HUNGARY URGES THAT ISSUE OF NUCLEAR-FREE ZONES BE INCLUDED ON FUTURE AGENDAS OF DISARMAMENT COMMISSION

30 April 1996

Press Release
DC/2553

HUNGARY URGES THAT ISSUE OF NUCLEAR-FREE ZONES BE INCLUDED ON FUTURE AGENDAS OF DISARMAMENT COMMISSION

19960430 Commission Hears Reports of Working Groups On Arms Transfers, Special Assembly Session on Disarmament

The Disarmament Commission was a valuable component of the multilateral disarmament machinery and should continue to serve as a useful "think tank" of the United Nations, according to Deputy State Secretary Andre Erdos of Hungary.

Addressing the Commission this morning, Mr. Erdos expressed deep regret that, in spite of the wish of the overwhelming majority of members, the Commission could not reach a consensus on one of the originally envisaged items for its agendas. He was convinced that the initiative regarding nuclear-free zones was constructive and forward-looking, and that the issue should be included in future agendas.

The Commission also heard progress reports from the Chairmen of its two working groups. Cheorghe Chirila (Romania), reporting on working group I on international arms transfers, said that most of the Chairman's paper from 1995 on guidelines and principles had been reviewed, and considerable progress on structure, definitions and the overall text had been achieved. He expressed hope that consensus could be reached on a text by the end of the session.

Luvsangiin Erdenechuluun (Mongolia), reporting on working group II on the proposed fourth special session of the Assembly on disarmament, said that a productive general exchange of views had led to the tabling of specific proposals, including one by Indonesia on behalf of the countries of the Non- Aligned Movement.

In addition, the Commission Secretary announced the tentative dates for the 1997 substantive session, as proposed by the Conference Services -- 14 April to 12 May 1997. It was suggested that members might wish to endorse those dates for planning purposes, although the exact schedule would be decided by the Commission at its organizational session in December.

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In the subsequent discussion, the representative of the United Kingdom asked for more time to reflect on the proposed dates because there were important meetings that needed to be fit in, including the Treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Commission. The representative of Egypt, welcoming an early schedule for next year to avoid a repetition of this year's debates, cautioned that overlap between the NPT meeting and the Commission session should be kept in mind.

The representative of Iran said, in support of the proposed dates for next year, that he attached great importance to the Disarmament Commission and to its substantive session, and was of the view that meetings on the NPT or any other disarmament issue should not disturb the date of the substantive session of the Commission.

The Commission is next scheduled to meet at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, 7 May at 11 a.m. to consider and adopt its report.

Commission Work Programme

The Disarmament Commission met this morning to receive progress reports of its two working groups -- working group I on international arms transfers, with particular reference to General Assembly resolution 46/36 of 6 December 1991, chaired by Gheorghe Chirila (Romania); and working group II for the exchange of views on the proposed fourth special session of the Assembly devoted to disarmament, chaired by Luvsangiin Erdenechuluun (Mongolia).

Work on the arms transfer issue is in particular response to Assembly resolution 46/36 H of 6 December 1991, which called upon States to give high priority to eradicating illicit trade in weapons and military equipment. The resolution stated that three stages in the arms trade should be the focus of controls: the acquisition of arms by unauthorized persons; their export; and their delivery. The resolution suggested that measures be considered to prevent arms transfers to non-governmental bodies, rather than deal with the issue of government-to-government transfer.

In its 1995 session, the Commission reached consensus on the scope and structure of guidelines and principles for international arms transfers. The Assembly, at its 1995 session, through its First Committee (Disarmament), requested the Commission to expedite its consideration of the item on international arms transfers, with special emphasis on the adverse effects of the illicit transfer of arms and ammunition. It also requested the Commission to study and report on measures to curb the illicit transfer and use of conventional arms, bearing in mind concrete problems in various regions of the world.

Statements

GHEORGHE CHIRILA (Romania), reporting on working group I on international arms transfers, said the initial meetings had been characterized by a spirit of cooperation. The group had reviewed nearly 80 per cent of the Chairman's text on guidelines and principles from the 1995 session. Many brackets had been removed in the text and substantial consolidation had taken place in its structure. Considerable technical work had been done as well -- reorganizing portions of the text.

He expressed hope that progress in the political work could accompany that achieved in the technical area. Definitions, for example, of cooperation among States had been developed and could achieve consensus. Such terms as "illicit transfer of arms" had generally been agreed upon. There had been considerable discussion of illicit trafficking in arms and international arms transfers. Now it was necessary to turn over the text to the Assembly for the political work. Efforts were leading towards completion of the reading of the

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entire text in the next day or two. The current session was the last one devoted to the item, and it was hoped that a consensus text would emerge.

LUVSANGIIN ERDENECHULUUN (Mongolia), reporting on working group II on the proposed fourth special session of the Assembly on disarmament, said there had been a useful exchange of views on the matter which had then moved into a more substantive discussion. Specific proposals had been put forward, including one tabled by Indonesia on behalf of the States of the Non-Aligned Movement. He expressed gratitude for the continuing spirit of cooperation in the working group thus far.

ANDRE ERDOS, Deputy State Secretary, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Hungary, said the Disarmament Commission had been a valuable component of the multilateral disarmament machinery and should continue to serve as a useful "think tank" of the United Nations. He deeply regretted that, in spite of the wish of the overwhelming majority of members, the Commission could not reach a consensus on one of the originally envisaged items for its agendas. He was convinced that the initiative regarding nuclear-free zones was constructive and forward-looking and should be included in future agendas.

He said that the regional approach, such as the one towards creation of nuclear-weapon-free zones, had a role to play. Such an approach could have a beneficial effect on other fields of disarmament activity. Global and regional approaches complemented each other in the nuclear context, and should be carried out in parallel. Efforts should be targeted at achievable and practical results without creating situations where some issues became hostages of others, to the detriment of the whole process.

There had been several examples of progress in the area of disarmament since the end of the cold war, he said. Two major nuclear weapon States had reached agreements on several significant bilateral treaties. The establishment of new nuclear-free regimes were among the latest positive developments on a regional scale. The indefinite extension of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons provided a major legal instrument and a basic guarantee benefiting the entire international community. Despite all that progress, international peace and security had not found a safe and satisfying berth.

Long-standing bipolar nuclear confrontation had been replaced by mostly regional, subregional and intra-State conflicts, he said. Further progress was needed without undue delay. Major successes would be achieved through a series of realistic, well-defined, consistent and target-oriented steps. In that context, a new special disarmament session of the General Assembly could be useful. Before making any decisions on timing, thorough preparatory work and clear prospects were needed.

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Illicit arms transfers had become one of the largest potential dangers to international security, he said. Broader reporting to the Register of Conventional Arms would lead to greater transparency. Future joint efforts might lead to the creation of regional registers as well; the Wassenaar Arrangement might serve as a catalyst. States could take steps to improve their national legislation in the sphere of arms transfers in order to better prevent illicit transfers. He welcomed all regional disarmament efforts, such as those unfolding in the territory of the former Yugoslavia. He hoped a final document on the issue would be adopted by consensus at the end of the current session.

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