CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT TO HOLD FIRST PART OF 1997 SESSION AT GENEVA, 21 JANUARY - 27 MARCH
Press Release
DCF/281
CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT TO HOLD FIRST PART OF 1997 SESSION AT GENEVA, 21 JANUARY - 27 MARCH
19970121 Background Release (Delayed in transmission.)GENEVA, 17 January (UN Information Service) -- The Conference on Disarmament will meet on Tuesday, 21 January, to open its 1997 session -- six months of deliberations that are expected to mark a new phase in the work of the world's sole multilateral forum for disarmament negotiation.
The mandate of the Conference is to promote the attainment of general and complete disarmament under effective international control. The first order of business for the 1997 session will be the adoption of an agenda and programme of work, which are the subject of ongoing intensive consultations.
After two-and-a-half years of negotiations culminating in the drafting of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) adopted by the General Assembly last September, the Conference is ready to focus increased attention on other issues on the international disarmament agenda. Speaking at the end of the 1996 session, the Conference's Special Coordinator on the question of the agenda, the representative of Algeria, said it was accepted that the forum should have a new, balanced agenda which could boldly reflect the changes that have taken place in the world over the last few years.
However, he added, rather large differences remained between the priorities expressed by the various groups. The question of nuclear disarmament is at the heart of the concerns of many delegations, with one group calling for the establishment of an ad hoc committee on nuclear disarmament as a matter of priority. Other Conference members, considering that such questions ought to be examined within a different framework, have stated instead that negotiations on a convention banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices should be the next step.
Some of those concerns are also reflected in the resolutions adopted by the General Assembly during its fifty-first session addressing a number of requests to the Conference. Last month the Assembly called, although not without opposition, for negotiations to begin early in 1997 on a programme of nuclear disarmament aimed at the eventual elimination of nuclear weapons.
According to the Assembly, the Conference should also start negotiations on an international convention to prohibit the use or threatened use of nuclear weapons under any circumstance.
The Assembly also asked the Conference to make recommendations for specific negotiations on the prohibition of the development and manufacture of new types of weapons of mass destruction and new systems of such weapons; and to continue negotiations for effective international arrangements for security assurances for non-nuclear weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons.
In other resolutions adopted at the fifty-first session, the Assembly reiterated that the Conference has the primary role in the negotiation of a multilateral agreement or agreements on the prevention of an arms race in outer space in all its aspects. It invited the Conference to include relevant environmental norms and provisions in the negotiating, drafting and implementation of agreements on disarmament and arms control, and, in particular, the question of radioactive wastes should be dealt with as part of the scope of a convention on the prohibition of radiological weapons. The Assembly also invited the Conference to consider continuing its work on transparency in armaments.
In addition, the Assembly called upon the Russian Federation and the United States to intensify efforts to achieve deep reductions in their nuclear armaments, in order to contribute to the elimination of nuclear weapons. It urged those States to make further efforts to bring the Treaty on Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START II) into force and invited them to keep the Conference informed on their progress.
The Conference, which works on the basis of consensus, emerged from the decisions of the 1978 special session of the Assembly on disarmament. Membership stands at 61, following the application of a decision to admit 23 additional members on 17 June 1996. The Assembly, in its fifty-first session, recognized the legitimate aspirations of all countries to participate fully in the work of the Conference and called upon it to consider all remaining applications for membership, with a view to deciding on its further enlargement before the end of the 1997 session.
The presidency of the Conference rotates among all of its members for a four working-week period in accordance with the listing of the membership in English alphabetical order. The representatives of the following Member States will serve as Presidents of the Conference during the 1997 session: Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Senegal, Slovakia and South Africa. The session will be opened by the first President of 1997, Joun Yung Sun (Republic of Korea). The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Italy, Lamberto Dini, is also scheduled to address the opening meeting.
- 3 - Press Release DCF/281 21 January 1997
The annual sessions of the Conference are divided into three parts, with the first part of the 1997 session scheduled to last until 27 March. The Secretary-General of the Conference is Vladimir Petrovsky, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, who is also the Personal Representative of the Secretary-General to the Conference.
Nuclear Weapons Questions
At its last session the Conference devoted most of its time to the conclusion of a text for a test-ban treaty, hence little time was devoted to the other items on its agenda. None the less, a number of other issues were repeatedly raised, including the question of the prohibition of the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. The Conference decided in March 1995 to establish a negotiating committee on that issue but could not appoint a chairman for it, nor did it re-establish the panel in 1996.
Consensus has also been elusive regarding how the Conference should deal with the question of nuclear disarmament. As at its previous session the Assembly last year, through resolution 51/45 O, called on the Conference to establish a committee to begin negotiations on a phased programme of nuclear disarmament and for the eventual elimination of nuclear weapons within a time bound framework through a nuclear weapons convention. In 1996 there was no agreement on setting up such a committee.
The Assembly, under resolution 51/46 D, also reiterated its request to the Conference to commence negotiations in order to reach agreement on an international convention prohibiting the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons under any circumstances. Such a multilateral, universal and binding agreement would contribute to the elimination of the nuclear threat and to the climate for negotiations leading to the ultimate elimination of nuclear weapons, thereby strengthening international peace and security. According to the resolution's sponsors, the text was based on the 8 July 1996 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice that the threat or use of nuclear weapons would generally be contrary to the rules of international law applicable in armed conflict, and in particular the principles and rules of humanitarian law.
Under resolution 51/45 E and J, the Conference is requested to intensify efforts towards an early conclusion of a convention on the prohibition of radiological weapons. The Assembly expressed grave concern regarding any use of nuclear or radioactive wastes that would constitute radiological warfare and have great implications for the national security of all States. Therefore, every necessary measure should be taken to include relevant environmental norms and provisions in negotiating treaties and agreements on
- 4 - Press Release DCF/281 21 January 1997
disarmament and arms limitation. Such norms and provisions should be strictly observed, particularly during the process of destruction of the arms covered by such treaties.
Security Assurances for Non-Nuclear Weapon States
Under resolution 51/43, the Assembly reaffirmed the urgent need to reach an early agreement on effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear weapon States against the use and threat of use of nuclear weapons. It noted with satisfaction that there was no objection in the Conference, in principle, to the idea of such an international convention, although difficulties as regards evolving a common approach acceptable to all have been pointed out. Further intensive efforts should be devoted to the search for such a common approach or formula; the various alternative approaches, including, in particular, those considered by the Conference, should be further explored in order to overcome those difficulties.
Prevention of Arms Race in Outer Space
Under resolution 51/44, the Assembly reiterated that the Conference has the primary role in the negotiation of a multilateral agreement or agreements, as appropriate, on the prevention of an arm race in outer space in all its aspects. The Conference was requested to re-establish an ad hoc committee with a negotiating mandate at the beginning of its 1997 session, taking into account the work undertaken since 1985, with a view to conducting negotiations for the conclusion of such an agreement or agreements. In that respect, the Assembly recognized the growing convergence of views on the elaboration of measures designed to strengthen transparency, confidence and security in the peaceful uses of outer space.
Transparency in Armaments
Through resolution 51/45 H, the Assembly took the view that an enhanced level of transparency contributes greatly to confidence-building and security among States and that the establishment of the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms constitutes an important step forward in the promotion of transparency in military matters. The Assembly called upon Member States to provide data on their imports and exports of arms, as well as available background information regarding their military holdings, procurement through national production and relevant policies.
The continuing operation of the Register and its further development should be reviewed in order to attract the widest possible participation, according to the Assembly text. The Conference was invited to consider continuing its work in the field of transparency of armaments.
- 5 - Press Release DCF/281 21 January 1997
Regional Disarmament
The Assembly, under resolution 51/45 K, recognized the importance of confidence-building measures for regional and international peace and security. Convinced that endeavours by countries to promote regional disarmament -- taking into account the specific characteristics of each region and in accordance with the principle of undiminished security at the lowest level of armaments -- would enhance the security of smaller States and thus contribute to international peace and security by reducing the risk of regional conflicts, the Assembly stressed that sustained efforts are needed, within the framework of the Conference and under the umbrella of the United Nations, to make progress on the entire range of disarmament issues.
Member States of Conference
The following 61 States are members of the Conference: Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Egypt, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Senegal, Slovakia, Spain, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yugoslavia, Zaire and Zimbabwe.
* *** *