FIRST COMMITTEE TO BEGIN DISARMAMENT AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY DEBATE ON MONDAY, 14 OCTOBER

10 October 1996

Press Release
GA/DIS/3051

FIRST COMMITTEE TO BEGIN DISARMAMENT AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY DEBATE ON MONDAY, 14 OCTOBER

19961010 Background Release The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) meets on 14 October to begin its general debate on a wide range of disarmament items. During the current session, it is expected to address such issues as nuclear and conventional disarmament, control of fissile materials for weapons purposes, the problem of land-mines, and international traffic in small arms.

The Committee's work begins this year against the background of the General Assembly's adoption, on 10 September, of the Comprehensive Nuclear- Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), aimed at ending more than five decades of nuclear-test explosions. Citing the action as an historic event, the Secretary-General has pointed to it as a sign of the international political consensus in favour of permanently ending nuclear-weapon testing.

"The adoption of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty marks over a quarter of a century of concerted effort by the international community", the Secretary-General says in his annual report on the work of the Organization. "It has powerful symbolic value for concrete commitment by both the nuclear- weapon and the non-nuclear-weapon States towards achieving the ultimate goal of a totally denuclearized world."

Primary responsibility for fulfilling the Treaty's goals of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation rests with the nuclear-weapon States, the Secretary-General says in his report (document A/51/1). He calls on those Powers to pursue further negotiations towards achievement of a nuclear-weapon- free world by further reducing their arsenals and their reliance on such weapons for security.

The Treaty was adopted by the Assembly by a vote of 158 in favour to 3 against (Bhutan, India and Libya), with 5 abstentions (Cuba, Lebanon, Mauritius, Syria and the United Republic of Tanzania). The text had been presented to the Assembly by Australia as a draft resolution, when the Conference on Disarmament was unable to reach consensus on it after two-and-a-half years of intensive negotiations.

"The race for nuclear arms is clearly in a downward spiral", the Secretary-General says in his annual report. "Nevertheless, stockpiles containing thousands of nuclear weapons still exist. In addition, vast stocks

of weapons-grade fissile material still pose great risks to the world's people and environment." An agreement this year among the leading Powers to better control, manage and secure the stockpiles of nuclear weapons and weapons-grade material was a step in the right direction, he says.

Also imminent as the Committee begins its work is the expected entry into force of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction (Chemical Weapons Convention). Opened for signature in January 1993, it is now one short of the 65 signatures needed to enter into force -- an event which the Secretary-General, in his report, describes as "overdue".

The Committee will also be considering efforts to curb the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. In his annual report, the Secretary-General says there has been an upsurge in innovative approaches to the problem of such "micro-disarmament". He describes such weapons, including land-mines, as today's instruments of choice in conflicts within States, as well as in civil strife, insurgencies and rebellions.

The problem of concealed minefields, which continue to pose a lethal threat to civilian populations, will also come under review. In his annual report, the Secretary-General expresses disappointment at the results of the Review Conference of the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects (Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons), which fell short of establishing conditions for a total ban.

Nevertheless, the convening of the Review Conference in September 1995 did generate a flurry of unilateral, regional and global activity, he states in a report on anti-personnel land-mines (document A/51/313). As of 28 June 1996, 54 States had declared their support for a global ban, while many had declared unilateral moratoriums on the production, export and use of such weapons. Calls for a total ban were also issued by a number of regional bodies. Further, the Review Conference was followed by an international conference last month in Ottawa, intended as a strategy session on measures to facilitate a total ban.

The Secretary-General also draws attention to the adoption, by the Review Conference, of a Protocol banning the use and transfer of anti- personnel blinding laser weapons. "To its credit, the new instrument has outlawed a weapon before its deployment", he says.

In view of the increasingly destabilizing effects of conventional arms, the Committee will again focus on promoting transparency in arms transfers. To that end, it will examine ways to achieve full participation in the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms. Established in 1992, the Register

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contains information on the transfer of major weapons systems -- including battle tanks, armoured vehicles, artillery systems, attack helicopters, combat aircraft, warships, missiles and launchers -- and their most important suppliers and recipients.

The Committee will also resume its consideration of the proposal to convene a fourth special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament. A decision on the timing and format of such a session is still pending.

Report of Conference on Disarmament

The Committee will have before it the annual report of the Conference on Disarmament (document A/51/27), which concluded its 1996 session two days after the General Assembly's adoption of the CTBT. The text adopted by the Assembly was identical to the version on which the Conference had been unable to reach consensus. In addition to its work on the CTBT, the Conference continued its consideration of such issues as security assurances for non- nuclear-weapon States, preventing an arms race in outer space, and transparency in armaments.

The Conference on Disarmament is the sole international negotiating body on disarmament. Over the years, it has produced a number of important disarmament agreements. Those include: the 1963 Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and Under Water (partial test- ban Treaty); and the 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (Non-Proliferation Treaty).

Other instruments negotiated by the Conference include: the 1971 Treaty on the Prohibition of the Emplacement of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction on the Sea-Bed and the Ocean Floor and in the Subsoil Thereof (Seabed Treaty); the 1972 Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction (Biological Weapons Convention); and the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Report of Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters

In his report on the 1996 session of the Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters (document A/51/352), the Secretary-General highlights four issues that were of particular concern to the Board: the CTBT; the strengthened review process for the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT); micro-disarmament and anti- personnel land-mines; and the proposed fourth special session of the General Assembly on disarmament.

In July, when it was clear that the Conference on Disarmament would be unable to adopt its draft CTBT, the Secretary-General told the Board that

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"nothing should deter the adoption of the treaty this year", as desired by the General Assembly. It was a view shared by most Board members. On the NPT Review Conference, to be held in the year 2000, most agreed that the success of the first session of the preparatory committee in April 1997 would depend heavily on achievement of the CTBT. It was generally felt that preparations for that meeting should begin as soon as possible.

The Secretary-General also spoke to the Board on the question of micro- disarmament and anti-personnel land-mines. Referring to small arms and light weapons, he said, "Abundant and cheap, they are killing people by the thousands ... Mortars and portable anti-aircraft missiles are common. The anti-personnel land-mine, a durable and silent killer, is always present ... This is the new landscape of war."

With respect to the proposed special session on disarmament, some members of the Board expressed concern that it would involve an unproductive attempt to revise the Final Document of the first special session. Many members felt a fourth session could aim at stepping into the next millennium by focusing more broadly on security, peace and disarmament. Nevertheless, it was considered premature for the Board to advise on the appropriate time for convening the session, which should be determined within the preparatory process. Members generally agreed that the session should address both nuclear and conventional disarmament.

The Board welcomed a report on positive developments regarding the security situation in Mali. It supported the United Nations peace-building efforts in West Africa and welcomed the convening in June of the first session of the Panel of Governmental Experts on Small Arms. While welcoming the adoption of revised Protocol II on anti-personnel land-mines by the parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, members shared the Secretary- General's distress that they had been unable to agree on a total ban. The Board encouraged him to use the Convention's annual review process to promote such a ban.

Report of Disarmament Commission

The Committee will have before it the annual report of the Disarmament Commission (document A/51/42). During its 1996 session, the Commission adopted a set of draft guidelines for international arms transfers, focusing primarily on the question of illicit trafficking. The guidelines are designed to provide and promote the implementation of a set of principles for the conduct of States in the realm of micro-disarmament. They also offer proposals aimed at promoting self-restraint, without affecting the legitimate right of States to self-defence.

The Commission also addressed issues relating to the proposed special session on disarmament. It proved unable to reach consensus on whether to

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discuss the question of guidelines for the establishment of nuclear-weapon- free zones. Also before the Committee will be a note by the Secretary-General transmitting all of the texts, principles, guidelines and substantive recommendations adopted unanimously by the Commission since its creation in 1978 (document A/51/182).

The Disarmament Commission was established by the General Assembly as a deliberative body with universal membership, with a mandate to make recommendations on disarmament issues. Over the years, it has developed a number of confidence- and security-building measures, including the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms. It has also promulgated guidelines and recommendations regarding objective information on military matters, and regional approaches to disarmament.

Regional Disarmament Efforts

"Regional efforts have borne fruit during the past year", the Secretary- General told the Advisory Board on 1 July. "My own continent of Africa is now a nuclear-weapon-free zone. The nations of South-East Asia have reached a similar agreement. The entire hemisphere of the South is now nuclear-weapon free. There is increased hope that these positive examples will encourage other regions to follow suit -- I speak especially of the Middle East -- in order to reach a nuclear free world."

In his annual report, the Secretary-General draws attention to regional achievements in the nuclear sphere over the past year. The signing of the South-East Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty and the African Nuclear- Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (Pelindaba Treaty) created the world's third and fourth such zones. Also noted was the signing last year of the Protocols to the Treaty of Rarotonga by France, the United Kingdom and the United States. "With Antarctica included, the entire southern hemisphere is now nuclear free", he states.

The two earlier nuclear-weapon-free zones were established by the 1986 South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Rarotonga) and the 1967 Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (Treaty of Tlatelolco).

In a report on establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East (document A/51/286), the Secretary-General urges all concerned parties to tackle the matter with renewed determination. The resumption of discussions would help build confidence and facilitate the peace process. It was regrettable that the views of the main parties in the region had not evolved, particularly with respect to the sequence of events to establish such a zone. He also expresses concern at the apparent impasse within the Working Group on Arms Control and Regional Security, established in the framework of the Middle East peace process.

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Annexed to the Secretary-General's report are replies from Iraq, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Syria. Also before the Committee is his report on the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in South Asia (document A/51/176), which contains a reply received from the European Union and supported by Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Cyprus and Malta.

The Committee will also be discussing consolidation of the regime established by the Treaty of Tlatelolco, as well as the final text of the Pelindaba Treaty. In addition, it will consider the report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Indian Ocean (document A/51/29), which states that the major maritime users of the Ocean have maintained their long-standing resistance to efforts to establish it as a zone of peace.

Other regional items include the United Nations Regional Centres for Peace and Disarmament in Africa and in Asia and the Pacific, as well as the Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Committee will also consider the Secretary-General's report on strengthening security and cooperation in the Mediterranean region (document A/51/230), which contains replies from Ecuador, Italy (for the European Union), Qatar and the Russian Federation.

A report of the Secretary-General on regional confidence-building measures (document A/51/287) states that the activities in 1996 of the Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa had demonstrated that it was an instrument of much promise in efforts to end the scourge of violence and destruction in one of Africa's most unstable regions. He urges Member States and the international community as a whole to contribute generously to the United Nations Trust Fund set up to enable the Advisory Committee to implement its work programme.

The Standing Committee's first meeting at the level of heads of State and government and the ensuing Declaration had been a milestone in the quest for lasting peace and security in that turbulent region, according to the Secretary-General. "By their signature of the Non-Aggression Pact, the reaffirmation of their commitment to disarmament and their decision to pursue the creation of a subregional early-warning mechanism, the heads of State and government have laid a strong foundation for a more promising future for Central Africa", he states.

Other Reports, Replies from Governments

A report by the Secretary-General on military expenditures in standardized form reported by States (document A/51/209) contains replies received from 28 States. Another, on objective information in military matters, including transparency of military expenditures (document A/51/179), contains a reply received from Italy on behalf of the European Union, with the

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support of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic, Cyprus and Malta.

A note by the Secretary-General concerning nuclear tests (document A/51/279), transmits information provided by Australia on nuclear explosions it detected during 1995. Another note concerns the relationship between disarmament and development (document A/51/207). The Committee will also consider the activities of the United Nations Disarmament Fellowship, Training and Advisory Services.

Other reports before the Committee concern the United Nations Disarmament Information Programme (document A/51/219), and transparency in armaments (document A/51/300). A report on measures to curb the illicit transfer and use of conventional arms (document A/51/181) contains information received by the Secretary-General from Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Germany, Namibia, Poland and Saudi Arabia.

A report on the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (document A/51/254) provides an update on States which have recently become party to the Convention or its Protocols. The Committee is also expected to have before it a report on an Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legality of the threat or use of nuclear weapons (document A/51/218), as well as a note on the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) (document A/51/364).

The Committee will also consider such issues as the dumping of radioactive wastes, conventional arms control at the regional and subregional levels, and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery vehicles. It will address the situation in Antarctica, the role of science and technology in international security, preventing an arms race in outer space, observance of environmental norms in arms control and disarmament agreements, and implementation of the Declaration on the Strengthening of International Security.

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