REPRESENTATIVES OF IRELAND, UNITED KINGDOM AND CHINA ADDRESS STALEMATE IN WORK OF CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT
Press Release
DCF/369
REPRESENTATIVES OF IRELAND, UNITED KINGDOM AND CHINA ADDRESS STALEMATE IN WORK OF CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT
19990528 (Reissued as received.)GENEVA, 27 May (UN Information Service) -- Representatives of Ireland, the United Kingdom and China this morning addressed the stalemate in the work of the Conference on Disarmament which was half-way through its 1999 session, calling for a convergence of positions so that the body could start its substantive work.
Stephen Gomersall, Director of International Security of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom, expressed the serious disappointment and regret of his country that the Conference found itself without a work programme for 1999 and faced the prospect of a third unproductive and wasted year. He urged delegations to give serious consideration to the joint proposal on a programme of work suggested by the United States, the United Kingdom and France last week.
The representative of Ireland said the present stalemate in the Conference on Disarmament simply could not be allowed to continue because the opportunity cost to the international community was too high and the damage to the credibility of the Conference was too great. The real political choice lay between continuing to seek a comprehensive package or living with something more modest.
The representative of China said the Conference had crossed the half-way mark of this year's session, but it still had not been able to agree on its programme of work because of divergent views on two agenda items: nuclear disarmament and prevention of an arms race in outer space. He said cold war mentality still lingered on and power politics manifested themselves from time to time. The tendency towards closer military alliance was on the rise and new forms of "gunboat policy" were rampant. An example was the wanton bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia by the military alliance that was led by one super-Power. This was an outright military intervention against a sovereign State.
The incoming President of the Conference, Ambassador Mohamed-Salah Dembri of Algeria, said he had already started a procedure of intensive consultation to
foster a consensus on the programme of work of the Conference on the basis of all proposals on the floor. The presidency was aware that agreement on the programme of work needed preparation of a balanced compromise with regard to mechanisms which dealt with nuclear disarmament and prevention of an arms race in outer space. The President would seek to find one that was acceptable to all which would enable the Conference to start its substantive work. He would seek the assistance of the delegations and would depend on their flexibility and willingness so that headway and progress could be made on this difficult task.
Mr. Dembri said this morning the Conference had heard words of worry, anxiety and misgivings from speakers, because substantive work had not commenced. This all depended on the political will of the members of the Conference.
The next plenary of the Conference on Disarmament will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 3 June 1999.
Statements
MOHAMED-SALAH DEMBRI (Algeria), incoming President of the Conference, said the work of the Conference was taking place in an historic context which was open to objective and dynamic realities. At the same time, challenges should stimulate the action of the Conference and should not hamper it. Today, the Conference had concluded 12 weeks of work, half of its 1999 session, but it was still unable to agree on a programme of work to enable it to move towards substantive work. Mr. Dembri said the valuable and continuous efforts of his predecessors had not been able to resolve the situation. However, the intensive dialogue which had taken place carried within itself a possible breakthrough if three elements could be agreed upon: necessary enhanced understanding by members of the Conference of their own positions and those of other delegations on all items before the Conference; a rich supply of background documentation made up of specific proposals on certain items which offered tracks, choices and options for negotiations; and a clear awareness that it was urgent that the Conference devote itself to negotiating substantive work to fulfil its mandate. He would try to capitalize on these three points, but he would need the support of all members, as well as their spirit of compromise.
He said he would hold the most wide-ranging and open consultations and would focus his work on the following guidelines: to continue to make efforts on the basis of progress and achievements made by his predecessors in the area of decision-making; and to work on all proposals and options in the difficult exercise to search for a consensus. It was recognized that the Conference on Disarmament was a receptacle of events and complicated trends which all left an impact on it, including the work of other disarmament bodies. Members of the Conference must agree and begin substantive work so this body in turn could send out strong political signals to the international community.
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ANNE ANDERSON (Ireland) said the present stalemate in the Conference on Disarmament simply could not be allowed to continue because the opportunity cost to the international community was too high and the damage to the credibility of the Conference was too great. The real political choice lay between continuing to seek a comprehensive package or living with something more modest.
On the issue of nuclear disarmament, Ms. Anderson said there was no shortage of proposals for the establishment of a mechanism on this question. Notwithstanding Ireland's strong support for the establishment of a mechanism, the current realities had to be acknowledged. The fact was that a small number of States rejected the establishment of a meaningful mechanism on nuclear disarmament. Despite the cross regional support for such a mechanism, despite the assurances that its deliberations on nuclear disarmament would not impinge on the bilateral nuclear disarmament process, despite the safeguards provided by the rule of consensus in the Conference, and despite a continual lowering of ambitions in relation to the scope of work on nuclear disarmament, a consensus had not so far proved attainable.
Ireland welcomed the important proposal by the United States, the United Kingdom and France, and particularly the spirit of compromise it sought to convey. Ms. Anderson said that, with further clarification and dialogue, it might prove possible to build on this latest proposal in a way which held promise of meaningful progress. Ireland was conscious of the importance of not risking the discussions on the handling of nuclear disarmament in the interest of securing an early overall package. This issue was of such central importance that the Conference had to make every effort to achieve a meaningful approach acceptable to all delegations. However, if very early agreement was not forthcoming, there was much to be said for launching negotiations on work in those areas where consensus already existed while continuing to seek consensus on the handling of nuclear disarmament in parallel.
Ms. Anderson said there appeared to be four areas on which a clear consensus already existed and which could form components of a relatively modest package. On the issue of fissile material negotiations, the negotiation of a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) would inevitably have to take into account wider issues relevant to the future path towards the elimination of nuclear weapons. The proposed work programme presented by the United States, the United Kingdom and France suggested that once established, the Ad Hoc Committee on this question should not rely on an annual re-authorization, but should remain in existence until its work was completed. However, Ireland believed that under the current conditions in the Conference and given the deep seated differences over the work programme, it might be preferable to resume discussion of this general principle under the guidance of the relevant Special Coordinator.
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On security assurances, Ms. Anderson said that, while Ireland shared the scepticism of some about the potential usefulness of work on this issue in this forum, there would appear to be a consensus within the Conference to re-establish this committee. There was no opposition to the appointment of Special Coordinators on the review of the agenda of the Conference, its improved and efficient functioning and the expansion of its membership. There would also appear to be a continuing consensus in the Conference on the appointment of a Special Coordinator on transparency in armaments.
Ms. Anderson said Ireland supported the re-appointment of a Special Coordinator on anti-personnel landmines if work in this area served to assist the universalization of the Ottawa Convention. Ireland also believed the Conference should embark on the negotiation of a convention on the non- weaponization of outer space as proposed by Canada and looked forward to early agreement on the appointment of a Special Coordinator on outer space whose consultations should facilitate the early establishment of an ad hoc committee. And finally, on the proposal to admit Ecuador, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Malaysia and Tunisia, Ireland strongly hoped that an agreement on the programme of work of the Conference would be accompanied by a decision to admit the five States and would simultaneously agree on the appointment of a new Special Coordinator to undertake consultations on the future expansion of the Conference.
STEPHEN GOMERSALL, Director of International Security of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom, expressed the serious disappointment and regret of his country that the Conference found itself without a work programme for 1999 and faced the prospect of a third unproductive and wasted year. After many months of painstaking consultations, the Conference last summer had struck a compromise which enabled it to make a start on substantive work. But this year, the carefully wrought compromise was discarded and the wrangling began all over again. The United Kingdom sought to engage constructively to rebuild the consensus which had been so carelessly thrown away. He urged delegations to give serious consideration to the joint proposal on a programme of work by the United States, the United Kingdom and France.
Mr. Gomersall said the United Kingdom was committed to the immediate start and early conclusion of negotiations on an FMCT. Such a treaty would put a worldwide, verifiable and legally binding end to such production. The United Kingdom refuted claims that this was useless.
Turning to nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, Mr. Gomersall said the United Kingdom was committed to the goal of nuclear disarmament and had made clear that, when satisfied with progress towards this, it would ensure that its remaining nuclear weapons were included in multilateral negotiations.
On the issue of conventional disarmament issues, Mr. Gomersall said conventional arms -- anti-personnel landmines, small arms and light weapons --
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were, without doubt, the real killers of today. The Conference was in a prime position to help strengthen existing international instruments against the use, production and export of anti-personnel landmines. Since the United Kingdom recognized that the establishment of an ad hoc committee appeared to be out of reach for the time being, it supported calls for the re-appointment of a Special Coordinator on anti-personnel landmines. The United Kingdom also fully supported the re-appointment of a Special Coordinator -- in the absence of an ad hoc committee -- on transparency in armaments. The United Kingdom also emphasized the importance of the early, successful conclusion of an effective Protocol to strengthen the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.
Mr. Gomersall said that, in conclusion, the United Kingdom was firmly committed to playing its full part in national, regional and international efforts to promote non-proliferation and disarmament. The outstanding agenda of pressing issues in the Conference on Disarmament needed to be addressed urgently as the stakes were too high for the Conference to delay any longer before delivering on its mandate.
LI CHANGHE (China) said the Conference had crossed the half-way mark of this year's session, but it still had not been able to agree on its programme of work because of divergent views on two agenda items: nuclear disarmament and prevention of an arms race in outer space. The impasse reflected the profound divergence over substantive issues among relevant countries or country groups. Just as humans could not breathe in vacuum, the work of the Conference could not be isolated from the overall international security environment.
Mr. Li said that after the conclusion of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test- Ban Treaty (CTBT), it had been expected that negotiations on an FMCT would commence and progress could be made on other important disarmament issues as well, especially nuclear disarmament. Unfortunately, the momentum of improving world peace and security had not been kept as expected. Cold war mentality still lingered on and power politics manifested themselves from time to time. The tendency towards closer military alliance was on the rise and new forms of "gunboat policy" were rampant.
Mr. Li said he was referring to the wanton bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia by the military alliance that was led by one super- Power. This was an outright military intervention against a sovereign State. It not only undermined peace in the Balkans, but also upset tranquillity of the world. This military bloc, a typical product of the cold war, had been further expanded. In carrying on with the air strike against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, this bloc declared its "new strategic concept", thus transforming itself from a defensive military organization to a military one of offensive nature which could extend its military operation to areas beyond its borders ad use military force against any country without authorization of the United Nations. Under such circumstances, countries which were outside
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the military alliance would be deprived of basic security. It was more than clear that the practice of hegemonism, power politics and gunboat policy would not only seriously jeopardize world peace and development, but also directly undermined or even reversed international arms control and the disarmament process.
Mr. Li said that China had all along held the view that only just, reasonable and balanced international arms control and disarmament could genuinely promote global peace, security and stability. However, some countries tried through every means to limit and reduce the armaments of other States under the cover of arms control and disarmament. At the same time, they never ceased to arm themselves with more advanced military technology and equipment.
Currently, the significant divergence on the position of the Conference on nuclear disarmament and prevention of an arms race in outer space reflected the different stands of various countries on the objectives and purposes of disarmament, Mr. Li said. Members were for the re-establishment of an ad hoc committee to negotiate an FMCT so as to promote nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation. At the same time, many others were of the view that the Conference should also take appropriate action on nuclear disarmament and prevention of an arms race in outer space by establishing necessary working mechanisms accordingly, such as ad hoc committees or working groups with appropriate mandates. It was regrettable that up to now, this just and reasonable demand had been ignored by some countries, and, in particular, only one delegation opposed the re-establishment of the Ad Hoc Committee on the prevention of an arms race in outer space. Many delegations, including the Chinese delegation, believed that the importance of nuclear disarmament and prevention of an arms race in outer space were no less than that of an FMCT. All the agenda items were interrelated, and the issue of the programme of work of the Conference should be addressed as a whole. Singling out any one of the items while excluding the others was unjustified and unhelpful.
Mr. DEMBRI (Algeria), the incoming President, said he had already started a procedure of intensive consultation to foster a consensus on the programme of work of the Conference on the basis of all proposals on the floor. The presidency was aware that agreement on the programme of work needed preparation of a balanced compromise with regard to mechanisms which dealt with nuclear disarmament and prevention of an arms race in outer space. The President would seek to find one that was acceptable to all which would enable the Conference to start its substantive work. He would seek the assistance of the delegations and would depend on their flexibility and willingness so that headway and progress could be made on this difficult task. This morning, the Conference had heard words of worry, anxiety and misgivings from speakers because substantive work had not commenced. This all depended on the political will of the members of the Conference.
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