CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT CONTINUES DISCUSSION OF EFFORTS TO CONCLUDE BAN ON ANTI-PERSONNEL LAND-MINES
Press Release
DCF/299
CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT CONTINUES DISCUSSION OF EFFORTS TO CONCLUDE BAN ON ANTI-PERSONNEL LAND-MINES
19970530 GENEVA, 29 May (UN Information Service) -- The representative of Senegal said today that her country would join a consensus on a ban on anti-personnel land-mines at the Conference on Disarmament as long as the Conference did not ignore the issue of nuclear disarmament.Absa Claude Diallo (Senegal), who is also President of the Conference, said her country was participating in the Ottawa process -- the Canadian initiative aimed at concluding such a ban by the end of the year -- and felt the Conference could find a mechanism to deal with the issue as well. Nevertheless, the importance of nuclear disarmament was self-evident. Senegal had joined 27 other countries to elaborate a programme of action for the elimination of nuclear weapons and supported establishment, within the Conference, of an ad hoc committee on nuclear disarmament.
The Conference should play a key role in keeping the international debate on a land-mines ban on track, the representative of the Sudan said. He said his country welcomed the proposal to establish an ad hoc committee on a ban and would cooperate in negotiating an effective, legally binding agreement. It was also ready to participate in the preparatory meetings for the Ottawa Conference.
The representatives of Finland, Chile and Poland expressed support for a proposal by Germany to adopt, ad referendum, a draft decision tabled by Australia last week. By its terms, the Conference would appoint a special coordinator to hold consultations on the most appropriate arrangement for dealing with the issue of anti-personnel land-mines in the framework of a comprehensive programme of disarmament. The representatives of Nigeria and Mexico, however, said there was no consensus on the holding of such meetings. The representative of Mexico said he was not convinced that the Conference was the appropriate place to deal with a land-mine ban, while Morocco said that such consultations should cover the entire work programme.
Addressing an incident that took place a week ago when the Conference was meeting, the representative of Turkey said he deplored the obstacles to the freedom of movement of delegations and United Nations personnel raised by a group of Kurdish demonstrators waving PKK flags. Although the Director- General of the United Nations Office at Geneva had said the work of the Organization was not affected, he had been prevented from fulfilling his duties as Turkey's representative in the Conference.
He called for urgent measures to strengthen security at the Palais des Nations, adding that any delay in doing so could lead to new attacks on the premises, perhaps with graver consequences. The representative of Sri Lanka also called for a reinforcement of security by the United Nations and the host country. The President of the Conference said the question had been raised with Director-General Vladimir Petrovsky, who said no effort would be spared to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.
Statements
ABSA CLAUDE DIALLO (Senegal), President of the Conference, said the sole multilateral negotiating forum on disarmament was undergoing a period of uncertainty. The spirit of consensus that had always helped it to surmount seemingly impossible obstacles was gone. In its place was a climate of suspicion, in which proposals were seen as having hidden motives which made them worthy of rejection. That was all the more regrettable since certain countries, including her own, had recently joined the Conference as members with a view to participating fully in its work. Perhaps the current period would turn out to be just a dry spell following last year's intense efforts to conclude the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.
She expressed the hope that reason would prevail and the Conference would reach consensus on a programme of work for its 1997 session. That would be all the more comforting to her, as Senegal had no intention of acquiring weapons of mass destruction. Its leaders felt that the riches poured into such weapons were better used in the cause of sustainable development. That was why Senegal had joined 27 other countries to elaborate a programme of action for the elimination of nuclear weapons and why it supported the establishment, within the Conference, of an ad hoc committee on nuclear disarmament.
She said Senegal was also interested in the question of anti-personnel land-mines. It was participating in the Ottawa process -- the Canadian initiative aimed at concluding a ban on such weapons -- but felt the Conference could find a mechanism for dealing with the issue as well. Senegal would join any consensus on that matter, as well as on how to deal with the other items on the Conference's agenda. What Senegal could not accept was for the Conference to ignore the issue of nuclear disarmament, whose importance no longer needed to be demonstrated.
ALI AHMED SAHLOOL (Sudan) said his country had been enduring the ravages of civil war since 1995. Although major steps had recently been taken to end the conflict, including the signing of a peace agreement last month with seven rebel factions, there was much to be done before a final peaceful settlement would be achieved. However, the Sudan had to deal with a more urgent problem -- the resettlement of displaced persons in areas under government control. The major impediment to implementing a national resettlement
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programme, as well as to rehabilitation efforts, was the difficulty in clearing the many mines that had been planted in conflict areas.
In Africa, the Sudan ranked third -- after Angola and Mozambique -- in suffering the effects of land-mines, he said. The Government had initiated a demining campaign and was keen on soliciting international assistance. A number of donors, including some in the United States, had pledged their support for Sudan's demining efforts which, it was hoped, would begin once hostilities ceased definitively. Talks had begun with the Mine Clearance Policy Unit of the United Nations Department of Humanitarian Affairs. He called on the international community to give the Unit every possible assistance, so as to enhance its capacity.
The Conference on Disarmament should be instrumental in keeping the international debate on a global ban on land-mines on track, he said. The Sudan welcomed the proposal to establish an ad hoc committee on such a ban and would cooperate in negotiating an effective, legally binding international agreement. It was also ready and willing to participate in the preparatory meetings for the Ottawa Conference. The Sudan was happy to note that the United Kingdom, under its new administration, was ready to join the ranks of countries willing to accept constraints on the use or sale of land-mines. It was hoped the other major Powers would follow that commendable example.
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