UKRAINE CALLS FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF AD HOC COMMITTEE ON ANTI-PERSONNEL LAND-MINES IN DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE
Press Release
DCF/308
UKRAINE CALLS FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF AD HOC COMMITTEE ON ANTI-PERSONNEL LAND-MINES IN DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE
19970731 (Delayed in transmission; reissued as received)GENEVA, 29 July (UN Information Service) -- Ukraine this morning called for the establishment of a negotiating committee on anti-personnel land-mines within the Conference on Disarmament.
Speaking at the first plenary meeting of the Conference's resumed 1997 session, Ukrainian Permanent Representative Mykola Maimeskoul said an ad hoc committee was absolutely necessary given that Conference members not participating in the parallel "Ottawa process" to ban those weapons possessed nearly half the world's land-mine stockpiles.
Mr. Maimeskoul then told the Conference of the importance for Ukraine of the recently concluded partnership agreement with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Cooperation between Ukraine and NATO was not directed against third parties, he said, adding that the partnership was based on the recognition that the security of European countries was indivisible.
Also this morning, the representative of the United Kingdom, Michael Weston, took the floor to deliver a farewell statement. He is leaving Geneva after more than five years as his country's Ambassador to the Conference. Speaking on the subject of land-mines, Mr. Weston said that while the United Kingdom was fully committed to the "Ottawa process", complementary work in the Conference was clearly necessary to bring in those who would not be in the Canadian capital to finalize a land-mine ban in December. He deeply regretted that the Conference had been unable to start negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty, he said.
Following the statements, the representative of Syria said that during her meeting with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the current President of the Conference, Maria Krasnohorska (Slovak Republic), had expressed views that did not reflect those of all Members regarding the transport of anti-personnel land-mines. However, the representative of Mexico said the President had in fact expressed the views of her own delegation, not those of the members of the Conference.
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