CENTRAL ASIAN NUCLEAR-WEAPON-FREE ZONE CONSULTATIVE MEETING HELD AT HEADQUARTERS 17 DECEMBER

CENTRAL ASIAN NUCLEAR-WEAPON-FREE ZONE CONSULTATIVE MEETING

HELD AT HEADQUARTERS 17 DECEMBER

NEW YORK, 18 December (Department of Disarmament Affairs) -- A consultative meeting to promote the early realization of the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone was held at Headquarters on 17 December 2002, sponsored by the Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific of the Department for Disarmament Affairs.

Experts from the five Central Asian States (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) and the five nuclear-weapon States (China, France, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States) participated.  The Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, Jayantha Dhanapala, opened the meeting.

A treaty text on the Zone and its Protocol (the Samarkand text) was agreed by experts from the five Central Asian States on 27 September 2002, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Experts of the five nuclear-weapon States expressed support for the initiative to establish the Zone, but sought clarifications on aspects of the text.  Some experts commended the result of the Samarkand meeting.  Uzbekistan, on behalf of the five Central Asian States, explained the background to the formulation of the articles.

The five Central Asian States expressed the hope that the Treaty would be signed in April 2003.  It was agreed that the five nuclear-weapon States would present comments in written form in January 2003 to be circulated among the five Central Asian States for their consideration.

The United Nations is extending its assistance to the five Central Asian States in the drafting of the treaty pursuant to relevant resolutions of the General Assembly.

For further information, contact:  Mr. Stefano Tomat, United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific; tel: (212) 963-3885; fax: (212) 963-4989; email: tomat@un.org.

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