ASSEMBLY WOULD URGE MULTILATERAL NEGOTIATIONS ON TRANSFER OF DUAL-USE TECHNOLOGIES, BY FIRST COMMITTEE TEXT
Press Release
GA/DIS/3065
ASSEMBLY WOULD URGE MULTILATERAL NEGOTIATIONS ON TRANSFER OF DUAL-USE TECHNOLOGIES, BY FIRST COMMITTEE TEXT
19961106 Draft on Role of Science, Technology Among 10 Disarmament, Security Proposals IntroducedThe General Assembly would urge the holding of multilateral negotiations aimed at establishing non-discriminatory guidelines for international transfers of dual-use technologies, according to one of 10 draft resolutions introduced this morning in the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security). The text was introduced by the representative of India.
Limiting the exchange of such technologies to an exclusive groups of countries was not the answer, she told the Committee. States' developmental needs required certain technologies which also had military applications. They should be made available for civilian and peaceful uses, through a monitored system, under multilaterally negotiated and universally accepted guidelines.
Introducing a second draft resolution on the role of science and technology, the representative of Canada described it as a neutral text designed to promote dialogue on an important topic. By its terms, the Assembly would invite Member States to explore means of further developing international legal rules on transfers of high technology having military applications.
Also this morning, a representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) urged resolute action towards the total elimination on anti-personnel land-mines, commenting on a text introduced at the Committee's previous meeting. He said UNHCR staff around the world witnessed daily the untold suffering caused by land-mines and the nightmares revisited by returnees who had the misfortune to take the wrong step.
The Assembly would invite the Conference on Disarmament to take every necessary measure to include relevant environmental norms and provisions in negotiating arms control and disarmament agreements, by another draft resolution. It was introduced by the representative of Colombia on behalf of Member States which are also members of the Non-Aligned Movement.
Under a draft introduced by Malaysia, the Assembly would call upon all States to fulfil immediately their obligation to pursue good-faith negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament -- an obligation recently affirmed in an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice.
According to other texts introduced this morning, the Assembly would again appeal for additional voluntary contributions for the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa. It would note the decision of the States parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to hold the first Preparatory Committee meeting in New York from 7 to 18 April 1997, for the Review Conference to be held in the year 2000.
By other texts, the Assembly would call for determined pursuit by the nuclear-weapon States of systematic efforts to reduce nuclear weapons globally, with the ultimate goal of their elimination. It would reaffirm its strong support for the further strengthening of the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific. It would restate the importance of participation by all permanent members of the Security Council and major maritime users of the Indian Ocean in the Ad Hoc Committee on the Indian Ocean.
Another draft resolution introduced this morning concerns 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). By its terms, the Assembly would call upon all States that had not already done so to become parties to that instrument and its Protocols.
Also addressing the Committee were the representatives of the Congo, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Brazil, Japan, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Mongolia and Nepal.
The First Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. today, to continue its consideration of draft resolutions and decisions on disarmament and international security issues.
First Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/DIS/3065 15th Meeting (AM) 6 November 1996
Committee Work Programme
The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) met this morning to continue its consideration of draft resolutions and decisions on disarmament. It had before it draft resolutions on regional confidence- building measures, transparency in armaments, environmental norms in disarmament and arms control agreements, and the Review Conference for the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
Other draft resolutions concerned the Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace, the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, two texts on the role of science and technology, the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice regarding nuclear weapons, and nuclear disarmament.
A draft resolution submitted by the Congo for the State members of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa (document A/C.1/51/L.15), addressed the question of regional confidence-building measures. By its terms, the Assembly would repeat its appeal for additional voluntary contributions to the Trust Fund for the Committee.
The Assembly would welcome with great satisfaction the July 1996 Non-Aggression Pact between the States members of the Standing Committee. It would also welcome with satisfaction the Yaounde Declaration of its July Summit of Heads of State and Government, aimed at implementing a number of measures. Those included the promotion of participatory systems of governance; the organization, under United Nations auspices, of training seminars for police, guard and army officers aimed at promoting a culture of peace and democracy; developing a programme to combat illicit arms trafficking; and setting up, under United Nations auspices, an early warning system in Central Africa.
The Assembly would also welcome the holding in September, under United Nations auspices of the first training seminar for instructors in peace operations. It would again emphasize the importance of continuing that programme, in order to strengthen the participation of State members of the Standing Committee in future United Nations peace operations.
By an 89-Power draft resolution on transparency in armaments (document A/C.1/51/L.18), the Assembly would call on Member States to provide data and information for the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms. It would recall its request to Member States to provide the Secretary-General with their views on the further development of the Register and on transparency measures relating to weapons of mass destruction. It would also recall its request that he prepare a report on the continuous operation of the Register, with the assistance of a group of governmental experts to be convened in 1997.
First Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/DIS/3065 15th Meeting (AM) 6 November 1996
The Assembly would ask the Secretary-General to ensure that sufficient resources were made available for the operation and maintenance of the Register. It would invite the Conference on Disarmament to consider continuing its work on transparency of armaments. It would repeat its call for cooperation at the regional and subregional levels among all Member States, with a view to increasing openness and transparency in armaments.
The draft resolution is sponsored by Afghanistan, Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belarus, Belgium, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Monaco, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom and the United States.
By a text on environmental norms in disarmament and arms control agreements (document A/C.1/51/L.14), the Assembly would invite the Conference on Disarmament to take every necessary measure to include relevant environmental norms and provisions in negotiating treaties and agreements on disarmament and arms limitation. It would ask the Conference, in negotiating for a convention on the prohibition of radiological weapons, to take radioactive wastes into account as part of the scope of such a convention. It would express grave concern regarding any use of nuclear wastes that would constitute radiological warfare. The text is sponsored by Colombia on behalf of Member States which are also members of the Non-Aligned Movement.
The Assembly would urge States parties to comply strictly with the provisions of the Treaty on the Prohibition of the Emplacement of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction on the Seabed and the Ocean Floor and in the Subsoil thereof. It would call on States possessing nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction to become parties to that Treaty. It would call on all States, especially those with major space programmes, to contribute to the goal of using outer space for peaceful purposes and preserving the world's environment, as well as of preventing an outer space arms race. In addition, the Assembly would further welcome measures taken by several countries to ensure compliance with the Antarctic Treaty. It would call on all States parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and of Their Destruction (chemical weapons Convention) to cooperate in preserving the
First Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/DIS/3065 15th Meeting (AM) 6 November 1996
environment in implementing the Convention. It would urge States parties to the biological weapons Convention to consider all relevant environmental norms in implementing that Convention. [The full name of that Convention is: the 1972 Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction.]
The Assembly would also call upon States to adopt unilateral, bilateral, regional and multilateral measures to help ensure that the application of scientific and technological progress to disarmament and international security was without detriment to the environment and contributed to the attainment of sustainable development.
A draft resolution on the Review Conference of the Parties to the Non- Proliferation Treaty (document A/C.1/51/L.3) would have the Assembly take note of the decision of the parties to the NPT to hold the first meeting of the Preparatory Committee in New York from 7 to 18 April 1997, for the Review Conference to be held in the year 2000. The Assembly would ask the Secretary- General to render the necessary assistance and provide such services as may be required for the Conference and its Preparatory Committee, including summary records.
The draft is sponsored by Sri Lanka on behalf of the States parties to the NPT.
A draft resolution on implementation of the Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace (document A/C.1/51/L.13), would have the Assembly again state its conviction that the participation of all the permanent members of the Security Council and the major maritime users of the ocean in the work of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Indian Ocean would greatly facilitate dialogue to advance peace, security and stability in the region. The Assembly would ask the Committee to hold a session of not more than three working days during 1997, and ask the Secretary-General to continue rendering all necessary assistance to the Committee, including the provision of summary records.
The text is sponsored by Colombia on behalf of Member States which are also members of the Non-Aligned Movement.
The Committee also has before it a 38-Power draft resolution on 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), (document A/C.1/51/L.40). By its terms, the Assembly would urgently call upon all States that have not yet done so to become parties to it and its Protocols as soon as possible. It would urgently call on successor States to take steps so that ultimately, adherence to those instruments will be universal. It would
First Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/DIS/3065 15th Meeting (AM) 6 November 1996
call on the Secretary-General to continue informing the Assembly periodically of ratifications and accessions to the Convention and its Protocols.
By other terms of the draft, the Assembly would commend to all States the Convention's Amended Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Mines, Booby Traps and Other Devices (Protocol II). It would again commend to all States, the Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons (Protocol IV). It would call on all States parties to consent to being bound by those Protocols.
The draft is sponsored by Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, United Kingdom and the United States.
By a 25-Power draft resolution on the role of science and technology with respect to international security and disarmament (document A/C.1/51/L.34), the Assembly would invite Member States to enhance bilateral and multilateral dialogue on the subject. That would be done with a view to ensuring implementation of commitments already undertaken under international legal instruments, and exploring means of further developing international legal rules on transfers of high technology having military applications.
The draft is sponsored by Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Kazakstan, Lithuania, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania, South Africa and Sweden.
Under a 23-Power draft resolution on the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice regarding nuclear weapons (document A/C.1/51/L.37), the Assembly would underline the Court's unanimous conclusion that an obligation exists to pursue good-faith negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament. It would call on all States to fulfil that obligation immediately by starting multilateral negotiations in 1997, leading to early conclusion of a convention to prohibit the development, production, testing, deployment, stockpiling, transfer, threat or use of nuclear weapons, and providing for their elimination.
The draft is sponsored by Colombia, Costa Rica, Fiji, Ghana, Indonesia, Iran, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Mongolia, Myanmar, Namibia, Niger, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Uruguay, Viet Nam and Zimbabwe.
By a 13-Power draft resolution on the role of science and technology with respect to international security and disarmament (document A/C.1/L.20),
First Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/DIS/3065 15th Meeting (AM) 6 November 1996
the Assembly would urge Member States to undertake multilateral negotiations aimed at establishing universally acceptable, non-discriminatory guidelines for international transfers of dual-use goods and technologies and high technology with military applications. Member States would be invited to apply science and technology for disarmament-related purposes, and to make those technologies available to interested States. The Secretary-General would be asked to update his report on the impact of scientific and technological developments on international security.
The draft resolution is sponsored by Bhutan, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Lesotho, Libya, Malaysia, Nepal, Nigeria and Sri Lanka.
Under a draft resolution on nuclear disarmament (document A/C.1/51/L.17), sponsored by Japan, the Assembly would call for the determined pursuit by the nuclear-weapon States of systematic and progressive efforts to reduce nuclear weapons globally, with the ultimate goal of eliminating them, and by all States of general and complete disarmament. It would urge those States not party to the NPT to accede to it at the earliest possible date. It would also call on all States parties to work for a smooth start of the strengthened review process as the Preparatory Committee convened in 1997 for the next Review Conference to be held in the year 2000.
Introduction of Draft Texts
GEORGES BAKALA (Congo) introduced a draft resolution on regional confidence-building measures. The subregion of Central Africa, with more than 75 million inhabitants, had long been disturbed by conflicts which had not only cost millions of lives but hindered development and heightened tension and mistrust, he said. Mindful of that situation, and recognizing that the responsibility for peace and security in their countries was first and foremost their responsibility, the Governments of Central Africa had undertaken a series of actions to strengthen confidence and restore stability.
In response to those efforts, the General Assembly had established the Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa, he said. That had been followed by a series of steps culminating in the signature of the Non-Aggression Pact of Central African countries. The harrowing events now taking place in Zaire threatened those developments, while underlining the importance of the Standing Committee and its need for international support. The current financial crisis of the United Nations rendered such support all the more necessary.
The text before the Committee welcomed the signing this year of the Non-Aggression Pact, as a factor that promised to help prevent conflict and strengthen confidence in the subregion, he said. The following nine members of the Standing Committee had already signed it: Burundi, Cameroon, Chad,
First Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/DIS/3065 15th Meeting (AM) 6 November 1996
Central African Republic, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe, and Zaire. Of crucial importance was the draft's call for voluntary contributions for the Committee.
ANDELFO J. GARCIA (Colombia), speaking on behalf of the countries of the Non-Aligned Movement, introduced the draft resolution on the observance of environmental norms in disarmament agreements. He said this year's proposal was intended to be more comprehensive than earlier versions. It not only included references to agreements on biological and chemical weapons, but also cited international agreements governing the seabed and ocean floor, the Antarctic region and outer space as well as other agreements linked to the environment.
BERNARD GOONETILLEKE (Sri Lanka) introduced the draft resolution on the next Review Conference for the NPT and its Preparatory Conference. It was a purely procedural draft, intended to fix the dates for the first Preparatory Committee, to be held in New York from 7 to 18 April 1997.
Introducing the draft resolution on the Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace, he said while the cold war had discouraged progress in the Ad Hoc Committee on the Indian Ocean, preliminary steps for economic development had already been taken by the countries of the region. The Committee had now reached a crucial stage, and therefore envisaged a short session of not more than three days next year.
LARS BJARME (Sweden) introduced the draft resolution on the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, announcing the addition of Belarus and Malta as co-sponsors.
More than two years of hard work had come to a close on 3 May of this year when the Review Conference of the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons adopted its Final Report, he said. The Conference had made considerable progress by means of restrictions and partial prohibitions on anti-personnel land-mines, and by means of banning a completely new type of weapon, blinding laser weapons.
If implemented, the draft would reduce or eliminate the risks to civilians and non-combatants, thereby saving lives, he said. It would, therefore, make a major humanitarian contribution.
DONALD SINCLAIR (Canada) introduced the 25-Power draft on the role of science and technology (document A/C.1/51/L.34), announcing the addition of the Republic of Korea as a co-sponsor. He said its basic premise was to encourage both bilateral and multilateral dialogue, in order to promote international understanding and cooperation. It did not seek to resolve current differences or take a particular position on such questions. It was
First Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/DIS/3065 15th Meeting (AM) 6 November 1996
designed merely to invite Member States to discuss them. As a neutral text which endorsed dialogue, it was hoped it would pass by consensus.
GEORGES LAMAZIERE (Brazil), speaking in support of the same draft resolution, said it served the useful purpose of recalling the need for dialogue regarding transfers of dual-use technology. Brazil and Canada, the two co-sponsors of the text, had stripped it of all but its essential components. As it now stood, it served the interests of all countries without exception. Its approval would signal a welcome willingness on the part of the international community to address the issue.
HASMY AGAM (Malaysia) introduced the draft resolution on the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice. While the Assembly should acknowledge the Court for rendering its opinion, that was not enough. The opinion had stressed the obligation to pursue negotiations on nuclear disarmament and bring them to a conclusion. The period of waiting had been far too long; it was time for serious action.
ARUNDHATI GHOSE (India) introduced the 13-Power draft resolution on the role of science and technology (document A/C.1/51/L.20), announcing the addition of Kenya, Lesotho, Libya and Singapore as co-sponsors. A revised version of the text would be available shortly, she said.
The developmental needs of countries required infusions of technologies which also had military applications, she said. The transfer of such dual-use technologies must be monitored and regulated. Their application should be directed toward civilian rather than military uses.
Technology by itself did not threaten anyone, she said. However, the process of technological innovation could not be frozen to prevent its military application. Dual-use technologies should be made available on a non-discriminatory basis to countries which used them for civilian and peaceful purposes. Limiting their exchange to an exclusive group of countries was not the answer. The flow of such technologies should be based on multilaterally negotiated and universally accepted guidelines.
Efforts to begin dialogue on the subject had been stymied in almost every forum, she said. The other text on the same subject introduced this morning, proposed the establishment of a multilateral dialogue, an idea she supported. It was hoped further consultations between delegations would lead to a common position in the future.
Commenting on the draft resolution just introduced by Malaysia, she said that while India was co-sponsoring it, that did not in any way change her country's stand on the NPT. India was co-sponsoring that very important draft because it sincerely supported the text's objectives.
First Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/DIS/3065 15th Meeting (AM) 6 November 1996
HISAMI KUROKOCHI (Japan), introducing the draft resolution on nuclear disarmament said the ultimate elimination of nuclear weapons had much support in the General Assembly. The current text was a follow-up to its predecessors but contained various new elements. It was Japan's firm belief that nuclear- weapon States should not interpret the indefinite extension of the NPT as a license to hold on to their arsenals forever. The non-nuclear weapon States had made a firm commitment in agreeing to extension. The nuclear-weapon States must match that commitment.
NASTE CALOVSKI (The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) commented on several of the draft resolutions before the Committee. He said the texts on expanding the Conference on Disarmament, the report of the Disarmament Commission, nuclear disarmament, bilateral negotiations on nuclear disarmament, and the role of the Conference on Disarmament all focused on how negotiations should be organized and where they should take place. Regrettably, the Committee had not heard the position of the largest number of Member States, which had no intention of becoming nuclear-weapon Powers but sought positive results in nuclear disarmament. They had nothing to put on the negotiating table except their concern for humanity.
The Conference on Disarmament must face new realities and get rid of the fiction that it was the only negotiating body, he said. Expanding its membership was an urgent matter. There was no basis whatsoever for its current membership to block the inclusion of other States. The Conference should strip its agenda of outdated matters and begin work on a convention to limit conventional weapons, a negotiation in which all States could participate.
JARGALSAIKHANY ENKHSAIKHAN (Mongolia) introduced a draft resolution on the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific. He said the Centre promoted what had come to be known as the "Kathmandu process", which was contributing significantly towards greater awareness of disarmament issues, regional dialogue, and the spread global disarmament measures and principles in the region.
[By the 11-Power draft resolution on the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (document A/C.1/51/L.10), the Assembly would reaffirm its strong support for the continued operation and further strengthening of the Centre as an essential promoter of regional peace and disarmament dialogue known as the "Kathmandu process". It would appeal to Member States, particularly those in the region, as well as to international governmental and non-governmental organizations and foundations, to make voluntary contributions to the Centre. It would ask the Secretary-General to provide all necessary support to the Centre, within existing resources.
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[The draft resolution is sponsored by Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka and Viet Nam.]
GOPAL BAHADUR THAPA (Nepal), speaking on the text just introduced, said the Regional Centre provided a forum for dialogue and consultation. Each year, disarmament experts gathered there to discuss the entire range of disarmament, peace and security issues. However, the Centre needed greater financial support to carry out its useful duties. He appealed to Member States, organizations and foundations to make increased contributions to the Centre.
SOREN JESSEN-PETERSEN, Director for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), speaking on the draft resolution on anti-personnel land-mines (document A/C.1/51/L.46), urged resolute action towards the total elimination of those weapons. As the organization responsible for protecting and assisting more than 26 million people seeking safety from persecution, war or massive human rights abuses, UNHCR staff worldwide saw the untold suffering caused by land-mines.
Those weapons not only forced people out of their homes, but also imperiled their flight and hindered their return, he said. Land-mines prevented reintegration and reconstruction by making land unusable for settlement, cultivation or other economic activities. He had learned first- hand in the former Yugoslavia and other conflict situations that their presence obstructed the delivery of life-saving emergency assistance. He had witnessed in Colombia, Afghanistan and northern Iraq, the nightmare of returnees who had the misfortune of taking the wrong step.
He said the UNHCR had become involved in a number of mine-related activities, focusing on advocacy work in pursuit of effective international mechanisms for land-mine demarcation and clearance. It would continue to support global and regional actions aimed at a total ban on the manufacture and use of anti-personnel land-mines. It also supported interim measures aimed at reducing the effects of land-mines, through demining and assistance to victims.
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