DISARMAMENT COMMISSION FAILS TO AGREE TO SUBSTANTIVE ITEMS FOR INCLUSION IN PROVISIONAL AGENDA OF NEXT SESSION

Press Release
DC/2672

DISARMAMENT COMMISSION FAILS TO AGREE TO SUBSTANTIVE ITEMS FOR INCLUSION IN PROVISIONAL AGENDA OF NEXT SESSION

Organizational Meeting Also Unable to Decide on Dates, Election of Bureau Members: Further Effort to be Made, After Consultations, Early in 2000

The Disarmament Commission, at an organizational meeting this morning, was unable to decide on the substantive items to be considered at its next session. The meeting failed to adopt the provisional agenda for the session, or decide on the dates of the session, or elect the members of its Bureau.

The acting Chairman of the Commission, Angelica Arce de Jeannet (Mexico), proposed that informal consultations on those matters continue and that the Commission meet again in a resumed organizational session by the first two weeks in January.

The dates reserved for the substantive session were 3 to 21 April, 2000. Following a decision taken during the year, the Commission would consider two substantive items, beginning at the next session, rather than three.

On behalf of the European Union, the representative of Finland proposed that the duration of the session be reduced to two weeks instead of three, on an exceptional basis -– from 3 to 14 April -- in order to facilitate the preparation of smaller delegations for the 2000 Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which followed the current schedule of the Disarmament Commission session.

Some delegations had expressed their support for the proposal; others indicated their flexibility and suggested that, in light of the full disarmament calendar next year, the Commission could meet next year at a different time altogether. Still other speakers expressed concern that the Commission, as one of the most important disarmament bodies, should not adopt a decision that would affect its good functioning; three weeks was already a short time to consider two new substantive items.

The Chairman said consultations would continue on the subject. She said she also took note of the various suggestions made today, and urged delegations to move forward in consultations on both the substantive and organizational issues, so that a resumed session could be held as soon as possible. Regional groups were encouraged to “sound out” their groups in order to ascertain candidates for the Bureau posts.

- 2 - Press Release DC/2672 2 December 1999

The Secretary of the Commission, Timur Alasaniya, informed members that all conference room bookings and teams of interpreters were scheduled well into July. That time would probably not be acceptable to members of the Conference on Disarmament, who would be meeting then in Geneva, but he would confirm the information in the light of today’s proposal.

Statements on the European Union proposal were also made by the representatives of Japan, United States, Algeria, Pakistan, Brazil, Cuba, South Africa, Argentina and Kenya.

The Commission will meet again in a resumed organizational session at a date and time to be announced, in order to finalize the dates of the substantive session, adopt a provisional agenda, and elect the officers of the Bureau.

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