DISARMAMENT COMMISSION OPENS 2000 SUBSTANTIVE SESSION

Press Release
DC/2713

DISARMAMENT COMMISSION OPENS 2000 SUBSTANTIVE SESSION

A nuclear doctrine had recently evolved into a multiplicity of what were called “minimum nuclear deterrence” strategies, the Disarmament Commission was told this morning as it began its first 2000 substantive session.

Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs Jayantha Dhanapala added that, as a result, a “demonstration effect” had occurred, because additional countries had begun using adjectives such as “essential” and “vital” to characterize those arms. That had provoked a tragic irony in that nuclear weapons possessed by some countries gave rise to the pursuit of nuclear weapons by others.

Hence, he noted, the challenge of global nuclear disarmament demanded immediate attention. Many challenges remained, but billions of diverse peoples throughout the United Nations comprised a reservoir of support for nuclear disarmament. They were not demanding palliatives merely to reduce the danger of future nuclear wars, rather they wanted to eliminate nuclear threats. The Commission’s 2000 agenda was appropriate because it covered both nuclear disarmament and practical confidence-building measures in the field of conventional arms.

Chairman of the Commission Javad Zarif (Iran) said the Commission could inspire change in the existing international security paradigm, which was still haunted by the balance of terror and security arrangements. The International Court of Justice advisory opinion had charted a new course for nuclear disarmament in the aftermath of the cold war, underlining the legal obligation to proceed towards a world free from nuclear weapons. A more recent achievement had been the successful conclusion of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) 2000 Review Conference with consensus on key issues.

The statement by some nuclear-weapon States that they would cease production of fissile material and place their withdrawn material from military stockpiles under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) supervision could be regarded as a starting point that needed to be followed by, among other initiatives, the de- alerting of nuclear weapons, he emphasized. Also, the General Assembly had, for the last several years, called for transparency in armament and confidence building. Numerous regional initiatives, particularly in Africa, had been launched to enhance that transparency and to wind down the increasing flow and accumulation of conventional weapons.

Disarmament Commission - 1a - Press Release DC/2713 234th Meeting (AM) 26 June 2000

Also this morning, before opening its current session, the Commission concluded its 1999 resumed session. It elected Yao Osei (Ghana) and Gabriela Martinic (Argentina) as Chairs of working groups on nuclear disarmament and on confidence-building measures, respectively. Previously, the Commission had elected its Chairman; and Hazairin Pohan (Indonesia), Luis Raul Estevez (Guatemala), Jacques Louis Boisson (Monaco) and Sylvester Rowe (Sierra Leone) as Vice-Chairmen. The Rapporteur of the Commission is Samuel Amehou (Benin). Currently, three vacancies for the posts of Vice-Chairmen are still open and those are expected to be filled by representatives from Western and Eastern European States. Also this morning, the Commission adopted its provisional agenda for the current session.

The representatives of Portugal, on behalf of the European Union, Brazil and Argentina also spoke during the morning meeting.

The Commission will continue its general debate at 3 p.m. today.

Disarmament Commission - 3 - Press Release DC/2713 234th Meeting (AM) 26 June 2000

Commission Work Programme

The Disarmament Commission met this morning to conclude its resumed 1999 session and to begin its first 2000 substantive session. Also this morning, the Commission was expected to elect additional members to its Bureau. The two-week substantive session is scheduled to end on 7 July.

Statements

JAVAD ZARIF (Iran), Commission Chairman, said the Commission was in a position to inspire a constructive change in the existing international security paradigm, which was still haunted by the balance of terror and security arrangements. Adding to the significance of its deliberations, in particular this year, was the fact that the Conference on Disarmament had not been able to adopt its programme of work for three years in a row and that all submissions to break the deadlock had been unavailing.

He said that the International Court of Justice advisory opinion had charted a new course for nuclear disarmament in the aftermath of the cold war, underlining the legal obligation to proceed towards a world free from nuclear weapons. A more recent achievement had been the successful conclusion of the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT) 2000 Review Conference with consensus on key issues.

The Conference had succeeded in agreeing on a range of guidelines and required steps to rid humanity of the nuclear nightmare, he said. Those should be vigorously pursued through unilateral, bilateral and multilateral initiatives. It illustrated once again that the NPT had never meant to perpetuate classification of States as nuclear and non-nuclear and that the obligation to create a nuclear- weapon-free world had always been a fundamental underpinning of the global disarmament and non-proliferation regime.

He said that the statement by some nuclear-weapon States that they would cease production of fissile material and place their withdrawn material from military stockpiles under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) supervision could be regarded as a starting point that needed to be followed by de-alerting of nuclear weapons, abandoning first-use doctrines, deeper reductions and elimination of tactical nuclear weapons.

On the bilateral level, he said, the welcome ratification of the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START II) by the Russian Federation Duma should be further augmented by negotiations between that country and the United States on START III. Multilaterally, the Conference on Disarmament remained the sole body, with nuclear disarmament at the top of its agenda. It should, therefore, be allowed to make a substantive and meaningful contribution to nuclear disarmament. At first glance, the Conference on Disarmament might be perceived as not satisfying the short-term interests of some nuclear States, but its engagement in those negotiations would promote confidence and pave the way for a general and comprehensive disarmament.

Regarding conventional weapons, he noted that the General Assembly had, for the last several years, called for transparency in armament and confidence building. Numerous regional initiatives, particularly in Africa, had been launched to enhance transparency in conventional armaments and to wind down the increasing flow and accumulation of conventional weapons. Transparency in certain categories of conventional weapons had been pursued for some years with varying degrees of success. Moreover, given the enormity of the human toll, confidence building in the increasingly important area of small arms had received a sharpened focus.

He said the time had come to invest in the future and that confidence building was the key for such an investment. The time had come to stamp out once and for all the fallacy that improved armaments, in particular nuclear ones, brought security. Progressive and systematic pursuit of disarmament negotiations and the urgency to accelerate nuclear disarmament were the challenges to be met. Those and other challenges, along with complexities, setbacks and surprises, would assert themselves against the world’s hopes and wishes. Political will and commitment, as well as the involvement of civil society, were the key factors in winning that uphill battle.

JAYANTHA DHANAPALA, Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, said that during the past decade stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction had dropped by about half and efforts were under way to improve the physical security and accountancy controls over the stocks of weapons and materials that remained. Some States with nuclear weapons had even made their weapons programmes more transparent. While greater progress was needed, credit should be given to those States, which had been the pioneers of genuine public accountability. Moreover, the moratorium on nuclear testing had remained and would be in effect until such tests were finally outlawed.

Many problems remained, he stated. A nuclear doctrine had evolved into a multiplicty of what were called “minimum nuclear deterrence” strategies. That had produced a “demonstration effect” as additional countries had begun using adjectives like “essential” and “vital” to characterize those arms. That had provoked a tragic irony in that nuclear weapons possessed by some countries gave rise to the pursuit of nuclear weapons by others. Hence, the challenge of global nuclar disarmament demanded immediate attention. Many challenges remained, but billions of diverse peoples throughout the United Nations comprised a reservoir of support for nuclear disarmament. They were not demanding palliatives to reduce the danger of future nuclear wars, rather they wanted to eliminate nuclear threats.

He said the Commission’s 2000 agenda was appropriate because it covered both nuclear disarmament and practical confidence-building measures in the field of conventional arms. In addition, work was under way in preparation for the 2001 Conference on Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, and there was an ongoing study for further development of the United Nations Register on Conventional Arms.

Turning to the issue of improved controls over stockpiling and illicit sale of arms, he said there were a number of regional initiatives, including in Albania where the voluntary surrender and destruction of excessive arms had been combined with community development initiatives. He also cited the conclusion of the Agreement on Adaptation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, and efforts to restrict illicit trafficking in firearms in the Americas and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) moratorium on small arms in West Africa.

However, he said, there were already warning signs that the military retrenchment following the end of the cold war might be giving way to alarming new trends. There had been reports that global arms expenditures had started to rise. That was ominous, although the total volume of international conventional arms trade was still reportedly stable. Some countries exported arms to achieve expedient political goals, while others continued to produce arms to reap bountiful commercial opportunities.

He said that the forces of globalization had been shaping both the production and distribution of arms, and several major producers and consumers were getting rid of their surpluses through the market. Other phenomena which added to the challenges ahead included the use of diamonds and drugs to finance illicit arms deals. Further progress in the area of arms control would depend heavily on the fate of diplomacy and ongoing efforts to achieve the peaceful settlement of disputes.

He said that fact further underscored the need for confidence-building measures, which were needed to restrain and prevent arms races and to help alleviate the underlying political or economic forces that feed such races. He suggested that those measures might include providing advisory assistance to Member States, and that the Commission should also give some consideration to the potential contributions of technology. For example, the growing availability of high-resolution satellite imagery at reduced cost could help as a supplementary means to reassure countries against imminent invasion threats.

FILIPE DE ALBUQUERQUE (Portugal), on behalf of the European Union and associated States, welcomed the inclusion of practical confidence-building measures in the field of conventional weapons in the agenda of the Commission’s current session. In the new millennium, promising trends and troubling developments often coexisted uneasily, and tools that had been used in the past both to prevent conflict and in post-conflict situations had proved to be irrelevant or obsolete. Hence, the need to seek more effective ways to create a climate conducive to peace, stability and security and to their consolidation, both specifically and globally.

The European Union considered transparency in armaments a fundamental instrument in building confidence and security among States, he said. It provided data on international transfers of categories of conventional arms that were potentially destabilizing when accumulated excessively. It also served to promote better understanding among States.

He said that the Union’s Joint Action for a comprehensive approach on small arms, covering both preventive and reactive measures to tackle the issue, also encompassed confidence-building measures. In that spirit, the Union had undertaken to provide technical and financial assistance to programmes and projects related to the small arms problem, notably in Albania, Cambodia and Mozambique. It was considering specific actions in other areas, as well.

The European Union was fully committed to a successful outcome of the 2001 Conference on Small Arms and Light Weapons, he said. It believed that confidence- building measures should constitute a critical element in the final product. Such measures played a vital role in creating a cooperative security policy environment and, in particular, formed the basis of a network of confidence building,

including political, economic and social measures in addition to military measures.

LUIZ TUPY CALDAS DE MOURA (Brazil) said Member States should strive to transform the Register into an even more relevant confidence-building tool. That process would require timely provision of data relevant to exports and imports of arms covered by the Register and of information on acquisitions from domestic manufacturers and military holdings. Another important confidence-building measure was the Instrument for Standardized International Reporting of Military Expenditures, which had received information from only 35 countries in 1999. Regional measures could also help strengthen United Nations instruments. However, progress in the area of conventional arms should not distract the Commission from instability and uncertainty in the nuclear area.

Discouraging signs, including paralysis in the Conference on Disarmament, and proposals for changes in the Treaty on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems (ABM Treaty) were aggravated by the lack of clearly identified mobilizing paths to which the international community could resort, he continued. The momentum created by the results of the NPT should, however, serve as additional encouragement for the Commission. Nuclear disarmament was the responsibility of all States, particularly weapons producing ones. The international community must adopt concrete measures to promote non-proliferation and the elimination of nuclear weapons. The New Agenda Coalition had presented a blueprint that could be used to attain disarmament goals and to achieve nuclear disarmament, one of the substantive items of the session. He also supported the convening of a major international conference that would identify ways of eliminating nuclear dangers.

GABRIELA MARTINIC (Argentina) noted that, despite the positive balance of collective disarmament efforts, risks remained, and she stressed the need to renounce the nuclear option. While there was a fortunate consensus among the 187 States parties to the NPT in that respect, Argentina believed that the objective would not be fully met until nuclear arms were fully eliminated. They must take such practical steps towards the coming into force of the NPT as signing and ratifying the treaty and agreeing on a fissile material cutoff with a view to concluding a treaty in the next five years.

She said that the renewal by some States of those undertakings was a positive step, but certain qualifications meant that hope must be tinged with caution. There had been progress in some areas, but the balance of commitments meant it would be necessary to continue working in the future.

Confidence-building measures in conventional weapons was particularly important for her country, she said. Argentina perceived international security as synergistic, concentric circles, which were not exclusive of each other. Neighbouring countries were partners, not rivals or potential sources of conflict. Changes ushered in by the new democratic establishments in the regions had strengthened political integration with neighbouring States.

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