RACE FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT SHOULD BECOME AS RELENTLESS AS WAS NUCLEAR ARMS RACE, SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS

Press Release
GA/DIS/3052

RACE FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT SHOULD BECOME AS RELENTLESS AS WAS NUCLEAR ARMS RACE, SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS

"The race to nuclear disengagement and disarmament should become as relentless as was the nuclear arms race during the cold war", Secretary- General Boutros Boutros-Ghali told the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) this morning as it began its general debate for its current session.

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), adopted by the General Assembly last month, had added to the stockpile of political and legal instruments which could help the world ward off the threat of nuclear self- destruction that had hung over its head for more than 50 years, he said. In addition, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) had ruled that "there existed an obligation to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control", raising the issue to a new legal level.

The Secretary-General also stressed the need to address the problem of small arms, which were more difficult to control than nuclear weapons. The legal and illegal trade in conventional weapons, large and small, jeopardized gains resulting from the ending of the cold war and consumed too much of the budget of developing States, he said.

In an opening statement, Committee Chairman Alyaksandr Sychou (Belarus) announced the imminent removal of the last nuclear missile from his country. As a result, the entire territory of Central Europe, from the Baltic to the Black Sea, would be nuclear free. He said the Committee should give urgent attention to efforts aimed at banning the production of fissile material for weapons purposes. It should also focus on such issues as anti-personnel land- mines and problems connected to the trade in conventional arms.

A number of speakers this morning heralded adoption of the CTBT as a landmark achievement. The representative of Malaysia said it lacked a clear time-frame for the total elimination of nuclear weapons and contained an ill- conceived and controversial provision for its entry into force. Nevertheless,

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an imperfect treaty was better than no treaty. The representative of Indonesia said the Treaty could not be considered comprehensive since it allowed the improvement of nuclear arsenals and related technologies through laboratory testing.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Mexico, Ireland (for the European Union and associated States), Poland and Argentina.

The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. tomorrow, 15 October, to continue its general debate on disarmament and security issues.

Committee Work Programme

The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) met this morning to begin its general debate on a wide range of disarmament and international security issues. During its current session, the Committee is expected to address such questions as nuclear and conventional disarmament, control of fissile materials for weapons purposes, the problem of land-mines, and the international traffic in small arms.

Other matters to be addressed by the Committee include efforts to establish nuclear-weapon-free zones in the Middle East and South Asia, as well as the question of nuclear non-proliferation and the risk of such proliferation in the Middle East. It is also expected to examine the problem of biological and conventional weapons, the role of science and technology, and conventional disarmament on a regional scale.

In examining those issues, the Committee will rely on reports from various components of the United Nations disarmament machinery, such as the Conference on Disarmament, the Disarmament Commission, and the Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters. In addition, it will have before it an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on whether the use or threatened use of nuclear weapons is permitted under any circumstances under international law.

(For additional background, see Press Release GA/DIS/3051 of 10 October.)

Address by Secretary-General

The Secretary-General said it was a great pleasure to address the Committee so soon after the successful adoption and signature of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). The Treaty -- which speaker after speaker in the General Assembly had called a landmark step towards complete nuclear disarmament -- added to the stockpile of political and legal instruments which could help the world ward off the threat of nuclear self- destruction that had hung over its head for more than 50 years. The United Nations took legitimate pride in having made that event possible.

The political and technical work of the Conference on Disarmament, which led to the draft text of the Treaty and its detailed verification protocols, had been a major accomplishment and a tribute to the unique capacity of that today. How else could such a complex, multilateral disarmament treaty attract 123 signatures and one ratification in such a short time? How else could such sophisticated arrangements for verifying compliance with its provisions have been developed?

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From the very start of the negotiations, the main objective of many non- nuclear-weapon States had been to build into the architecture of the Treaty a renewed commitment by all States, particularly the nuclear-weapon States, to a more systematic process leading to complete nuclear disarmament. Conclusion of the Treaty had increased the momentum towards that end.

The race to nuclear disengagement and disarmament should now become as relentless as was the nuclear arms race during the cold war, he said. The closing years of the twentieth century, the question should be: what were the next steps towards a secure and stable twenty-first century, without nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction? The advisory opinion issued last July by the ICJ on whether the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons was permitted under any circumstances had added a sense of urgency to the issue of nuclear disarmament.

Some aspects of the Court's opinion were controversial, he said. Nevertheless, in ruling that "there existed an obligation to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects", the Court had raised the issue to a new legal level. Its opinion captured the understanding of the obligations assumed by States parties under article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

[Article VI of the NPT states that each of the parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear-arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.]

The Secretary-General drew attention to the continued existence of huge stockpiles of nuclear weapons, the persistent possibility of nuclear accidents, terrorism and trafficking in nuclear materials, and the continuing threat of the use of chemical and biological weapons. In view of those factors, the international community could not lower its guard. In addition, tens of thousands of people were being killed each year by small arms, and land-mines were still being planted faster than they could be removed. By their very nature, small arms were more difficult to control than nuclear weapons. The legal and illegal trade in conventional weapons, large and small, jeopardized the gains resulting from the end of the cold war and consumed too much of the budgets of developing States.

Addressing the problem of illicit trafficking in nuclear materials, the Secretary-General welcomed the programme announced last April in Moscow at a summit meeting of the major developed countries. He also commended the work done under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to prevent such trafficking. Although the Conference on Disarmament had been unable to negotiate a cut-off ban of the production of fissile material for

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weapons purposes, the way was now open. Such a cut-off was a practicable, possible and logical next step in the process of nuclear disarmament and non- proliferation. The First Committee should take up that matter with a new spirit of flexibility.

As depositary of the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Secretary-General said he would like to be able to announce its full entry into force. No matter how fool-proof the chemical weapons prohibition and its verification system might be, it would not be credible without the participation of the two major Powers. He urged the Russian Federation and the United States to ratify the Convention as soon as possible. At the same time, he called upon States parties to the Biological Weapons Convention to finalize the arrangements for a verification protocol at their forthcoming Review Conference.

[Note: The full title of the Chemical Weapons Convention is: Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and of Their Destruction. The full title of the Biological Weapons Convention is: Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction.]

The Secretary-General also drew attention to the success achieved in the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones in Latin American and Caribbean region, South-East Asia, and Africa. Those accomplishments had led to a strong call in the Assembly this year for establishment of similar zones in those regions, including the Middle East and the southern hemisphere. The States concerned shall bring that noble idea to fruition.

For the sake of the men, women and children of war-ravaged countries, and for the safety and security of United Nations peace forces, the Secretary- General would continue to press for a total ban on anti-personnel land-mines, he said. The Committee's efforts to begin negotiations towards such a ban had his support.

An integrated approach to peace and development was being implemented in various regions of Africa, as part of this year's system-wide initiative for Africa, he said. United Nations assistance in the demobilization of former combatants in Mali and their reintegration into civilian life had contributed to the consolidation of peace in that country. He also welcomed the signing last June of a non-aggression pact by nearly all the States of Central Africa. Funding for further steps to reinforce confidence-building in volatile regions was needed; he appealed for additional contributions to sustain that effort.

There now seemed to be overwhelming support for the proposal to convene another special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament, he said. That session could assess the security situation in the post-cold war era and set the negotiating agenda for the years to come. Preparations for

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such a session could begin as early as next year. The international community was calling out for a clear message that the cold war was over and that cold war approaches to disarmament were now being replaced by new, more effective approaches.

Statement by Committee Chairman

ALYAKSANDR SYCHOU (Belarus), Committee Chairman, said that while the achievements of the past several years in the disarmament sphere had been impressive, much remained to be done. "Nuclear weapons remain a formidable element of the military posture of the nuclear-weapon States." The ICJ's advisory opinion would undoubtedly influence all future discussions. The pre- condition for the success of negotiations for nuclear disarmament was confidence, openness and transparency. Regional treaties had helped turn the entire southern hemisphere into a nuclear-weapon-free zone.

The last nuclear missile remaining in Belarus would be removed very shortly, he said. The entire territory of Central Europe, from the Baltic to the Black Seas, would be nuclear-weapon free. The initiative introduced by the Presidents of Belarus and Ukraine for a nuclear-weapon-free Central Europe had far-reaching global consequences.

One of the most important matters before the Committee was the urgent need to begin negotiations on banning the production of fissile materials for weapons purposes, he said. With respect to other weapons of mass destruction, he said the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological Weapons Convention, together with the CTBT, had demonstrated the collective political will needed to tackle successfully tackle the complex issues surrounding weapons of mass destruction.

It was imperative that the Chemical Weapons Convention enter into force, he said. Sixty-four countries had ratified it leaving its Convention one country short. If that ban was to become a reality, its ratification by the two major chemical-weapon Powers was of paramount importance. With regards to the Biological Weapons Convention, States parties had embarked on an ambitious project to elaborate a verification protocol. The findings of that group were now being evaluated.

An overwhelming majority of Member States were concerned with the problem of land-mines, he said. The devastation those weapons caused worldwide had attained dreadful proportions. "We are, however, only at the beginning of the road", he added. He recommended a three-track approach to the problem. There should be a moratorium on the transfer of land-mines to non-State entities and to States not bound by the Protocol to the Certain Conventional Weapons Convention, a strengthening of international cooperation in mine-clearance, and efforts to address the issue through international law, such as by strengthening the Convention on Certain Convention Weapons.

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The problem of conventional weapons had grown as a result of ethnic conflicts, an increased volume of arms transfers, and alarming trends in the illicit arms trade, he said. The establishment of the Register of Conventional Arms was a significant first step and had proven to be a highly successful confidence-building instrument. In addition, the fourth special session of the General Assembly devoted to Disarmament could be an important opportunity to review new concepts and visions following the unprecedented systemic changes in international relations in recent years.

Statements

ANTONIO DE ICAZA (Mexico) said 1996 had been a productive year for nuclear disarmament. The treaties creating nuclear-weapon-free zones in South-East Asia and Africa had joined those of the Antarctic, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the South Pacific regions, to free the southern hemisphere of nuclear weapons. The historic advisory opinion of the ICJ had declared that the threat or use of nuclear weapons would be contrary to the rules of international law as applied to armed conflicts. He regretted, however, that the Court had not developed its own arguments to their logical conclusion. Finally, a treaty banning nuclear-test explosions and any other nuclear explosion had been adopted.

Despite the shortcomings of the CTBT, it had already been signed by more than 100 States, including his own. The international community was fully conscious that it could constitute an important step towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons. It should be followed by high-priority negotiations among all States on a time-bound programme to free the world from the threat of such weapons.

The picture was not so optimistic with respect to other weapons of mass destruction, he said. Three years after being opened for signature, the Chemical Weapons Convention had been ratified by 64 States, but not by the two States which had acknowledged their possession of huge arsenals of chemical weapons. Unless the United States and the Russia Federation participated in the Convention, it would become a horizontal non-proliferation exercise, thereby losing its object and purpose. It was regrettable that preparatory work on a protocol dealing with verification of the Biological Weapons Convention had not progressed enough to allow the Committee to begin negotiations. That issue deserved to remain on the Assembly's agenda.

He stressed the urgent need for a total ban on the deployment, transfer, production and stockpiling of anti-personnel land-mines. At a recent international conference in Ottawa, Mexico and Canada had made a proposal for cooperation in the rehabilitation of those who had been the victims of anti- personnel land-mines in Central America.

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ANDREW O'ROURKE (Ireland) addressed the Committee on behalf of the European Union, as well as Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovak Republic, Cyprus, Malta, Iceland, Norway, and the European Free Trade Area countries members of the European Economic Area.

Following adoption of the CTBT, there was still a need for further systematic and progressive efforts towards nuclear disarmament and non- proliferation, he said. The Conference on Disarmament should activate its Ad Hoc Committee to negotiate an effective verifiable treaty banning the production of fissile material for weapons purposes. Early conclusion of such a cut-off treaty was an important goal agreed at the NPT Review and Extension Conference.

The Union attached priority to global nuclear arms reductions and welcomed the important steps taken or announced by the United Kingdom and France in that regard, as well as reductions expected by the United States and the Russian Federation under the Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START II). The completion by Ukraine of the withdrawal of all nuclear warheads from its territory was also applauded, as well as extension of nuclear-weapon-free zones throughout the world. The Union also welcomed the IAEA's efforts to strengthen its safeguards system.

The expected entry into force in 1997 of the Chemical Weapons Convention would be a landmark towards eliminating an entire class of weapons of mass destruction, he said. Reinforcing the Biological Weapons Convention with an effective verification regime was in the interest of all countries. Such a protocol should be adopted no later than mid-1998. All States should establish effective systems of export controls to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

The European Union had decided to combat and end the indiscriminate use and spread of anti-personnel land-mines and to contribute to solving the problems already caused by them, he said. The Union would be contributing up to 7 million European Currency Units (ECUs) through 1997 for international mine-clearance efforts supplementing over 21 million ECUs it devoted to mine- clearance in 1996. It would also implement a common moratorium on the export of all anti-personnel land-mines to all destinations. In addition, the Union would ratify the amended Protocol II on land-mines, and the new Protocol IV on binding laser weapons 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).

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He said the Union attached great importance to the Register of Conventional Arms, which enjoyed the participation of some 90 countries. However, the low level of participation in the standardized reporting on military expenditure was a matter of concern. States should ratify the "open skies" Treaty as soon as possible, as it was an important confidence- and security-building measure at the regional and subregional level.

Turning to nuclear-weapon-free zones, he said they were an important complement to the NPT and welcomed recent developments in extending such zones. With respect to efforts aimed at establishing a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East, the Committee had a responsibility to approach that difficult issue in a balanced and constructive way. Accession to the NPT by regional States, particularly in South Asia and the Middle East, would contribute to such regional efforts.

With respect to a fourth special session of the Assembly devoted to disarmament, he said consensus on its timing and broad agreement on its objectives were vital to its success. On the admission of another 23 States to the Conference on Disarmament, he stressed the importance of timely consideration of other candidates and expressed disappointment at its failure to consider the admission of the remaining candidates before the end of its 1996 session.

NUGROHO WISNUMURTI (Indonesia) said the collective goal of banning nuclear explosions for all time had been realized. In addition, member States of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other South-East Asian nations had, last December, signed the historic Treaty establishing that region as a nuclear-weapon-free zone. In addition to efforts relating to other such regional zones, the framework accord between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea had been implemented to everyone's satisfaction. The recent transfer of nuclear weapons from Belarus and Ukraine to the Russian Federation, along with their application of full-scope safeguards, had assured their non-nuclear status. Together, those advances had bolstered hopes towards the goal of a nuclear-free world.

However, there had also been a number of profoundly negative developments, including the failure to address the question of further reductions of strategic arsenals, he said. Prospects for early ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention by the two largest possessors of those weapons had receded into the background. New challenges of illicit commerce and trafficking in nuclear technology, nuclear-weapons related accidents and the frightening prospects of nuclear terrorism had begun to emerge. Meanwhile, strategic posturing by some nuclear-weapon States, increased defence budgets and new ballistic missile defence systems were some of the regrettable features of the post-cold war era.

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After two-and-a-half years of arduous negotiations, the Conference on Disarmament had concluded a ban on nuclear testing, he said. However, that treaty was flawed in its essential aspects, as it allowed the improvement of nuclear arsenals and related technologies through laboratory testing. Such a treaty could not be comprehensive. In addition, it did not address the question of nuclear disarmament, treating the CTBT as if it was an end in itself. The time had come for the Conference to negotiate a phased programme of nuclear disarmament within a time-bound framework. The CTBT should promote concerted endeavours by all States to that end.

Having signed the Treaty, Indonesia hoped it would become an effective instrument towards the goal of the total elimination of nuclear weapons, he said. Indonesia would provide six seismic stations for the monitoring of nuclear explosions. He welcomed the advisory opinion of the ICJ on the legal implications of the use of nuclear weapons. The proposed special session on disarmament should reassess the disarmament agenda, focusing on basic principles and guidelines for the limitation and elimination of nuclear arms.

EUGENIUSZ WYZNER (Poland) said that nowadays the nature of threats to international peace and security did not call for the ultimate weapon. Instead, confidence-building and cooperation recommended themselves as more credible safeguards of peace. They had already worked in one part of Europe. Poland's determination to integrate with the Euro-Atlantic economic, political and military structures -- particularly, the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) -- was motivated by its desire to help consolidate and expand that area of stability, cooperation and prosperity.

Now that the CTBT had been removed from the agenda of the Conference on Disarmament, its attention should focus on banning the production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons. Such ban would be a natural supplement to the CTBT. The Conference could also usefully reopen its work in such areas as preventing an arms race in outer space, transparency in armaments, and security assurances to non-nuclear-weapon States.

To be fully meaningful as a confidence-building instrument, the Register of Convention Arms must gain universal application, he said. Poland would co-sponsor a draft resolution to that effect. The Conference on Disarmament should also focus on the problem of land-mines. The modified Protocol II on land-mines, under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, fell far short of actual needs. Poland intended to co-sponsor a draft resolution calling for a moratorium on such weapons. Humanitarian mine-clearance activities should be entrusted to United Nations peace-keepers.

HASMY BIN AGAM (Malaysia) said his Prime Minister had already expressed Malaysia's position that the text of the CTBT was flawed and deficient in a number of respects. Not the least of those was its failure to set the Treaty in the overall context of nuclear disarmament, lack of a clear time-frame for

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the total elimination of nuclear weapons, and an ill-conceived and controversial entry-into-force provision. Nevertheless, Malaysia had supported the enabling resolution during the resumed session of the General Assembly and would sign the Treaty, since an imperfect treaty was better than no treaty.

He expressed the hope that the review process for the non-proliferation Treaty would strive to bring the few countries remaining outside the Treaty into the NPT regime, so as to ensure its much-desired universality. The nuclear-weapon States had the special role with respect to the NPT, since fulfilment of their part of the bargain would be critical in bringing about the universality of the Treaty.

He said Malaysia welcomed the ICJ's advisory opinion on the legality of the use or threatened use of nuclear weapons as an important development in the overall disarmament process. To render that opinion meaningful, the General Assembly should work to accelerate the process of nuclear disarmament. Along with other like-minded countries, Malaysia, in its determined pursuit of the goal of the total elimination of nuclear weapons, would initiate a follow- up resolution to the ICJ advisory opinion. Inspiration and encouragement should be drawn from such developments as the CTBT and the ICJ opinion. However, old and outdated security concepts, paradigms and mind-sets must be discarded. A new phase of persuading and prodding nuclear-weapon States to rethink their nuclear policy in the post-cold war era must begin.

FERNANDO ENRIQUE PETRELLA (Argentina) said that, with the adoption of the CTBT -- now signed by more than 130 States -- and the indefinite extension of the NPT, it was time for the Committee to advance in areas where there had been delays. The international community should now focus urgently on the problem of chemical weapons. The Chemical Weapons Convention must enter into force. In addition, there must be solid progress in the Conference on Disarmament in negotiations for a cut-off ban on the production of fissile materials for weapons purposes.

He said Argentina was a full-fledged member of the world's first nuclear-weapon-free zone and firmly believed in the need to consolidate other such zones. All States, and particularly the nuclear-weapon States, should continue on the path that had been charted. The recent advisory opinion of the ICJ had provided stimulating ideas; its spirit should apply to all countries. Such ideas had led his own country to rectify past conduct and take steps towards new standards in inter-State relations.

Turning to micro-disarmament, he said the international arms trade had become potentially dangerous at a time when territorial and inter-community disputes were increasing in many areas. As a member of the special hemispheric security committee of the Organization of American States (OAS), Argentina was involved in elaborating confidence-building measures. At the global level, it

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supported expansion of the Conventional Arms Register, which was one of the most effective multilateral disarmament mechanisms of recent years. The time had also come to negotiate an international treaty banning all anti-personnel land-mines, because of their destructive effects on civilian populations.

If the world was now obliged to seek new paths to peace and security, that was because the door to an era was finally being closed, he said. That was an era in which the possibility of nuclear holocaust had conditioned the behaviour of everyone on the planet. Many challenges lay ahead, as the Committee's agenda made strikingly clear. Its efforts should now be oriented towards the future and avoid repeating those of the past.

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