Statement ofDr. József Rónaky
Director General of the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority,at the 49th General Conference of the IAEA
Mr. President,
Allow me at the outset to congratulate you upon your election to the responsible post of the President of the 49th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency and assure you of the full support and cooperation of the Hungarian delegation.
I take this opportunity to welcome the distinguished representatives of Belize, our new Member State.
Hungary associates herself fully with the statement delivered earlier by the United Kingdom on behalf of the European Union.
Hungary is seriously concerned about the alarming proliferation trends, which have put the multilateral nuclear nonproliferation regime to serious test. The compliance challenges of the recent years threaten the integrity of the NPT as the cornerstone of this regime. Our national efforts and those made together with our partners in the framework of the EU Strategy Against the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, are aimed at upholding the authority of this Treaty. Hungary deeply regrets that the 2005 Review Conference has failed to adopt a substantive Final Document setting out measures to meet the new challenges.
Against the background of intense international concerns about nuclear weapons proliferation Hungary attributes great importance to the strengthening of the IAEA safeguards system. During our service at the Board of Governors for the last two years we have advocated the need to equip the Agency with new tools enabling it to carry out its verification activities more effectively. We do believe that the Additional Protocol represents the current verification standard and we are ready to promote its universalization.
The adoption of the modified Small Quantities Protocol (SQP) paves the way for the elimination of a major weakness of the IAEA safeguards system. Hungary is also ready to actively contribute to the success of other initiatives, including the creation of a Committee on Safeguards and Verification. We look forward to working together with our partners in this body.
Hungary welcomes the IAEA’s widening implementation of the integrated safeguards. We were among the first countries with major nuclear industries to start the application of the new system. In our case it was officially introduced on 15 November 2004. Hungary is the first Member State of the EU where the new inspection regime entered into force. We shared our experience in this field with experts from 12 EU Member States during a three day workshop in Budapest, organized by the Agency and the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority.
Hungary welcomes the Joint Statement issued at the end of the fourth round of the Six-Party Talks, in which the DPRK committed itself to abandon all nuclear weapon programs. This represents a major positive development in the years-long pursuit of the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. We hope that all parties will expeditiously proceed to the implementation of their commitments under the recent agreement.
Hungary expresses serious concern that Iran’s policy of concealment over an extended period has resulted in non-compliance with its obligations with its NPT Safeguards Agreement. Hungary strongly supports the steps envisaged in the recently adopted resolution of the Board of Governors as contained in document GOV/2005/77. We believe that this resolution will facilitate further diplomatic efforts to reestablish international confidence in the peaceful character of Iran’s nuclear program. We call on Iran to abide by this and all previous resolutions of the Board, to revert its decision to resume uranium conversion and to return to the negotiations with the EU/E3 in the context of the framework established by the Paris Agreement.
In the aftermath of terrorist attacks in different regions of the world, physical protection of nuclear material and nuclear facilities has become a high priority. The Agency has played an important role in coordinating international efforts in this field and helping Member States to meet the highest standards of physical protection.
The successful Conference to consider and adopt proposed amendments to the Convention on the Physical Protection of nuclear material can be regarded as the result of the consequent, many-years-long work of the IAEA. We not only welcomed but strongly supported the Austrian initiatives which made it possible to convene the Conference in proper time. Hungary welcomes the amendments of the Convention which have been adopted by consensus, and which can serve as means to establish a more stringent international regime of the physical protection of nuclear material.
The International Conference on Nuclear Security held in London noted that nuclear terrorism is one of the greatest threats to society and recognized that the IAEA has a leading role in the global efforts to improve the global nuclear security framework and to promote its implementation. On our part we are ready to strengthen further our national system in order to actively contribute to global efforts. An important step to strengthen the global legal framework to counter terrorist threat was the adoption of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism by the United Nations General Assembly in this April. I am proud to announce that Hungary has recently signed it.
The Agency should be commended also for the organization of the International Conference on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources held in Bordeaux. In my view it was a great step towards improving overall understanding of the risks posed by radioactive sources in case of malevolent use and it will also help us to be prepared against that threat.
The international Ministerial Conference on “Nuclear power for the 21st century” addressed very important issues which are of great importance for my country. In our understanding one of the main messages of the conference was that without nuclear energy we are much less likely to be able to affordably meet the world’s growing demand for electricity. It applies to Hungary, as well. The security of energy supply in my country, Mr. President, cannot be maintained without nuclear power. This fact is not contested in my country. The reality is that today Hungary depends upon safe and reliable electricity from our NPP. Fortunately, public acceptance of nuclear power is at high level but we are well aware that it is not unconditional. Public acceptance has to go on being earned.
Operational safety is of course the alpha and omega of nuclear power plants. Not long ago we had a reminder that neither licensee nor regulator can afford to take safety for granted. Both at the Paks NPP and at the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority we have made a number of changes with a view to enhancing the safety of the plant and improving safety culture. The 2003 IAEA Expert Mission recommendations were the major driving force to this. Organisational changes took place both at the NPP and the HAEA based on thorough evaluation and self-assessment. Changes have taken place in the legal environment including the revision of the Nuclear Safety Codes and the related Guides. We have made every effort to eliminate the consequences of the fuel cleaning incident at the plant in 2003. In the framework of that activity the preparation of license in principle request by the NPP and its evaluation by the HAEA were the major tasks for Hungary. The license was granted with some 50 conditions and requirements.
The results of the above measures have been acknowledged by the third Review meeting of the Nuclear Safety Convention, and by the very successful IAEA Follow-up Expert Mission conducted this year. The expert team determined that the actions taken by Paks and HAEA have resulted in tangible progress and concluded that all issues were either fully resolved or progressing satisfactorily. My Government is very grateful to the Agency for all the support given to us in this regard. We are very pleased by these achievements but at the same time we are well aware that it is not a reason for complacency of any kind.
We share the view of the Director General of the IAEA expressed during the Paris conference that not only nuclear safety is an extremely important factor in addressing key concerns related to nuclear power but waste disposal has also been and remained a major issue. As the Hungarian Government expressed its readiness to provide the necessary political support for ensuring the long term operation of the plant this issue should be dealt with in Hungary as well. The disposal of low and intermediate level waste from the Paks Nuclear Power Plant arrived to a major milestone following a very successful referendum at the proposed site. The Parliament’s preliminary approval in principle is also required to initiate activities for preparing the establishment of a new radioactive waste disposal facility. The Hungarian Parliament is expected to take this decision at its autumn session, based on the request of the Government.
We are going to give a more detailed report on our achievements in this field in the Second Review Meeting of the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management due in May 2006. To this end we would like to express our sincere hope that the efforts of the IAEA and the Parties of the Convention will bear fruits and we can welcome new countries with wide experience in this field at the next review meeting.
Technical Cooperation is one of the three pillars of the activities of the Agency. In Europe the TC was greatly enhanced by regular consultation meetings organized by the Agency. This spirit of partnership, participation and strong personal relationships between Member States and the Secretariat is the backbone of the successful regional technical cooperation in Europe. It is worth mentioning when the TC Department is undergoing a reorganization which was announced during the last TACC meeting. We strongly supported the streamlining of the TC activities of the Agency also underlining the importance of stability and the preservation of the past values. Now we cannot but note that the restructuring and the reorganization of the TC Department still has not reached the implementation phase. We would also welcome more information on the status of that process.
Mr. President we are convinced that in our region, the TC activities should focus mainly on regional cooperation because national TC programs will be gradually phased out. Regional cooperation does not only promote self-reliance and sustainability of nuclear institutions but also encourages mutual assistance to each other. As an example may I refer to the recent Hungarian offer of 50 000 USD to the national programs of two countries in the region.
I am also pleased to announce that my Government has decided to pledge its voluntary contribution to the Agency’s Technical Assistance and Cooperation Fund for 2006 in an amount corresponding to our share of target. Bearing in mind the importance of the Agency’s Technical Assistance program and its timely implementation we urge all member States to pay their share in full and on time.
In conclusion I would like to express our deep appreciation for the excellent and dedicated work of the Director General of the Agency, Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei. Under his able leadership the IAEA has achieved unquestionable results in strengthening international cooperation aimed at ensuring that nuclear energy be used only for peaceful purposes and serve the well-being of mankind. The Hungarian delegation wholeheartedly supports his reappointment. We wish him success in the years ahead and offer our cooperation in discharging his duties.
Thank you, Mr. President.