AG/RES. 1499 (XXVII-O/97)
CONSOLIDATION OF THE REGIME ESTABLISHED IN THE TREATY FOR
THE PROHIBITION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN LATIN AMERICA
AND THE CARIBBEAN
(Adopted at the seventh plenary session, held on June 5, 1997)
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,
RECALLING resolution AG/RES. 1414 (XXVI-O/96) on the importance of achieving full consolidation of the regime established in the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (Treaty of Tlatelolco), within the framework of cooperation for security in the Hemisphere and regional contributions to global security;
RECOGNIZING:
That the creation of nuclear-weapon-free zones is an important step toward disarmament, which significantly strengthens all aspects of the international nonproliferation regime;
That the Treaty of Tlatelolco is a momentous contribution to international law and to the ceaseless efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons and guarantee international peace and security; and
That the Treaty of Tlatelolco has become the model for the establishment of other nuclear- weapon-free zones in various regions of the world, such as the South Pacific (Treaty of Rarotonga), Southeast Asia (Treaty of Bangkok), and Africa (Treaty of Pelindaba), which, when they enter into force, will cover more than half the countries of the world and all of the Southern Hemisphere;
POINTING TO the success of the pioneering effort made by the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean to achieve the first populated nuclear-weapon-free zone, an undertaking which involves all nuclear-weapon states and the countries in the Hemisphere and elsewhere that, de jure or de facto, bear international responsibility for territories located within the Treaty's zone of application;
BEARING IN MIND:
That the Eleventh Special General Conference of the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL) was held on February 14, 1997, to mark the 30th anniversary of the opening for signature of the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (Treaty of Tlatelolco); and
That, on January 29, 1997, the Permanent Council approved resolution CP/RES. 693 (1101/97), commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Treaty of Tlatelolco; and
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that the Treaty of Tlatelolco is now in force for 32 sovereign states of the region,
RESOLVES: