CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT STARTS SECOND PART OF 2002 SESSION

CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT STARTS SECOND PART OF 2002 SESSION

President Encouraged by Consultations

(Reissued as received.)

GENEVA, 16 May (UN Information Service) -- The Conference on Disarmament this morning held the first plenary of the second part of its 2002 session by hearing its President say that he was encouraged by consultations on how to de-block the current impasse in the Conference.

The President, Ambassador Markku Reimaa of Finland, said that when the Conference had last met on 28 March, Member States had received from the President, in writing, some concrete possible ideas on how he considered it might be possible to de-block the current impasse in the Conference.  Since then, the President had continued bilateral discussions and consultations on that basis.

Ambassador Reimaa said that he was personally encouraged and that he would intensify these contacts during the last week of the Finnish presidency.  It had been mentioned many times that the Conference was not living in isolation from the outside world.  He believed that fact was particularly true today.  He hoped that the Conference would be able to reach common conclusions on that basis.

The main purpose of his efforts had been, and still were to help the Conference to engage in substantive work as soon as possible, and in that way to make a difference to the past years.  Ambassador Reimaa said that he was convinced that practically all delegations would be ready to contribute.  Finland's last plenary as President would be on Thursday, 23 May, and he would be in touch with delegations through the presidential consultations channel.  His delegation was also available for bilateral discussions anytime.

Ambassador Carlos Miranda Y Elio of Spain, speaking on behalf of the European Union, said that the European Union welcomed the announcement that next week, the Presidents of the United States and the Russian Federation would be meeting to sign an agreement to reduce their nuclear arsenals.  The European Union was convinced that this was a positive development which should offer a new opportunity to engage in the substantive work of the Conference.  He urged the President to continue with his efforts to achieve a consensus which could lead to the resumption of the work of the Conference as soon as possible.  He also urged all delegations to assist in that endeavour.

At the end of the plenary, the President said that the Special Coordinator on the expansion of the membership of the Conference, Ambassador Dimiter Tzantchev

of Bulgaria, would be holding informal open-ended consultations on this topic immediately after the plenary.  He also informed Members that the Special Coordinator on the improved functioning of the Conference, Ambassador Prasad Kariyawasam of Sri Lanka, would hold informal open-ended consultations on that topic, not on Tuesday, 21 May, as previously announced, but on Thursday, 23 May, following the plenary.  He hoped that the Member States might have a flexible approach to the last plenary of the Finnish presidency, and he was keeping open the option that they might start the meeting informally, before the public plenary.

The next plenary of the Conference will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 23 May.

* *** *