Cuba: Peaceful Nuke Energy Is A Right

United Nations
Oct 30

Cuba stated Monday that all the countries in the world have the right to the pacific use of nuclear energy, and rejected all attempts on the margin of the International Atomic Energy Agency to certify those programs in some countries.

"IAEA is the only competent entity that can certify fulfilment of the obligations under the respective agreements for security of the IAEA member countries," declared Cuban Ambassador to the UN Rodrigo Malmierca.

Malmierca spoke before the 61st UN General Assembly s debate of a report presented by IAEA General Director Mohamed El-Baradei.

This report noted a growing expectation in relation to the future role of nuclear energy, particularly among many developing countries, because of its productivity, economic advantage, and less damage to the environment.

Official UN statistics note 16 of the 28 new reactors now being built in the world are in underdeveloped countries.

Stating that nuclear power should not be a monopoly, Malmierca called it unacceptable that some countries are attempting to increase the relevance of the IAEA s verifying role instead of its encouragement of nuclear technology.

The head of the Cuban diplomatic mission descried that, although the Cold War was proclaimed at an end, there exists some 32 thousand nuclear weapons in the world, 12,300 of them ready to be used immediately.

"The only secure and effective way to stop proliferation of these weapons of mass destruction is to eliminate all of them," he said and added that Cuba reaffirms the position of the Non-Aligned Movement that disarmament is of highest priority in the world.