Daily Archives: March 9, 2022

AGENDA ITEM 6: THE SAFETY, SECURITY AND SAFEGUARDS IMPLICATIONS OF THE SITUATION IN UKRAINE 

Mr Chairperson 

From the outset South Africa wishes to thank the Director General and the Secretariat for the regular updates on the evolving and increasingly desperate situation in Ukraine. 

South Africa reiterates its rejection of the illegal use of force and our commitment to uphold the principles and purposes of the UN Charter. We urge the parties to the conflict to uphold the Statue and all other international legal obligations, including the Safety Conventions, and the Convention on the Early Notification of a Nuclear Accidents, as well as the Geneva Convention and Additional Protocol. 

My delegation fully supports the efforts by the Director General to engage the parties to the conflict with the aim of assuring that the seven pillars for the safe and secure operation of the nuclear facilities, radiological sources, and nuclear and radiological material in all forms in Ukraine are safe and secured. 

We have watched with a growing sense of horror as events evolve around Ukraine’s vast nuclear programme. Any incident at any of these sites will have far reaching devastating consequences that will seriously affect human health and impact the environment far beyond Ukraine’s borders for decades to come. 

We reiterate the long-standing principled position that the responsibility for the safety and security of a country’s nuclear facilities and material rests solely with that state and implore that the complete command and control of all the nuclear facilities, material and surrounding areas should be in the hands of the rightful Ukrainian civilian authority, the SNRIU. My delegation is also concerned about the health and safety of the personnel at these facilities and shares the Director General’s concern about the conditions under which they have to work, including a lack of medical treatment, sleep and equipment for maintenance among others. 

As we said in a previous statement, for South Africa, given our own history of bitter conflict, there is always hope and it is never too late to talk. We welcome the continued dialogue between the delegations of Ukraine and the Russian Federation. Although tentative, we believe that this is the way forward and we urge the negotiators to engage in good faith, and with the aim of reaching a ceasefire as a first step. 

We urge the parties to continue negotiations as the only way to achieve a sustainable solution and we encourage all other parties involved, however remotely, to work towards a negotiated settlement. In this regard South Africa fully supports the efforts of the UN Secretary General as he tries to find a way forward to resolve this horrible conflict. We commend the efforts of H.E. Macky Sall the president of Senegal in his capacity as chair of the African Union in calling for dialogue in his contact with the Russian Federation President. 

In conclusion, we again lament the treatment of Africans trying to flee the conflict area and reject the racist and xenophobic treatment at the borders of Ukraine. Black Lives Matter – we all have the same right to safe passage out of conflict zones no matter what we look like. 

I thank you. 

AGENDA ITEM 4: VERIFICATION AND MONITORING IN THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN IN LIGHT OF UN SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION 223 (2015) 

Mr Chairperson 

We thank the Director General for the report and for keeping the Board updated about developments in Iran regarding its nuclear related commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). 

South Africa is also grateful for your personal efforts as well as those of your team, to continue direct engagement with the Iranian authorities to ensure that the Agency sustains its continuity of knowledge in light of the steps taken by Iran to suspend the transparency measures of the JCPOA. My delegation especially welcomes the agreement reached to reinstall monitoring equipment at the Karaj centrifuge facilities as well as the fact that the IAEA was able to move this equipment to Esfahan, upon the move of the facility. These steps are signs of good will and intention to continue and strengthen cooperation in light of the imminent deal towards the restoration of the JCPOA. 

Mr Chairperson 

South Africa is disappointed that we are not yet in a position to welcome the conclusion of the nearly year-long discussions on the full reinstatement of the JCPOA. In our view these talks have taken too long especially because Iran’s breaches of its nuclear related commitments have continued unabated. We are especially concerned about the huge stockpile of uranium that has been accumulated as well as the fact that the stockpile contains material enriched up to 20% and 60%. 

There is no doubt that Iran’s nuclear programme has increased substantial in size since the unilateral withdrawal of the United States in 2018, making regional and the global stability more fragile. We do however, welcome the current US Administration’s commitment to stay the course and to engage in good faith in negotiations to pave the way for its return to the JCPOA. 

Mr Chairperson 

My delegation is acutely aware of the hard work that lies ahead for the IAEA when a deal is reached to undertake verification of Iran’s accounting and control of its entire stockpile, the level of enrichment and type of material of the stockpile, the number of centrifuges it has developed and all other material and facilities related to the nuclear fuel cycle. Major steps are required for Iran to return to the limitations of the JCPOA. Equally daunting will be the task to verify the uplifting of the far reaching United States illegal maximum pressure campaign and to return the balance of economic benefit of the deal. South Africa wants to reiterate its strong support to all sides in their endeavours to not only finalise the deal, but to also prepare for the re-implementation of the deal. 

As we meet here today, the global peace, stability and security is in a far worse state than it was a mere three months ago. The finalisation of the JCPOA, is desperately needed to not only stabilise the Middle East region, but also as a sign of hope that dialogue and engagement is far better than the alternative. No matter how long it takes or how many stumbling blocks are in the way, dialogue and diplomacy always triumph. 

No one can ever tell a South African, that dialogue and negotiated settlements are hopeless.  We therefore call on the parties to stay engaged and to push for the finalisation of the agreement to return the JCPOA to its rightful place as a key instrument in global non-proliferation and disarmament. 

With these remarks South Africa takes note of the reports by the Director General on this important topic. 

I thank you.