CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT HEARS STATEMENTS ON SMALL ARMS TRAFFICKING, LANDMINES, WORK PROGRAMME
Press Release
DCF/328
CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT HEARS STATEMENTS ON SMALL ARMS TRAFFICKING, LANDMINES, WORK PROGRAMME
19980316 (Reissued as received.)GENEVA, 12 March (UN Information Service) -- The Conference on Disarmament this morning heard addresses from Colombia and China on a variety of issues relating to the Conference's role and work. It also listened to a statement read out by the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, Vladimir Petrovsky, on behalf of the Women for Peace Working Group on the occasion of International Women's Day.
The Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Colombia, Camilo Reyes Rodriguez, raised the issue of small arms, which he said destabilized societies and sheltered terrorism, drugs and mercenary activities, and also violated human rights. Small arms were a subject which must continue to be dealt with in multilateral forums, and the Conference should initiate an open mechanism to stop this illicit traffic.
Li Changhe, the representative of China, spoke about anti-personnel landmines, saying that if all parties concerned agreed to the reappointment of a Special Coordinator on the item, China would go along with that. However, a balance should be struck between humanitarian concerns and legitimate requirements of sovereign States for self-defence. Landmines remained an indispensable defensive weapon for many countries and China could not but reserve its legitimate right to use anti-personnel landmines on its own territory.
Mr. Petrovsky, reading out a statement by the Women for Peace Working Group, said that the level of global military spending remained an unacceptable diversion of the world's resources, which must be better allocated to facilitate peace and security. The statement said that because disarmament was of particular importance in that process, the Conference was an essential organ in the work for peace and security.
The representatives of Venezuela, Turkey, and Belarus, speaking on behalf of the Group of 21, the Western Group and the Eastern European Regional Group respectively, and China thanked the Director-General and the women's non-governmental organization.
Statements
VLADIMIR PETROVSKY, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva and Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament, read out a statement to the Conference by the Women for Peace Working Group. It said that the level of global military spending remained an unacceptable diversion of the world's resources, which must be better allocated to facilitate peace and security. Disarmament was of particular importance in that process, and the Conference was an essential organ in the work for peace and security.
The statement by the non-governmental organization called upon the Conference on Disarmament to take steps towards nuclear disarmament. The statement renewed the call for the Conference to establish an ad hoc committee on nuclear disarmament to begin concrete negotiations on a nuclear weapons convention. There was also an urgent need to begin negotiations on the prevention of an arms race in outer space, and the Conference should re-establish the ad hoc committee on that item during its 1998 session. The statement also underlined that the world could not live in security while arms continued to pose a concrete threat to the right to peace; while the existence of anti-personnel landmines made it impossible to live without fear of physical and mental harm; and while biological and chemical weapons, as well as nuclear weapons and waste posed an ongoing threat to people's lives.
The representatives of Venezuela, speaking for the Group of 21, Turkey for the Western Group, Belarus on behalf of the Group of Eastern European countries, and China expressed their gratitude to non-governmental organizations for their statement on the occasion of International Women's Day. They congratulated women throughout the world who had dedicated their efforts to peace and development and thanked them for their interest in the work of the Conference on Disarmament.
CAMILO REYES RODRIGUEZ, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Colombia, said it was necessary to recognize that while the positions of delegations in the Conference were quite often in conflict, owing to the complexity and sensitivity of the subjects, the Conference could not neglect its responsibility to make progress on essential issues.
Mr. Reyes Rodriguez stressed the need to coordinate humanitarian work to deal with the effects of anti-personnel landmines. The path of the Conference went in parallel with the Ottawa process to reach a universal ban on landmines. Several States which had not ratified the Ottawa Convention could be brought into this process through the Conference. Regional initiatives, too, could be very useful. However, it was necessary to ensure that the treatment of the issue of landmines did not jeopardize the rules established by the Ottawa Convention.
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On the issue of small arms, which Colombia considered of major importance, Mr. Reyes Rodriguez said that the illicit traffic in and widespread use of small arms made it costly and difficult to control them. There had been suggestions to hold an international conference on illicit trade, which would help create public awareness on the need to deal with this problem. Small arms destabilized societies and sheltered terrorism, drug trafficking and mercenary activities, thus violating human rights. Small arms were a subject which must continue to be dealt with in multilateral forums, and the Conference should initiate an open mechanism to stop such illicit trafficking.
Colombia believed that the wealth of documents produced by the Ad Hoc Committee on the prevention of an arms race in outer space could help to rapidly elaborate a regime which would prohibit such an arms race. A comprehensive regime needed a verification protocol and measures to foster confidence-building and transparency. Colombia supported the re-establishment of the ad hoc committee on that issue.
Mr. Reyes Rodriguez then moved on to the issue of nuclear disarmament, saying that if nuclear disarmament was perceived as an act of political will which must commit States to dismantle their nuclear arsenals, then it was evident that this would require resolute decisions by the highest officials in those States. The process of nuclear disarmament also implied the resolute leadership of the United Nations. Colombia supported the establishment of an ad hoc committee on that issue. He said the credibility of the Conference lay in the work of that Committee, which should be given a negotiating mandate.
Mr. Reyes Rodriguez stressed the importance of transparency in armaments, and appealed to all States to support the holding of a fourth special session of the General Assembly on disarmament in the near future.
LI CHANGHE (China) said that the international situation was still undergoing profound changes, marked by a growing trend towards multi-polarization and a widespread aspiration for peace and development. At the same time, the daunting challenges and the arduous task in the field of disarmament and security remained a reality of the Conference's agenda. Despite the fact that the cold war had receded into history, the world was still haunted by the spectre of the cold war mentality. China, however, always pursued an independent foreign policy of peace and advocated genuine disarmament through the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, the prohibition of the development of outer space weapons, and a reasonable reduction of conventional weapons.
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Mr. Li noted that for more than a year, the Conference had been unable to reach consensus on its next objective for arms control and disarmament. Despite criticism, China believed that the Conference retained its irreplaceable status and role, and that any attempt to weaken or replace it was not conducive to progress in disarmament, world peace and security.
On the issue of nuclear disarmament, Mr. Li expressed China's hope that a commonly acceptable formula could be found to address and discuss nuclear disarmament in the Conference on the basis of a full exchange of views. Concerning the fissile material cut-off treaty, China maintained that its conclusion would be conducive to the prevention of nuclear proliferation and the promotion of nuclear disarmament. China supported negotiations on a cut-off convention in the Conference, on the basis of the mandate contained in the Shannon report.
Concerning the prevention of an arms race in outer space, Mr. Li said that this was a topical and urgent issue. China maintained that the Conference should re-establish the ad hoc committee on prevention of an arms race in outer space. It also supported the appointment of a special coordinator as the first step.
China believed that the great number of non-nuclear States were completely reasonable and justified in seeking negative security assurances. It supported the early establishment of a negative security assurances ad hoc committee to negotiate and conclude an international legal instrument.
On the issue of anti-personnel landmines, Mr. Li said that if all parties concerned agreed to the reappointment of a special coordinator for this item, China would go along with that. However, a balance should be struck between humanitarian concerns and the legitimate requirements of sovereign States for self-defence. Landmines remained an indispensable defensive weapon for many countries, and China could not but reserve its legitimate right to use anti-personnel landmines on its own territory to establish defensive capabilities until alternative means could be found.
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