5. Welcomes the decisions taken by the Agency to strengthen its safeguards system

This serves neither the IAEA nor the international community, whose security interests are well served through the IAEA apos s safeguards system.

We encourage the Agency to continue its leadership as the sole competent nuclear verification authority within the framework of the Agency's safeguards system.

The Agency also continued implementing a system of confidential inquiry into maternal deaths.

The prevention of the proliferation of nuclear weapons has become more complex and the requirements of the IAEA safeguards system have increased.

My country also supports the work of the IAEA aimed at strengthening the efficiency and effectiveness of the safeguards regime.

We welcome the Agency apos s well defined programme to investigate ways and means of further strengthening the safeguards system.

We are happy to note that the Agency is in the process of developing a programme for improving the cost effectiveness of the safeguards system.

It should also be noted at this point that the Agency is in the process of acquiring a new procurement and inventory package which should replace the Reality system.

Secondly, on safeguards, we underline the Agency apos s effort to strengthen the effectiveness and improve the efficiency of the safeguards system.

We note with interest that the Agency has embarked upon a major exercise on the strengthening of the safeguards system.

Strengthening the nuclear non proliferation regime remains a top priority for both the Agency and its member States.

The Russian Federation will continue to provide assistance in the strengthening of the IAEA safeguards system, including by funding a national programme of scientific and technical support for the Agency's safeguards initiative.

The IAEA is closely linked to the Treaty, which relies on the IAEA safeguards system to monitor Parties apos compliance with its provisions.

The scope of this Convention should be expanded through additional international instruments to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the safeguards system of the Agency.

Belarus supports the Agency apos s moves to establish a comprehensive regime of civilian liability for nuclear damage.

Another issue in the activities of the Agency during this period has been the development of a strengthened safeguards regime.

The Russian Federation has contributed and will further contribute to strengthening the IAEA safeguards system by financing its national programme of scientific and technical support for the IAEA safeguards.

The Agency apos s safeguards system has proved to be an important verification tool contributing to international arms control efforts.

The United States is fully engaged with the IAEA and other IAEA members in efforts to strengthen the safeguards system further.

In particular, the follow up to the nuclear non proliferation Treaty performed through the Agency apos s safeguards system has proved that, in spite of certain drawbacks, the IAEA is irreplaceable.

Mr. Kumar (India) An important area of the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) relates to the application of safeguards, and the Agency has embarked upon a major exercise on the strengthening of the safeguards system.

Given the pivotal role of the IAEA safeguards system in ensuring an effective NPT regime, my delegation would like to reiterate its full support for the safeguards activities of the Agency, particularly its efforts to strengthen the effectiveness and efficiency of the safeguards system and to enhance its responsiveness.

Given the pivotal role of the IAEA safeguards system in ensuring an effective NPT regime, my delegation would like to reiterate its full support for the safeguards activities of the Agency, particularly its efforts to strengthen the effectiveness and efficiency of the safeguards system.

To facilitate those measures, there have been, over the past year, some initiatives aimed at strengthening the integrity of the IAEA safeguards regime.

The IAEA safeguards system should be strengthened and the additional protocol should be adopted as the new non proliferation standard.

The Group of Non Aligned States Parties to the Treaty stresses the importance of the IAEA safeguards system.

His delegation stressed that the Agency was the only competent authority capable of implementing the safeguards system and monitoring compliance with safeguards agreements.

It is therefore vital that its safeguards regime remains capable of responding to new challenges within its mandate.

The Agency apos s safeguards system, together with the Treaty on the Non Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, constitute the principal international assurance of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

Austria strongly supports the IAEA apos s efforts further to strengthen the effectiveness and efficiency of the safeguards system.

Full cooperation with the IAEA, which administers the nuclear non proliferation system on behalf of the international community, is essential.

The Agency developed the safeguards system and it helped to transfer nuclear science and technology relevant to agriculture, medicine, industry and electricity generation.

We attach great importance to the efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the area of improving its control activities and strengthening the safeguards system.

In this connection, Malaysia believes that the IAEA is the sole competent authority for nuclear verification, in the framework of the Agency's NPT safeguards system, and that all issues or problems should be resolved within the mandate of the Agency.

As regards the strengthening of the Agency's safeguards system, Pakistan stresses the need for a balanced approach between the promotional aspects and safety or security related concerns in all of the Agency's functions.

In recent years, we have clearly seen that the NPT regime with which the Agency is entrusted needs to be improved and strengthened in order to ensure that the Agency apos s tasks are seriously conducted.

The Agency's verification system has shown great resourcefulness and resiliency in dealing with many of those challenges.

IAEA safeguard measures would provide a good basis for the consideration of a future verification system for an FMCT.

A major challenge to the NPT regime and the IAEA safeguards system is the nuclear issue relating to the Democratic People apos s Republic of Korea.

In this regard, we respect and support the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency in setting a global nuclear non proliferation regime and conducting its business of verification through its well established and sophisticated safeguards system.

The IAEA safeguards system was an indispensable instrument within the NPT and must be strengthened.

The Russian Federation would continue to provide assistance to strengthen the IAEA safeguards system, including through a national programme of scientific and technical support.

We also welcome the attention being paid by the IAEA, especially of late, to strengthening safeguards and enhancing the effectiveness of the safeguards system.

In order to increase the effectiveness of the safeguards system the IAEA secretariat is now devoting its efforts to the developments and experiments of the quot 93 2 quot programme.