SENIOR OFFICIALS FROM MEXICO AND GERMANY ADDRESS CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT
Press Release
DCF/365
SENIOR OFFICIALS FROM MEXICO AND GERMANY ADDRESS CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT
19990325 President of Conference Notes First Part Of Session is Closing Without Agreement on Programme of Work(Reissued as received.)
GENEVA, 25 March (UN Information Service) -- The Conference on Disarmament this morning heard statements from the Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Mexico and the Commissioner of the Federal Government for Disarmament and Arms Control of Germany on nuclear disarmament and other issues of importance to the Conference.
Both officials expressed concern and disappointment at the lack of progress within the Conference during the first part of the session and its inability to achieve a consensus on its programme of work.
Nguyen Qui Binh, the President of the Conference and the representative of Viet Nam, said the Conference had reached the end of the first part of its session without translating its agenda into a programme of work. Neither the intensive efforts of his two predecessors nor his own attempts at developing a common approach on how to deal with the two outstanding issues -- nuclear disarmament and prevention of an arms race in outer space -- had yet resulted in a formula which was acceptable to all.
He hoped the Member States of the Conference would all make full use of the inter-sessional period to intensify concentration with a view to bridging the divergence of views. The delegations could also rest assured that he would spare no effort to explore all avenues to allow the Conference to play its role as the sole, multilateral forum for disarmament negotiations.
Carmen Moreno, Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Mexico, said the Group of 21, of which Mexico was a member, had tabled proposals for the establishment of a subsidiary body of the Conference to deal with nuclear disarmament and had shown flexibility regarding its characteristics and mandate. It was difficult to understand the continuing refusal to deal with nuclear disarmament as though it were the exclusive responsibility or concern of certain States alone.
Ms. Moreno also said that since it would appear that no one was opposed to an Ad Hoc Committee on fissile material commencing its work, it was high time for negotiations -- the raison d'être of the Conference -- to begin.
Rudiger Hartmann, Commissioner of the Federal Government for Disarmament and Arms Control of Germany, said his country believed that whether the Conference on Disarmament would be able to play a role at the turn of the new millennium would depend on its ability to effectively address the topical issue of nuclear weapons. In the future, the Conference would also have to address the problem of conventional weapons which were killing hundreds of men, women and children every day in the world's crisis areas.
Mr. Hartmann said the most important and immediate contribution that the Conference could now make to fostering nuclear disarmament was to start negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty. This treaty would make a contribution not only to nuclear non-proliferation but also to nuclear disarmament.
The representatives of the Netherlands and Turkey also addressed the Conference.
The next plenary of the Conference on Disarmament will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, 26 March. The President of China, Jiang Zemin, will address that meeting.
Statements
CARMEN MORENO, Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Mexico, renewed her Government's concern not only over the lack of progress in disarmament since last year, but also over the new concerns that had arisen and the strains that had been placed on previous accomplishments.
Ms. Moreno said the risk of nuclear weapons being used by accident, through miscalculation, or without authorization, had not diminished but rather had increased. Additional States had demonstrated nuclear weapon capability, at the expense of the respective international non-proliferation regime whose universality and strengthening were indispensable for international security. The outlook on the issue of nuclear disarmament was not encouraging, especially due to the continuing refusal to deal with it multilaterally with the depth and rigour it deserved. At the same time, the perception that negotiations on the reduction of nuclear stockpiles were paralysed as well as the prospect of the indefinite possession of those weapons could in the end weaken the international community's accomplishments not only regarding non-proliferation of nuclear weapons but also in relation to the total elimination of other weapons of mass destruction.
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The Group of 21, of which Mexico was a member, had tabled proposals for the establishment of a subsidiary body of the Conference to deal with nuclear disarmament and had shown flexibility regarding its characteristics and mandate. Ms. Moreno noted, however, that it was difficult to understand the continuing refusal to deal with nuclear disarmament as though it were the exclusive responsibility or concern of certain States alone.
A treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, on the basis of the Special Coordinator's report and the mandate contained therein, was one measure in the pursuance of nuclear disarmament, Ms. Moreno said. This treaty should be a true and urgent non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament measure. It was impossible to reach consensus on its scope or to even approach a clear idea on the technical complexities unless negotiations began. Since it would appear that no one was opposed to the Ad Hoc Committee on fissile material commencing its work, it was high time for negotiations -- the raison d'être of the Conference -- to begin.
Ms. Moreno said the Conference should speedily finalize the examination of the Ad Hoc Committee's mandate on the prevention of an arms race in outer space with a view to re-establishing it in this session. The Conference should also re-establish the Ad Hoc Committee on arrangements to assure non-nuclear weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons. Mexico believed it was also necessary to redouble efforts to conclude at the earliest possible date the work of the Ad Hoc Group on a protocol for the verification of the Convention on the Prohibition of Biological Weapons. At the same time, Mexico also believed that the Conference lacked the necessary expertise and decision-making mechanisms to deal with the topics of small arms and light weapons and the transfer of anti-personnel landmines.
In conclusion, Ms. Moreno said paralysis in the Conference was worrying but not surprising. Progress in the disarmament field could only be made if States in their reciprocal relations renounced the threat or use of force, except in cases set forth in the United Nations Charter, and conducted themselves in accordance with generally accepted principles and rules of international law and strengthened the institutions that the international community had set up to maintain peace and international security.
RUDIGER HARTMANN, Commissioner of the Federal Government for Disarmament and Arms Control of Germany, said his country was disappointed that it had not been possible to come to an agreement on the Conference on Disarmament's programme of work during the first part of this year's session due to controversies on nuclear issues. This was most unfortunate. Germany believed that whether the Conference would be able to play a role at the turn of the new millennium would depend on its ability to effectively address the topical issue of nuclear weapons. In the future, it would also have to address the
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problem of conventional weapons which were killing hundreds of men, women and children every day in the world's crises areas.
Nuclear non-proliferation and the reduction of nuclear weapons remained high on the German Government's list of priorities, in particular after the very discomforting and dangerous developments which took place in this field last year, Mr. Hartmann said. Germany had long supported the idea of creating a mechanism allowing a structured exchange of information and views on nuclear disarmament. Germany and a number of countries had proposed that an Ad Hoc working group be created to consider the shape of this exchange.
Mr. Hartmann said the most important and immediate contribution that the Conference could now make to fostering nuclear disarmament was to start negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty. This treaty would make a contribution not only to nuclear non-proliferation but also to nuclear disarmament. It must be non-discriminatory. Effective verification of the treaty would be based on the requirement that the verification regime must provide a high level of assurance against contravention. Verification costs must also be reasonable. At the same time, since previous progress in nuclear disarmament had led to the existence of considerable stockpiles of fissile material in excess of military needs, States in possession of such stockpiles should commit themselves to measures which would enhance transparency and foster the irreversible reduction of such stockpiles. In the meantime, States concerned which had not yet done so should stop any further production of fissile material and apply safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency to excess material. Finally, it should be possible to adapt the provisions of the cut-off treaty to deal with changing conditions.
Another important arms control effort under way in Geneva, though outside the scope of the Conference, was the negotiation of a verification protocol to the Biological Weapons Convention. Mr. Hartmann said the time had come to make sure that biological weapons, which in the future might constitute the greatest threat to mankind, were reliably and effectively banned at the beginning of the next millennium.
Anti-personnel landmines and light arms were also two subjects of interest to the Conference, Mr. Hartmann said. Germany supported strongly the establishment of an Ad Hoc Committee on anti-personnel landmines by the Conference, and an early start to negotiations banning their transfer. Such an agreement would of course have to be fully compatible with the Ottawa Convention and should strengthen its objectives. The excessive and uncontrolled accumulation and spread of small arms and light weapons posed a threat to peace and security and reduced the prospects for sustainable development in many regions of the world. The problem required a concerted and comprehensive approach. The European Union had adopted a Joint Action on small arms and light weapons last December and had committed itself to combatting any destabilizing accumulation and spread of them.
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In conclusion, Mr. Hartmann appealed to all delegations in the Conference to cooperate in a spirit of compromise and flexibility in order to agree on a work programme and to make it operational at the beginning of its spring session.
The representative of the Netherlands informed the Conference that his Government had deposited on 23 March its instrument of ratification for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) with the Secretary-General of the United Nations. It had also completed the procedures for parliamentary approval of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction. The Netherlands expected to deposit its instrument of ratification with the Secretary-General in the next few weeks. The Netherlands was also expected in the coming days to deposit in New York its consent to be bound by the Protocols II and IV of the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.
The representative of Turkey said that the two distinguished speakers from Mexico and Germany had reminded the delegations that the Conference had still not re-established an Ad Hoc Committee on negotiating a fissile material cut-off treaty (FMCT) and had exhausted 10 weeks of negotiations without result, and his country wished to associate itself with these sentiments. The delicate compromises which had been reached after painstaking efforts should not be sacrificed for linkages which had proved to be unproductive. Turkey urged all delegations to show a spirit of compromise and flexibility in order that negotiations on an FMCT could start.
NGUYEN QUI BINH, the President of the Conference and representative of Viet Nam, said the Conference had reached the end of the first part of its session without translating its agenda into a programme of work. Neither the intensive efforts of his two predecessors nor his own attempts at developing a common approach on how to deal with the two outstanding issues -- nuclear disarmament and prevention of an arms race in outer space -- had yet resulted in a formula which was acceptable to all. All delegations knew the difficulties the Conference was facing. What was required now was for all to make full use of the inter-sessional period to intensify concentration with a view to bridging the divergence of views. The delegations could also rest assured that he would spare no effort to explore all avenues to allow the Conference to play its role as the sole, multilateral forum for disarmament negotiations.
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