Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Thank you Madam President. We thank Permanent Representative of Spain as the Chair of 1737 Committee for his briefing. New Zealand commends the work that you, the 1737 Committee and its Panel of Experts have done in maintaining oversight of this complex sanctions regime.
Today’s briefing is somewhat overshadowed by an air of expectation around P5+1 negotiations with Iran in pursuit of a comprehensive agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme.
New Zealand acknowledges the efforts of the parties to the negotiations.
We reiterate our support for this process and hope that negotiations will be concluded in keeping with the original intent.
We appreciate that the negotiations are sensitive for the key parties involved, but trust that these sensitivities will not stand in the way of a comprehensive outcome.
Be that as it may, today, sanctions remain in place. They place obligations on UN member states and as such the work of this committee remains extant.
While we welcome the prospect of an agreement, until such time as one is reached, this committee must continue to monitor and improve the enforcement of existing sanctions just as the Panel of Experts must continue to investigate violations and clarify obligations to member states.
Finally, we encourage all parties involved in negotiations to sustain the commitment and the political will required for a positive, peaceful and lasting solution.