Vice-President of the Dominican Republic meets with Executive Secretary

H.E. Rafael Alburquerque, Vice-President of the Dominican Republic, paid a courtesy visit to Mr. Tibor Tóth, Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). He was accompanied by Ambassador Ramón Quiñones, Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic to the International Organizations in Vienna and Ambassador Julio Ortega Tous, Executive Secretary of the National Commission of Commercial Negotiations. Mr. Alburquerque led the Dominican Republic's delegation to the fourth Summit of Heads of States and Governments of the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean, which took place in Vienna, Austria, on 12 May 2006. The Executive Secretary provided an overview of the status of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the work of the Commission in establishing the verification regime. He underlined the democratic nature of the CTBT verification regime and stressed that International Monitoring System facilities were assets to their host countries. The Executive Secretary offered support to the Dominican Republic in capacity building and establishing a National Data Centre. Mr. Alburquerque and the Executive Secretary also discussed the potential application of data and products for civil and scientific purposes, such as tsunami warning. The Executive Secretary presented the status of ratification of the Treaty, including in the Latin American and Caribbean region, and encouraged the Dominican Republic to ratify. The Dominican Republic signed the CTBT on 3 October 1996. Mr. Alburquerque expressed his country's commitment to nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. The Dominican Republic had signed and adheres to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Tlatelolco Treaty. It had also concluded a safeguard agreement with the IAEA. Mr. Alburquerque and the Executive Secretary discussed prospects for the Dominican Republic's ratification of the CTBT later this year.