1st Mar 2006, 3:46 PM – Senate Motions - Nuclear Nonproliferation - Iran

The majority voted against a motion introduced by Australian Democrats Senator Lyn Allison, which means it was rejected.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes:

(i) the current speculation about Iran’s capabilities and intentions with regard to its possible development of nuclear weapons,

(ii) with deep concern, the threat of military action being considered against Iran, including the possible use of tactical nuclear weapons, and

(iii) successive resolutions in the United Nations General Assembly on negative security assurances and guarantees from the nuclear weapon states that nuclear weapons will never be used against non-nuclear armed states, and the importance of that principle in ensuring that non-nuclear weapon states have no motive to acquire nuclear weapons;

(b) urges the Government to pursue a resolution of the Iranian crisis based on the following principles:

(i) no use of any military intervention whatsoever by any party, for any reason,

(ii) a clear commitment by all nuclear-armed parties not to use nuclear weapons in this situation, and to recommit to the doctrine of no ‘first use’ of nuclear weapons,

(iii) a clear commitment by all parties to the global elimination of nuclear weapons, including reaffirmation of the Final Declaration of the 2000 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review conference, and relevant UN General Assembly resolutions, including the L28 resolution sponsored by Japan and Australia,

(iv) the implementation of the 1995 Non-Proliferation Treaty Resolution on a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East, implementation of the annual consensus-adopted UN General Assembly resolutions on the ‘Establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the region of the Middle East’,

(v) a diplomatic path to the removal of tensions between the United States of America, Israel and Iran, involving compromise on all sides (except where the development or threat of nuclear weapons is concerned), recognising the legitimate security concerns of all parties including Israel and Iran, and refraining absolutely from inflammatory statements, and

(vi) encouragement of all states parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to remain within that framework and all non-states parties to join that regime; and

(c) conveys the text of this resolution to all UN Security Council missions and their foreign ministers or secretaries of state, and the Governments of Iran and Israel.