FIRST COMMITTEE CONCLUDES TWO-DAY REFORM DISCUSSION
Press Release
GA/DIS/3091
FIRST COMMITTEE CONCLUDES TWO-DAY REFORM DISCUSSION
19971104 The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) met this morning to conclude a two-day exchange of views on the rationalization of its work and reform of its agenda. The debate centered around a reform process that would eliminate parallel draft resolutions and allow more time to achieve consensus on fewer drafts. While many speakers favoured rearranging the Committee's agenda, they cautioned against a political approach to such reform.The representative of Colombia, speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement of countries, said that the reiteration of positions and procedures continued to impede more meaningful deliberations. The Committee could defer some issues, if political developments warranted, and consolidate others. Such a rearrangement should aim to provide a clearer organization and presentation of the issues, without prejudging their substance.
The representative of India agreed that any attempts to impose a political approach through rearrangement would not be helpful. However, Pakistan's representative said that the submission of drafts was a matter that the Assembly could that not legislate. If, for example, Pakistan failed to submit its draft on a nuclear-weapon-free zone in South Asia, it could be interpreted as having a political message, which Pakistan did not wish to make.
South Africa's representative suggested that shortening the duration of the session would reduce the significant cost to delegations. Widespread participation was essential to deal with the real disarmament and security issues of small arms, light weapons and landmines. Shorter sessions might attract disarmament experts worldwide, thereby enhancing the disarmament review process.
Statements were also made by the representatives of Australia, Mexico, Algeria, Indonesia, New Zealand, China and Iran.
The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Wednesday, 5 November, to begin hearing the introduction of draft resolutions.
Committee Work Programme
The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) met this morning to conclude a two-day exchange of views on the rationalization of its work and reform of its agenda.
Statements
ANDELFO GARCIA GONZALEZ (Colombia), speaking on behalf of the Non- Aligned Movement of countries, said that the Committee's work should be rationalized, to further facilitate disarmament. The large number of disarmament items was clear testimony to the preoccupation and urgency with which member States viewed the reduction and elimination of armaments. A majority of those items recurred, reflecting, in part, the non-implementation of previous General Assembly resolutions. The reiteration of positions and procedures continued to impede more meaningful deliberations.
He went on to recommend that the Committee take up the following disarmament clusters: nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, conventional weapons, regional disarmament and security, transparency and confidence-building; outer space; reports of multilateral organs; disarmament machinery and institutional matters; international security; and related disarmament and security matters.
Also, he said the Committee might consider clustering draft resolutions at the stage of consideration and merging the thematic debate with that phase. The Committee could defer some issues, if political developments warranted, and consolidate others. Such a rearrangement should aim at providing a clearer organization and presentation of the issues, without prejudging their substance. In addition, efforts should be made to present drafts well before Committee discussion. Sufficient time should be allowed for informal consultations.
LOUISE HAND (Australia) suggested that the number of resolutions be reduced and that they not be brought up every year. Some of them should be submitted only every two or three years. It would also be more efficient for countries to circulate opinions without having them presented as reports of the Secretary-General. She supported all the proposals made yesterday by the Chairman of the First Committee, and would study the proposals put forward by Canada and Luxembourg. Also, the length of time allocated for debate should be reduced. Many of the meetings had not been well attended and had not run for the full time allocated, which was a waste of resources.
ANGELICA ARCE (Mexico) said she supported the views of the Non-Aligned Movement. The working methods of the Committee should be reviewed. For example, there was merit in the suggestion to merge structured debate with the discussion of item clusters. She had noted the suggestion that deliberation of items on the agenda should not become a political issue. The positions
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taken on items and the order of their consideration should reflect the stance of States regarding disarmament.
Changes in the disarmament agenda should be made in light of the fourth special session of the General Assembly on disarmament, she added. The agenda should not be revised without general agreement. She wished also to point out that non-governmental organizations on disarmament had not had access to the general debate or structured debate. Participation of such organizations was useful to the debate.
M. ABDELKADER MESDOUA (Algeria) said his delegation associated itself with the statement made on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. He emphasized that due to the rationalization undertaken some years ago by the Committee, some progress had been made. However, further efforts were required. The proposals made so far, for example, deserved serious study.
The Committee must continue to focus its attention on disarmament and security matters, he said. In that regard, the general debate had yielded satisfactory results. Its duration should therefore be maintained, although it would be wise to return to the traditional practice of meeting in the morning and afternoon for the purpose of the general debate.
He said that time should be allocated for the consideration of drafts in informal consultations, under the guidance of a Vice-Chairman selected by the Chairman. That would result in a greater number of drafts approved by consensus. Moreover, the introduction of drafts at an early date merited consideration. Furthermore, some drafts should be presented only every two or three years. In that regard, the Committee must adopt and accept the criteria by which drafts would be presented.
Rearranging the agenda seemed highly relevant and pertinent, he went on. However, reform should not call into question those points already accepted by consensus at the conclusion of the first special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament.
JEAN PHILIP DU PREEZ (South Africa) said that he fully supported the statement made on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. He also strongly supported the Secretary-General's proposals to rationalize, update and streamline the Committee's work. The guiding principle for such review should be to identify the priorities and periodically assess the negotiations, so that concrete proposals on new areas or approaches could emerge. The resources devoted by Member States to the Committee's session should also be taken into account, in order to enable the widest participation.
In addition, he continued, the Committee might consider drafts according to their clusters and merge thematic debate with such consideration. Also, the co-sponsors of drafts should ascertain the necessity of considering texts annually. Some could be considered biannually, while those previously adopted
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could remain applicable until they were reconsidered. The time for the general debate should be shortened, perhaps by scheduling morning and afternoon sessions. In that way, the session itself could be shortened to four weeks.
It cost the Member States considerable sums to send delegates to Committee meetings, he added. Widespread participation was essential to deal with the real disarmament and security issues, such as small arms, light weapons and landmines. Shortening the duration of the session might attract experts from capital cities, thereby enhancing the process of review.
SUDJADNAN PARNOHADININGRAT (Indonesia) said he supported the views of the Non-Aligned Movement. The need for rationalization of the Committee's work programme had long been self-evident, in order to revitalize the Committee. He had several suggestions. For example, the question of nuclear weapons should be more comprehensive and should include all aspects of nuclear disarmament, including bilateral disarmament. In addition, the discussion of conventional weapons should include reductions of resources allocated to weapons and the transfer of weapons. Further, the discussion of outer space should include questions on protecting its environment.
SANKURATHRIPATI RAMA RAO (India) said that, as stated by the Non-Aligned Movement, rearrangement should provide clarity without prejudging substance. Nuclear disarmament could not be taken off the agenda and attempts to impose a political approach through rearrangement would not be helpful. In that regard, the conclusion of the first special session of the General Assembly on disarmament remained valid.
CLIVE PEARSON (New Zealand) said that he associated himself with the sensible and constructive views expressed by the representative of Australia. There was clearly a need for reform and rationalization. He was ready to work closely with others in addressing the issue and moving it forward.
MUNIR AKRAM (Pakistan) said that he fully associated himself with the statement made by the Non-Aligned Movement. Greater clarity was needed about the purposes and objectives of the Committee. In his earlier statement on United Nations machinery, he had sought to identify the four possible objectives that the Committee could fulfil, which were partially reflected in the paper submitted by the Non-Aligned Movement.
Reviewing the Committee's work, he said that it was clear that the general debate continued to serve both a functional and political objective and should, therefore, be preserved. Perhaps its length was appropriate. However, the number of drafts -- some 40 to 50 each year -- required the imposition of a deadline for their submission in an initial form by the end of the first week of the general debate. The delay in submission was the result of the preoccupation of delegations with obtaining the largest possible co- sponsorship for their drafts.
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The thematic debate had not proved to be very useful, he said. The time used for such debate could be better spent discussing the drafts, which would have already been submitted in the first week. Some rearrangement of the clusters of draft texts was possible, but elimination might be difficult. The frequency of drafts was a matter that the Assembly could not legislate. Rather, it was a matter of self-restraint by the delegations. In the case of certain resolutions, there would be a political message if that draft was not submitted at any given session. For example, the failure by Pakistan to submit its draft on a nuclear-weapon-free zone in South Asia would be interpreted as a political statement, which it did not wish to make.
The Committee should make a much greater effort to evolve consensus on all its resolutions, if possible, he added. It should, in principle, adopt the practice followed by the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) of structured informal discussions on various drafts, under the direction of the Vice-Chairman. In addition, the Committee should avoid duplicating similar or parallel drafts, thereby reducing the number of drafts by 5 to 10 per cent. He continued to attach importance to the work of the Disarmament Commission, adding that it could be used more productively as a sort of steering committee for the Committee's work. It might help tackle some topical or controversial issues by presenting recommendations or proposals. Finally, reform should not become an avenue to change the substantive political decisions of the United Nations in the field of disarmament.
SHA ZUKANG (China) said the Committee was the most representative organ in the discussion of disarmament and international security and, as such, its efficiency should be enhanced. Rationalization of its work was the way to greater efficiency. He was in full agreement with the views of the Non-Aligned Movement.
Rationalization had been discussed since 1984 and there had been some success, he said. Overall, the work had been rationalized. There were, however, areas for improvement. As for the thematic debate, that had enabled the Committee to focus on certain issues and Member States had gained a better understanding of the views of others. The thematic debate was therefore productive and useful. Yet, the arrangement also overlapped with the general debate and with discussions on draft resolutions. The Committee should maintain time for systematic discussions, but look at ways to approach the discussion of draft resolutions within a clustering method.
Also, he said, the sponsors of draft resolutions needed time to consult. It was not enough to discuss the draft resolutions immediately after the general debate. The existing agenda of the Committee had been formed as a result of a much discussion and, generally speaking, it had served well. Some agenda items should perhaps be eliminated. Out of respect for other delegations, he would not list those items specifically, but some should have been removed a long time ago. However, there should be no be drastic additions or deletions. In closing, he said disarmament and arms regulation
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were the responsibility of States parties and international treaty organizations. The United Nations Secretariat should provide support service to Member States, not attempt to substitute for the role of Member States.
GHOLAMHOSSEIN DEHGHANI (Iran) said he fully supported the views of the Non-Aligned Movement. The working methods of the Committee had improved in recent years. In building on the final documents of the first special session of the General Assembly on disarmament, however, much remained to be done. Similar items and resolutions should be merged and there should be a rearrangement of the clusters of items. He added that his Government had yesterday deposited its ratification of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction.
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