JAKARTA, July 13. /TASS/. Russia is ready to sign a protocol to the agreement for creating a nuclear-free zone in Southeast Asia, together with other permanent members of the UN Security Council, but only provided that all parties to the document meet their obligations to not develop or deploy any elements of nuclear arms, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.

Following the Russia-ASEAN meeting in Jakarta, reporters asked the top Russian diplomat to comment on a statement by the Indonesian Foreign Ministry that, during current ASEAN ministerial meetings, member countries will ask Russia and other nuclear powers to join the Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty.

"This is an old topic; the treaty was concluded a long time ago. And this is not about Russia joining the treaty; this is about a protocol to this treaty that invites nuclear states to sign this protocol, thereby providing guarantees to the parties to the treaty," he said. "We are ready to sign it along with other Security Council permanent member states with one stipulation. It literally states the following: We are providing the guarantees to all of the parties to the treaty on a nuclear-free zone in Southeast Asia on the condition that all the participants in this treaty fulfill its requirements to not possess, not develop and not deploy on their soil any elements of nuclear arms. In my opinion, these are completely obvious things," the Russian foreign minister explained.

"Because, if one of these treaty participants suddenly violates its obligations, then the issue of peremptory and unconditional guarantees acquires a somewhat different meaning. Especially since, as it turns out, these risks do exist," Lavrov added.

The top Russian diplomat highlighted the example of Australia, which is party to another nuclear-free zone treaty in the South Pacific, known as the Treaty of Rarotonga, or formally the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty. "And now, in violation of its obligations, as we see it, Australia has agreed with the Americans and British to deploy the elements of nuclear arms-related infrastructure on its soil," he added.

"In this situation, we cannot give any guarantees to a country if any of the participants in the Southeast Asian zone follows the example of Australia. And with the Americans and certain ASEAN members clearly having no compunctions about playing such games, we have grounds to believe that such plans are being nurtured," Lavrov concluded.