111 STATES RATIFIED CONVENTION ON ANTI-PERSONNEL LANDMINES, BELGIUM TELLS CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT

111 STATES RATIFIED CONVENTION ON ANTI-PERSONNEL LANDMINES,

BELGIUM TELLS CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT

No Consensus on Work Programme Consultations Says President

GENEVA, 1 March (UN Information Service) -- The Conference on Disarmament this morning heard a statement by the Ambassador of Belgium, who, as Co-Chairman of the Standing Committee on the Status and General Operation of the Convention on Anti-Personnel Landmines, said that 1 March was a special date because it marks the second anniversary of the entry into force of the Ottawa Convention.

Mr. Lint said that as of today, 111 States had ratified the Convention and it was a success in the perspective of the universalization of the Convention.  He encouraged States that did not yet ratify the Convention to do so.   In addition, he assured the President of the Conference his country’s full cooperation in his endeavours to move the Conference out of its current stalemate.

Conference President Ambassador Juan Enrique Vega (Chile) told the conference that he had held intensive consultations on the programme of work with delegations and he was intended to continue until next week.  He said that so far no results were achieved in his endeavours.  He said that the possibility to get a consensus on the ground was thin.  However, he would continue to discharge his mandate on the basis of the “Amorim proposal” (document CD/1624) and he hoped that by next week he would be able to present a report on the results of his consultations.

The next plenary of the Conference on Disarmament will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, 8 March.

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