DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE APPOINTS 'SPECIAL COORDINATORS' ON AGENDA, METHODS OF WORK AND EXPANSION OF MEMBERSHIP
Press Release
DCF/307
DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE APPOINTS 'SPECIAL COORDINATORS' ON AGENDA, METHODS OF WORK AND EXPANSION OF MEMBERSHIP
19970701 (Delayed in transmission; reissued as received.)GENEVA, 27 June (UN Information Service) -- The Conference on Disarmament, striving for progress on the eve of its summer recess, appointed this afternoon three special coordinators: on the question of expansion of the membership of the Conference; on reconsideration of its agenda, and on improvement of the effectiveness of its functioning.
Harald Kreid, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations Office at Geneva, was chosen Special Coordinator on expansion of membership.
Peter Naray, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Hungary, was appointed Special Coordinator on reconsideration of the Conference's agenda.
And Mounir Zahran, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Egypt to the United Nations, was selected as Special Coordinator on improvement of the functioning of the Conference.
A proposal to create an ad hoc committee on the prevention of an arms race in space did not achieve consensus. A representative of the United States said the country sought changes in the proposed mandate and so was unable to support setting up such a group without further consultations.
Nor was agreement reached on re-establishment of an ad hoc committee on transparency in armaments, although delegations said they were open to additional discussion of the matter. Among concerns cited were those of Mexico with the mandate as currently established, of Algeria with the definition of "transparency", and of China, which felt that other steps in the field, coupled with past efforts of the ad hoc committee, were sufficient. And there was no consensus on restarting work on negative security assurances in an ad hoc committee, as had been suggested earlier.
Proposed creation of an ad hoc committee on nuclear disarmament did not receive the support of the Western group, as reported on its behalf by Spain. A representative of India stated in reaction that if the Conference was not
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willing to discuss nuclear disarmament, "I do not know what we are doing here". She said she was "outraged" by a "one-sentence dismissal" of the topic by the Western group, while a representative of Egypt stressed that nuclear disarmament remained the "utmost priority" of the Group of 21 non-aligned countries. Among others, Iran, Pakistan, Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria and Algeria also expressed disappointment at lack of progress on the matter.
All those questions were put to the Conference under a draft tabled this morning by Myanmar on behalf of the Group of 21 pursuant to a Sri Lankan proposal, and followed a decision by the Conference Thursday to appoint a special coordinator to explore the issue of a ban on anti-personnel land mines. Numerous speakers cited a wish to build on the "momentum" of that decision -- the first specific step by the Conference towards a course of work for the year.
A proposal tabled by Germany to re-establish an ad hoc committee on a ban of production of fissile material for nuclear-weapons purposes, based on a mandate set in 1995, did not find consensus. The representative of India said it was "galling" that the proposal had even been raised when the Western group was not willing to discuss nuclear disarmament.
Adjourning, the Conference ended the second part of its 1997 session. Its next plenary is scheduled for 31 July.
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