Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone - Introduction

All ten countries of Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, signed the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty. The Treaty is a reaffirmation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations\u27 (ASEAN) leaders\u27 determination to maintain peace and security in the region of Southeast Asia in the spirit of friendly relations and cooperation, mutual understanding and good neighborliness, as enunciated in previous declarations and communiques of ASEAN Member States. It recalls the Program of Action on the Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOPFAN) adopted at the Twenty-Sixth ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Singapore in July 1993, and the importance of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in contributing towards international peace and security. Its conclusion is consistent with the Final Document of the Tenth Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly which encourages the establishment of nuclear weapon-free zones