy, we support the need for all countries bar none to become parties to these Treaties and, in particular, the NPT and the CWC Treaties.

Greece is also a member of all the control regimes on the proliferation of WMD, but also the technology and materials used for their production, i.e., the NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group) on nuclear weapons, the MTCR (Missiles Technology Control Regime) on ballistic missiles, the Australian Group (AG) on chemical and biological weapons, the Wassenaar Arrangement on export controls for conventional arms and dual-use goods and technology, and, finally, the Zangger Committee (ZC). 

Given the real danger of the proliferation of nuclear weapons, our country has been, from the outset, an ardent supporter of the creation of denuclearised zones in politically sensitive areas of the world. Within this framework, the creation of a denuclearised zone in the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia is of outmost importance. we place particular emphasis on the creation of a denuclearised zone in the Mediterranean, a position that we have promoted together with Italy, Cyprus and Malta within international fora.

According to EU positions, conventional weapons can also be considered as WMDs in a wider sense due to the level of destruction they can cause. Greece has ratified the Geneva Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) and four of its five Protocols (the Fifth Protocol regarding Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) is very recent and we are currently in a preparatory phase in order to present it for ratification to the Hellenic Parliament).

Finally, it is worth noting that our country, as well as all the other contracting parties to the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, supports this treatys globalisation, which is still not signed by 43 states, including the most important active producers of such weapons.

Last modified: October 2008