FIRST COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS TEXT CALLING ON MEDITERRANEAN STATES TO ADHERE TO MULTILATERAL DISARMAMENT INSTRUMENTS

13 November 1997

Press Release
GA/DIS/3099

FIRST COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS TEXT CALLING ON MEDITERRANEAN STATES TO ADHERE TO MULTILATERAL DISARMAMENT INSTRUMENTS

19971113 Another Text, Also Approved Without Vote, Concerns Regional Confidence-Building Measures

The Assembly would call upon all States of the Mediterranean region to adhere to the multilaterally negotiated legal instruments related to disarmament and non-proliferation, in order to create the necessary conditions for strengthening peace and cooperation in that region, by the terms of one of two draft resolutions approved this morning by the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security).

By further terms of the text, which was approved without a vote, the Assembly would encourage those States to build confidence among themselves by promoting genuine openness and transparency on all military matters. It would also encourage them to further strengthen their cooperation in combating terrorism, which posed a serious threat to regional peace, security and stability, and therefore, to the improvement of the current political, economic and social situation.

Following approval of the revised Mediterranean security text, which noted the peace negotiations in the Middle East, the representative of Israel said that although he still had reservations about the call for adherence to all disarmament and non-proliferation treaties, he was able to join consensus on the revised text.

The representative of Iran expressed reservations about including a reference to the Middle East peace process in the draft, since he did not believe that the current peace process would lead to the fulfilment of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, or to lasting peace in the region.

According to the terms of a second text also approved without a vote, on regional confidence-building measures, the Assembly would invite the States members of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa that have not yet signed the Non-Aggression Pact

to do so. The text was sponsored by Gabon, on behalf of the States members of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa.

The Assembly would encourage all Member States to expedite ratification of the Non-Aggression Pact in order to prevent conflicts in the Central African subregion, by further terms of the text.

Also by that text, the Assembly would welcome the 1997 programmes and activities of the Standing Advisory Committee which would, among other things, set up an early-warning system for Central Africa, retrain demobilized soldiers and prepare them for reintegration into civilian life, and combat the illegal circulation of weapons and drugs in the subregion.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Japan, Pakistan and Algeria.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on Friday, 14 November, to continue taking action on the remaining disarmament draft resolutions and decisions.

Committee Work Programme

The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) met this morning to continue taking action on draft texts on disarmament. It had before it draft texts concerning security in the Mediterranean region, on regional confidence-building measures, small arms, and the role of the United Nations in disarmament.

By the terms of a 43-Power draft on small arms (document A/C.1/52/L.27/Rev.1), the Assembly would call upon all Member States to implement -- in cooperation with appropriate international and regional organizations and police, intelligence, customs and border control services -- the recommendations unanimously approved by the Panel of Governmental Experts on Small Arms. Member States would be encouraged to carry out the recommendations for post-conflict situations, including demobilizing former combatants and destroying weapons.

The Assembly would ask the Secretary-General to implement the relevant recommendations and to initiate a study on the problems of ammunition and explosives. It further asks him to prepare a report, with the assistance of a group of governmental experts to be nominated by him in 1998 on the basis of equitable geographic representations, on the progress made in the implementation of those recommendations.

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The draft resolution is sponsored by Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, Germany, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, United Kingdom and United States.

According to a draft text on regional confidence-building measures (document A/C.1/52/L.6), the Assembly would invite the States members of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa that have not yet signed the Non-Aggression Pact to do so, and it would encourage all member States to expedite ratification in order to contribute to the prevention of conflicts in the Central African subregion.

The Assembly would welcome the Committee's programmes, which are designed, among other objectives, to set up an early-warning system for Central Africa, to retrain demobilized soldiers and prepare them for reintegration into civilian life, and combat the illegal circulation of weapons and drugs in the subregion. It would express its conviction that the full implementation of such measures would promote confidence and the establishment of democracy and good governance in the region.

The draft resolution is sponsored by Gabon, on behalf of the States members of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa.

By the terms of a text on strengthening security and cooperation in the Mediterranean region (document A/C.1/52/L.36/Rev.1), the Assembly would call upon all States of the region to adhere to all the multilaterally negotiated legal instruments related to disarmament and non-proliferation, thus creating the necessary conditions for strengthening peace and cooperation in the region.

The Assembly would encourage those States to build confidence among themselves by promoting genuine openness and transparency on all military matters by participating in, among other things, the United Nations system for standardized reporting of military expenditures and by providing accurate data to the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms.

It would also encourage the Mediterranean countries to further strengthen their cooperation in combating terrorism, which posed a serious threat to regional peace, security and stability, and therefore, to the improvement of the current political, economic and social situation.

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[The revised draft resolution adds a preambular paragraph, which now appears as the eighth preambular paragraph, as follows: "Noting the peace negotiations in the Middle East, which should be of a comprehensive nature and represent an appropriate framework for the peaceful settlement of contentious issues in the region",]

The draft resolution is sponsored by Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Luxembourg, Malta, Mauritania, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tunisia, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

According to the terms of a draft resolution on the role of the United Nations in disarmament (document A/C.1/52/L.42/Rev.1), the Assembly would reiterate that nuclear disarmament has the highest priority in efforts to universally advance disarmament. It would underline the necessity to promote disarmament and regulate armaments on the basis of negotiations reflecting the security interests of all States, and it would reiterate that the adoption and implementation of disarmament measures should take place in an equitable and balanced manner.

The Assembly would reaffirm its support for the United Nations machinery on disarmament and it would reaffirm that the Conference on Disarmament was the sole multilateral negotiating body on disarmament. It would affirm its support for the objectives of nuclear and conventional disarmament, as set out at the first special session devoted to disarmament, and it would also affirm that the implementation of international disarmament treaties and questions of compliance should be carried out in accordance with the provisions of those treaties.

[The revised draft resolution deletes the first preambular paragraph contained in the original text concerning consideration of the Secretary- General's report entitled "Renewing the United Nations: a programme for reform" and the proposals contained therein concerning the restructuring of the United Nations Secretariat dealing with disarmament.]

The draft resolution is sponsored by India, Iran, Mexico, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan.

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Statements

AKIRA HAYASHI (Japan), introduced the revised draft resolution on small arms (A/C.1/52/L.27/Rev.1). He said that the co-sponsors tried to accommodate the views of delegations in order to achieve consensus on the draft. Subsequently, a revision was agreed, adding a new fifth preambular paragraph concerning the right of self-determination, which reads as follows: "Reaffirming also the right of self-determination of all peoples, in particular peoples under colonial or other forms of alien domination or foreign occupation, and the importance of the effective realization of this right, as enunciated, inter alia, in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights on 25 June 1993,".

He said that the same paragraph appeared as the fourth preambular paragraph in an Assembly resolution adopted two years ago by an overwhelming majority.

MUNIR AKRAM (Pakistan), drawing attention to the revised draft on the role of the United Nations in disarmament (A/C.1/52/L.42/Rev.1), said that the first preambular paragraph referring to the Secretary-General's reform report, had been deleted. The text should be examined on its own merits. The co-sponsors were open to any suggested improvements to the text.

Concerning the draft on small arms (A/C.1/52/L.27/Rev.1), he said that the re-insertion of the reference to the principle of self-defence and self- determination had considerably ameliorated the difficulties confronted by his delegation regarding the Secretary-General's report and some of the recommendations of the Panel of Governmental Experts on Small Arms.

He said that one remaining problem concerned operative paragraph 1, which endorsed the recommendations of the Panel. In order to safeguard his position and support the draft, he suggested the addition of the following words at the end of operative paragraph 1, so that the paragraph would read as follows: "Endorses the recommendations contained in the report on small arms, which was approved unanimously by the Panel of Governmental Experts on Small Arms, bearing in mind the principles referred to above and the views of Member States expressed on the recommendations,". That addition safeguarded the position of those delegations which had some reservations on the Panel's recommendations.

Mr. HAYASHI (Japan) said that given the proposal made by the representative of Pakistan to amend the draft on small arms and in accordance with the rules of procedure, the action on the text would be taken up tomorrow. He requested that the proposed amendment be distributed in written form, and called for a meeting of the draft's co-sponsors later in the day.

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Action on Texts

The representative of Algeria introduced the revision to the draft on strengthening security and cooperation in the Mediterranean region (A/C.1/52/L.36/Rev.1). He said the co-sponsors had agreed to include the eighth preambular paragraph, which noted the peace negotiations in the Middle East, in the hope that the draft could be adopted without a vote.

The draft on strengthening security and cooperation in the Mediterranean region (A/C.1/52/L.36/Rev.1) was approved without a vote.

Speaking in explanation of his position, the representative of Israel said he was satisfied that the important draft resolution had been adopted without a vote. The draft had been in existence for several years, and could remain as one that drew consensus as long as it took into account the realities of the security situation in the region. He expressed reservations about operative paragraph 5, which called on all States of the Mediterranean region that have not done so to adhere to all the multilaterally negotiated legal instruments related to the field of disarmament. That paragraph did not take into account views of individual States.

The representative of Iran said he supported the basic thrust of the draft resolution on security in the Mediterranean region. However, he had reservations about the eighth preambular paragraph, which noted the peace negotiations in the Middle East. He did not believe that the current peace process would lead to the fulfilment of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, or to lasting peace in the region.

The Committee the approved, without a vote, the draft resolution on regional confidence-building measures (A/C.1/52/L.6).

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