UNITED STATES, UNITED KINGDOM, FRANCE PROPOSE DRAFT PROGRAMME OF WORK FOR CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT
Press Release
DCF/368
UNITED STATES, UNITED KINGDOM, FRANCE PROPOSE DRAFT PROGRAMME OF WORK FOR CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT
19990521 (Reissued as received.)GENEVA, 20 May (UN Information Service) -- The United States, the United Kingdom and France today proposed a draft programme of work for the Conference on Disarmament which could allow the world's sole multilateral forum for disarmament negotiations to start its substantive work.
The draft programme of work would re-establish ad hoc committees on negative security assurances and nuclear disarmament. It proposed that the ad hoc committee which would negotiate a non-discriminatory, multilateral and internationally and effectively verifiable treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices would meet in successive sessions of the Conference until its work was completed, without the need for annual reauthorization.
The proposal would also reappoint special coordinators for the prevention of an arms race in outer space; a comprehensive programme of disarmament; transparency in armaments; review of the agenda of the Conference; expansion of the membership of the Conference; and improved and effective functioning of the Conference.
The sponsors also proposed a presidential declaration in which the President of the Conference would note that agenda item 1 entitled "Cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament" was of an extremely high priority. He would conclude that it was essential to substantially intensify consultations on this agenda item under his authority with a view to reaching consensus on how to deal with this issue.
In introducing the draft, the representative of the United States said the sponsors commended the proposal to members of the Conference and asked them to give it active study and reflection. They hoped the proposal would soon be the basis for general agreement so the Conference could proceed with its paramount task: negotiating multilateral arms control and disarmament agreements for which consensus existed, while taking appropriate account of the capabilities, strengths and experience of the Conference in conducting such negotiations and bringing them to a successful conclusion.
The representative of France said the proposal had been prepared in a spirit of continuity, pragmatism, openness and compromise, thus, it only imperfectly met the priorities of his country. For example, France believed in the importance of establishing an ad hoc committee on the prevention of an arms race in outer space. However, in the spirit of compromise, it would support a special coordinator on the question. France hoped that the proposal with its spirit of compromise would receive the support of the Conference because it was time to start work.
The representatives of Romania, Ukraine, Australia, Poland, Slovakia, Turkey and Bulgaria expressed the support of their countries for the proposed programme of work.
The outgoing President of the Conference, Ambassador Nguyen Quy Binh of Viet Nam, said he and his predecessors had all concentrated their efforts on the programme of work. The two points that had been preventing agreement were an appropriate mechanism to deal with nuclear disarmament and the issue of the prevention of an arms race in outer space. Despite the difficulties and differences, there had been serious efforts from every corner of the Conference to try to move the situation and bring the members to substantive work. From the point of view of the presidency, these efforts should continue.
The President said the Conference today had a proposal before it. He hoped that intensive concentration on it would continue. He thanked all delegations for their cooperation and support, and wished his successor, Ambassador Mohamed-Salah Dembri of Algeria, the best of luck.
The next plenary of the Conference on Disarmament will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 27 May.
Draft Proposals
According to the draft presidential declaration (based on CD/1500), as proposed by the United States, the United Kingdom and France, the President of the Conference would state that after having identified agenda item 1 entitled "Cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament" as being of an extremely high priority, and in the light of the intensive consultations on this item held by successive presidents in the course of 1998 following the President's Declaration made on 26 March 1998 (CD/1500), the President concluded that it was essential substantially to intensify such consultations under his authority by using all possibilities, including the assistance of the outgoing and the incoming presidents, in a strengthened, more structured and more transparent way, with a view to reaching consensus on how to deal with this item, taking into account current efforts and all existing proposals and views.
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The presidency was, thus, willing to continue to consider agenda item 1 as its first priority and substantially to intensify its vigorous efforts in this respect, including: by consulting on ways and means of establishing an exchange of information and views within the Conference on endeavours towards nuclear disarmament; by holding informal open-ended consultations at least once during each presidency; by consulting with delegations, including those which had made proposals in respect of agenda item 1 , during each presidency; and by presenting interim reports on these consultations at the end of each presidency and a final report before the conclusion of the 1999 session.
The draft decision on the work programme (based on CD/1566 and CD/1501) would state that the Conference on Disarmament was taking the following decisions:
1. To re-establish for the duration of the 1999 session, the Ad Hoc Committee under agenda item 4 entitled "Effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons", to negotiate with a view to reaching agreement on effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons. These agreements would take the form of an internationally legally binding instrument.
2. To re-establish, under item 1 of the agenda entitled "Cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament", the Ad Hoc Committee to negotiate, on the basis of the report of the Special Coordinator (CD/1299) and the mandate contained therein, a non-discriminatory, multilateral and internationally and effectively verifiable treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. The Ad Hoc Committee should immediately commence negotiations with a view to their early conclusion; it should meet in successive sessions of the Conference until its work was completed, without the need for annual reauthorization.
3. That the presidency shall substantially intensify consultations and seek the view of its members on appropriate methods and approaches for dealing with agenda item 1. 4. To re-appoint a special coordinator under agenda item 3 entitled "Prevention of an arms race in outer space" to seek the views of its members on the most appropriate way to deal with the questions related to this item.
5. To re-appoint a special coordinator under agenda item 6 entitled "Comprehensive programme of disarmament" to seek the views of its members on the most appropriate way to deal with the questions related to anti-personnel landmines, taking into account developments outside the Conference.
6. To re-appoint a special coordinator under agenda item 7 entitled "Transparency in armaments" to seek the views of its members on the most appropriate way to deal with the questions related to this item.
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7. In implementing these decisions, the special coordinators should take into consideration all relevant views and proposals, present and future, and should present early and regular reports on their consultations throughout the session.
8. The taking of these decisions did not prejudge the position of delegations on, or the eventual establishment of, further subsidiary bodies on the issues identified, but reflected agreement to advance the Conference's work with a view to reaching consensus.
9. The Conference also decided to re-appoint special coordinators on the review of its agenda, the expansion of its membership and its improved and effective functioning.
Statements
ROBERT GREY (United States) said that, on behalf of his country, the United Kingdom and France, he would introduce a proposal on the Conference's work programme. The new proposal differed from the old one in two important ways. First, it started with a draft declaration that the President of the Conference would make on the day the Conference proceeded to adopt the decision, in order to clarify and explain the presidency's plans for intense consultations on topics related to nuclear disarmament. The sponsors were proposing these clarifications because they believed the presidency's consultations this year should not be limited to procedural factors. The sponsors were seeking to foster informal dialogue on substantive endeavours leading to nuclear disarmament.
Mr. Grey said that according to the second major improvement, the Conference would decide to re-establish, under item 1 of the agenda entitled "Cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament", the Ad Hoc Committee that would negotiate, on the basis of the report of the Special Coordinator (CD/1299) and the mandate contained therein, a non-discriminatory, unilateral and internationally and effectively verifiable treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. The Conference would then instruct the Ad Hoc Committee to commence negotiations immediately with a view to their early conclusion, and would then go on to decide that the Ad Hoc Committee should meet in successive sessions of the Conference until its work was completed, without the need for annual reauthorization.
He explained that work on the treaty would have to continue during next year's session of the Conference, and many observers predicted that further negotiations would be required in one or more years that followed. It would be irresponsible for the Conference to make limited progress this year, then refrain from returning to the task promptly and energetically when it reconvened next January.
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The sponsors strongly believed that the Conference must take affirmative measures to prevent further delay at the beginning of next year's session for reasons unrelated to the merits of the treaty that all had agreed to negotiate. Mr. Grey said the sponsors commended the proposal to members of the Conference and asked them to give it active study and reflection. They hoped the proposal would soon be the basis for general agreement so the Conference could proceed with its paramount task: negotiating multilateral arms control and disarmament agreements for which consensus existed, while taking appropriate account of the capabilities, strengths, and experience of the Conference in conducting such negotiations and bringing them to a successful conclusion.
PAUL DAHAN (France) said the Conference had not yet been able to adopt a programme of work and had not been able to begin substantive negotiations on disarmament. France supported the proposed programme of work introduced by the United States on behalf of the United Kingdom and his country. The French delegation had been actively involved in preparing the proposal.
Mr. Dahan said the proposal consisted of well-known elements to the Conference. It was characterized by continuity, pragmatism and openness and was inspired by proposals made by successive Presidents of the Conference. At the same time, it had two major innovations. The first was that the proposal answered point by point clarifications asked for by the Group of 21 and others. The second innovation was that the Ad Hoc Committee on a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty would meet in successive sessions of the Conference until its work was completed without the need for annual reauthorization. The purpose of this was to affirm the political priority of the rapid initiation and conclusion of the cut-off Treaty and to avoid mistakes made in the past.
Mr. Dahan said France's disarmament priorities were well-known. However, the proposal had been prepared in a spirit of compromise and, thus, it only imperfectly met the priorities of his country. For example, France believed in the importance of establishing an ad hoc committee on the prevention of an arms race in outer space. However, in the spirit of compromise, it would support a special coordinator on the question. France hoped that the proposal with its spirit of compromise would receive the support of the Conference because it was time to start work.
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