FOREIGN MINISTER OF SENEGAL ADDRESSES CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT
Press Release
DCF/301
FOREIGN MINISTER OF SENEGAL ADDRESSES CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT
19970612 (Reissued as received.)GENEVA, 12 June (UN Information Service) -- Senegal strongly supported appointment by the Conference on Disarmament of an ad hoc committee to begin negotiations on a phased programme of nuclear disarmament, the country's Minister for Foreign Affairs said in an address to the Conference this morning.
Mustapha Niasse, who is also Senegal's Minister of State, said that such a step was deserved by those countries which had declared policies of non-acquisition of such weapons, and which had in several cases established regional zones free of nuclear weapons.
Mr. Niasse also called for more transparency in arms sales and transfers around the world, saying that such activities involved the security of many countries and, if cloaked in confusion or secrecy, could cause conflicts that might otherwise be avoided.
Statements were also made by the representatives of Finland, Kenya, Mexico, and Brazil.
The representative of Mexico, speaking on behalf of 26 countries, presented a specific proposal for establishment of an ad hoc committee to begin negotiations on a phased programme for nuclear disarmament.
The Conference then engaged in a lengthy debate on how it might decide, half-way through the year, on how to proceed with substantive work and on which subjects. A number of delegations called for a decision on a draft proposal of 22 May for appointment of a special coordinator on the subject of anti-personnel land-mines. Others called for the group to address substantively the issue of expansion of Conference membership.
It was decided that informal consultations would be held by the Chairperson on the proposed appointment of a special coordinator on land-mines and on a proposal to dedicate the Conference's 26 June plenary to discussion of expansion of membership.
In other business, the Conference agreed to a request from Cote d'Ivoire that it be allowed to participate at Conference meetings as an observer.
Statements
MOUSTAPHA NIASSE, Minister of State and Foreign Minister of Senegal, said his country had a reputation for dedication to peace and had never had the desire nor the ambition to acquire weapons of mass destruction. It wished to see a world in which more security and stability prevailed. Senegal had supported the indefinite extension of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1995 and had enthusiastically supported the Conference's Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treat. Most of all, the country hoped for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. Reductions in the weapons and arsenals of the major military Powers since the end of the cold war had been most welcome. Yet the risk of nuclear war and nuclear proliferation had not disappeared, and the threat of terrorist use of nuclear weapons appeared to have increased.
Anti-personnel land-mines were a scourge of a different order and took a vast and unacceptable toll on innocent civilians, including children. The time had come to eradicate that scourge. Africa suffered more than any other continent from the slaughter caused by land-mines. Although land-mines did not appear explicitly on the Conference's agenda, it was important that it take appropriate action to deal with these weapons.
The Conference must also continue with the process of nuclear disarmament, as reflected in the majority of items on its agenda, he said. Senegal welcomed the praiseworthy efforts made by the major Powers in negotiation of the START I and START II treaties. It strongly supported appointment by the Conference of an ad hoc committee to begin negotiations on a phased programme of nuclear disarmament. Such a step was deserved by those countries which had declared policies of non-acquisition of such weapons, and which had in several cases established nuclear-free regional zones.
Further transparency also was needed in armaments transfer and possession, he said. Weapons themselves did not cause conflicts. It was important for the world to see who sold, bought and transferred such weapons, including private transfers. Such activities involved the security of many countries and in some cases caused conflicts that might otherwise be avoided.
MARKKU REIMAA (Finland) said Finland considered anti-personnel land- mines an important issue. Together with Chile and Poland, it had proposed on 27 March that a special coordinator on the subject be appointed It wished to appeal to the Conference to make a decision today based on its draft decision of 22 May on the appointment of such a coordinator. Such an official should be given the chance to start work on what was a very demanding task. Finland
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wished to underline that such an appointment would not preclude the Conference from pursuing other subjects. Negotiations on a fissile-material cut-off convention was an important matter which was ready for substantive work.
As for the Group of 21 proposal of 5 June, it contained some interesting elements. Finland deemed its proposals to establish special coordinators on Conference expansion and on improved and effective functioning of the Conference to be appropriate and timely.
ESTHER MSHAI TOLLE (Kenya) said the statement by the Foreign Minister of Senegal had been timely and provocative, especially following that of the Russian Foreign Minister last week. Kenya sought peace and viewed with concern the current inertia that kept the Conference from agreeing, at this late stage, on a programme of work. It was imperative that all members exercise political will, understanding and flexibility, in an effort to ensure that the Conference began its work immediately.
She said Kenya and other countries in the Group of 21 had proposed a programme of work after great efforts to reach consensus. Despite bilateral progress made in the START process, it regretted that all nuclear-weapon States were not involved. It favoured establishment of an ad hoc committee on nuclear disarmament as already proposed before the Conference. It also favoured re-establishment of the ad hoc committee on security assurances for non-nuclear-weapons States.
Some 18 African countries were suffering from the extensive presence of anti-personnel land-mines, the Kenyan representative said. The subject of land-mines deserved to be considered on an urgent basis. If there was consensus within the Conference, Kenya would support appointment of a special coordinator on the subject of land-mines, as long as the coordinator's mandate complemented other efforts already under way.
ANTONIO DE ICAZA (Mexico) said the Group of 21 continued to attach highest priority to establishment of an ad hoc committee on nuclear disarmament. He had the privilege today of submitting a specific proposal for establishment of such a committee, on behalf of 26 countries. Mr. Icaza read the proposal aloud, noting that in discharging its function, such an ad hoc committee would take into account the proposal for a programme of action for the elimination of nuclear weapons -- submitted by 28 members of the Conference belonging to the Group of 21 on 7 August 1996 -- as well as other proposals and future initiatives.
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Under the proposal, the committee would establish working groups to negotiate, as a first step, a universal and legally binding multilateral agreement committing all States to the objective of complete elimination of nuclear weapons. They would also commit to an agreement on further steps required in a phased programme with time-frames leading to the total elimination of nuclear weapons, as well as a convention on the prohibition of the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons.
GILBERTO VERGNE SABOIA (Brazil) said the call for establishment of an ad hoc committee on nuclear disarmament recently was renewed by the Group of 21. The draft mandate for such an ad hoc committee reflected principled positions on the subject and was consistent with the Conference's work. Brazil wished to stress that the draft mandate should be discussed and acted upon. Brazil did not consider the Group of 21 proposal as placing any limitation on its willingness to consider any proposal for negotiation on the issue of nuclear disarmament.
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