Disarmament Commission

250^th Meeting (AM)

DISARMAMENT COMMISSION DICUSSES POSSIBLE DELAY IN HOLDING 2002 SUBSTANTIVE SESSION

The Disarmament Commission will meet next week to decide whether or not to delay its 2002 substantive session owing to extraordinary circumstances, primarily the packed United Nations calendar.

As it held the second meeting of its 2002 organizational session this morning, the Commission discussed a proposal by the Bureau to cancel the 2002 substantive session.  That would entail delaying until 2003 the continued consideration of two agenda items –- ways and means to achieve nuclear disarmament, and practical confidence-building measures in the field of conventional arms.

Following discussion of the proposal, one delegate suggested holding the 2002 substantive session in July.  Commission Chairman Mario Maiolini (Italy) then agreed to defer a decision until next Wednesday, pending receipt of information from delegations regarding possible scheduling conflicts.

In other business this morning, the Commission filled two of eight posts of vice-chair.  By acclamation, it elected Madina Jarbussynova (Kazakhstan) and Hira Thapa (Nepal) following their nomination by the Asian Group of States.  The Commission had elected Alexander Sporys (Czech Republic) and Valentin Rybakov (Belarus) as vice-chairs from the Eastern European Group at its November organizational meeting.

Commission Chairman Maiolini (Italy), candidate of the Group of Western European and Other States, and Rapporteur Mehiedine El Kadiri (Morocco), the African Group’s candidate, had also been previously elected in accordance with the practice of rotation.

The Chairman said that the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States had still to nominate two candidates for vice-chair, and that the African Group and the Group of Western European and Other States were expected to propose one candidate each.  Consultations were continuing within those regional groups.

Yaw Odei Osei (Ghana) and Gabriela Martinic (Argentina) would continue to chair the Commission’s two working groups for the remainder of its consideration of agenda items, the Chairman said.

Speaking during this morning’s discussion were the representatives of Mexico, Egypt, Syria, Argentina, South Africa, Germany, Brazil, Myanmar, Ghana, Lithuania, France, Iran, Algeria, India, Jordan, Poland, Sierra Leone, Republic of Korea and Pakistan.

The Disarmament Commission will meet again at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, 17 April, to consider the proposal to hold the 2002 substantive session in July.