DISARMAMENT COMMISSION HEARS PROGRESS REPORTS FROM WORKING GROUPS ON NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, CONVENTIONAL ARMS

Disarmament Commission

2001 Substantive Session

246^th Meeting (AM)

DISARMAMENT COMMISSION HEARS PROGRESS REPORTS FROM WORKING GROUPS

ON NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, CONVENTIONAL ARMS

The Disarmament Commission met this morning to hear progress reports from the chairs of its two working groups and to elect two vice-chairmen from the Group of African States.

Yaw Odei Osei (Ghana), Chairman of Working Group I, on ways and means to achieve nuclear disarmament, reported that during his Group’s five meetings thus far, delegations had considered a revised working paper he had presented last Wednesday.  From those discussions, the decision emerged to consider a new draft structure, as a first step.  Delegations made oral and written suggestions outlining their respective positions, to be included in that new draft.

At the Group’s fifth meeting, he also presented a compilation of the new proposals, organized by subject.  He emphasized the need for balance, as the Group studied the paper in greater detail in preparation for inclusion in the Commission’s final report.

The Chairperson of Working Group II, on practical confidence-building measures in the field of conventional arms, Gabriela Martinic (Argentina), said she had followed the suggestions made by delegations and had begun the Group’s work with a general exchange of views and a chapter-by-chapter review of the working paper under consideration.  Delegations had made many suggestions on ways to improve that paper, and it was generally felt that further discussion was needed to address all relevant concerns. 

She expected that the Group would complete its first full read-through of the paper over the next few days and have a further exchange of views.  Based on that progress, she believed that the Group was slowly, but surely, moving in the right direction and by next year would be able to complete the three-year review cycle of the issue, with results that would satisfy all delegations.

In response to a question, she added that the best way to proceed on the matter was for all delegations to demonstrate flexibility, particularly in light of the busy disarmament agenda this year, and allow enough time for the appropriate information to be gathered and compiled.  Overall, she felt that a compilation of the Group’s deliberations could possibly be distributed during the Commission’s inter-sessional period.

Also this morning, the Commission elected Ismail Khairat (Egypt) and Jean Philip Du Preez (South Africa) as Vice-Chairmen.

The Commission will meet again at a date to be announced in the Journal.