DISARMAMENT COMMISSION HOLDS ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING, DEFERS DECISION ON DATES FOR 2002 SESSION

Disarmament Commission

2001 Substantive Session

248^th Meeting (AM)

DISARMAMENT COMMISSION HOLDS ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING,

DEFERS DECISION ON DATES FOR 2002 SESSION

The United Nations Disarmament Commission, at an organizational meeting this morning, decided to defer a decision on the dates for its substantive session in 2002, owing to a full spring calendar that includes preparatory meetings for the 2005 Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and a special session of the General Assembly on children.

The Disarmament Commission, which is a specialized deliberative body of the United Nations that focuses on specific disarmament issues, customarily considers two items, including one nuclear issue, for three years, although that time frame can be extended.  Members today agreed to continue consideration at the next session, for the third year, of:  ways and means to achieve nuclear disarmament, and practical confidence-building measures in the field of conventional arms.

Addressing Commission members this morning, the newly elected Chairman of the Commission for the 2002 session, Mario Maiolini (Italy), told members  that the present international climate held great expectations for a wide variety of undertakings in the field of disarmament and, however difficult it might be to conclude deliberations on its two agenda items -- ways and means to achieve nuclear disarmament, and practical confidence-building measures in the field of conventional arms -- consensus was politically feasible and practically attainable.  Without exaggerating last year's achievements, a solid foundation had been laid down to conclude those deliberations at the next substantive session, he said.

Also today, the Commission adopted its provisional agenda for the 2002 session (document A/CN.10/L.51), and elected several members of its Bureau, by acclamation:  Mehiedine El Kadiri (Morocco), Rapporteur; Alexandr Sporys (Czech Republic) and Valentin Rybakov (Belarus), Vice-Chairman.  As consultations were still being conducted within the regional groups with regard to candidacies for the remaining six posts of Vice-Chairman, further elections will be held at a later stage.

Members also decided to re-establish working groups I and II to deal with the two agenda items and, as in previous years, the Committee of the Whole was re-established to deal with other substantive and organizational matters.  The chairmen for the subsidiary bodies -- Yaw Odei Osei (Ghana) and Gabriela Martinic (Argentina) -- were appointed two years ago for three-year terms.

In a review of draft resolutions bearing on the work of the Commission to be adopted by the General Assembly at its present session, the Chairman noted recent

approval by the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) of the draft entitled "Report of the Disarmament Commission" (document A/C.1/56/L.4), which recommended continued consideration of its two agenda items at its next session.

Outgoing Chairperson, Diane Quarless (Jamaica), thanked members for their support.

The Chairman suspended the organizational session to give delegations time to consider the dilemma over the dates for its three-week annual session and to continue consultations on the remaining members of the Bureau.

Participating in the discussion about adjusting the dates of the 2002 session were the representatives of:  Mexico, South Africa, Portugal, Argentina, France, Republic of Korea, Brazil, Italy, Israel, Ghana, United States, India, Jamaica, Nepal, Sierra Leone, Egypt and Ireland.

The Disarmament Commission will meet again at a date to be announced.

* *** *