ANTI-PERSONNEL MINES, ILLICIT SMALL ARMS TRADE, NUCLEAR-WEAPON-FREE ZONES AMONG ISSUES ADDRESSED IN CONTINUING DISARMAMENT COMMITTEE DEBATE

Fifty-ninth General Assembly

First Committee

8^th Meeting (PM)

ANTI-PERSONNEL MINES, ILLICIT SMALL ARMS TRADE, NUCLEAR-WEAPON-FREE ZONES

AMONG ISSUES ADDRESSED IN CONTINUING DISARMAMENT COMMITTEE DEBATE

Anti-personnel landmines, the illicit small arms trade, and nuclear-weapon-free zones were among the issues addressed this afternoon, as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) continued its general debate.

Telling delegates that his country had been greatly affected by landmines, the representative of Serbia and Montenegro said his Government stood ready to destroy its landmine stocks.  However, financial resources were needed for such destruction, and he invited the international community to provide assistance.  He also suggested that the world should do more to help reintegrate landmine victims back into society.

Sharing concerns about landmines, the speaker from Ecuador said that, following extensive efforts along its southern border, his country had been able to destroy many of those weapons, with the help of the Organization of American States (OAS), Canada, United States and Japan. It had also succeeded in destroying all of its stockpiles.  Nevertheless, there were still many more mines remaining, and clearance activities, thus, needed sustained support.

A number of African delegates voiced their concerns about small arms and light weapons.  The representative of Malawi, for example, said such weapons not only posed a threat to the security of States, but also endangered their socio-economic and political stability.  His country, therefore, supported negotiations on an international instrument to enable States to identify and trace, in a timely and reliable manner, the illicit traffic in such arms.

Emphasizing that supplies of small arms and light weapons should be limited to governments or duly authorized entities, he added that arms transfers must be put under national, regional and international control, in order to prevent such weapons from falling into the hands of heartless terrorists and non-State actors.

The Committee also heard from several South-East Asian countries this afternoon, and all of them addressed the topic of nuclear-weapon-free zones.  Speaking on behalf of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the representative of Myanmar said that such zones constituted positive steps towards attaining global nuclear disarmament, as long as they were based on arrangements freely arrived at by the concerned States.

Highlighting the treaty that established his region’s zone, he welcomed China’s announcement of its readiness to accede to the protocol for nuclear-weapon States, and called on other nuclear Powers to follow suit.  In addition to the zone, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in South-East Asia also served as an important confidence-building measure.  Welcoming the accession of China, India, Japan and Pakistan to the Treaty, and looking forward to the Russian Federation’s pending accession, he invited other States from outside the region to also join.

Statements in the debate were also made by the representatives of Syria, Togo, Philippines, Nigeria, Armenia and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. Thursday, 14 October.

Background

The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) met this afternoon to continue its general debate on the whole range of arms limitation and security arrangements.  (For background, see Press Releases GA/DIS/3271 and 3272.)

Statements

MYA THAN (Myanmar), speaking on behalf of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), said the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legality of the threat or use of nuclear weapons represented an important contribution to global efforts for peace and security.  In that regard, the ASEAN countries would once again co-sponsor the draft resolution, which was tabled every year by Malaysia, reaffirming the significance of that ruling.  They would also, as in previous years, co-sponsor a draft resolution that called for nuclear-weapon States to immediately stop the improvement, development, production, and stockpiling of nuclear warheads, and for the convening of an international conference on nuclear disarmament.

Stressing the importance of achieving universal adherence to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), he called on nuclear-weapon States to make further efforts to eliminate their nuclear arsenals.  After all, the only way to absolutely guarantee that no party would use or threaten to use nuclear weapons was to attain the total eradication of such arms.  In that context, he expressed regret over the inability of the 2005 NPT Review Conference’s third preparatory committee to agree on an agenda and substantive recommendations.  He added that the Conference needed to establish subsidiary bodies, to consider such matters as the safety of peaceful nuclear programmes, security assurances, and regional issues.

Declaring that nuclear-weapon-free zones constituted positive steps towards attaining global nuclear disarmament, he maintained that such zones should be based on arrangements freely arrived at by the concerned States.  Highlighting the treaty that established his region’s nuclear-weapon-free zone, he welcomed China’s announcement of its readiness to accede to the protocol for nuclear-weapon States, and called on other nuclear Powers to follow suit.  In addition to the zone, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in South-East Asia also served as an important confidence-building measure.  Welcoming the accession of China, India, Japan and Pakistan to the Treaty, and looking forward to the Russian Federation’s pending accession, he invited other States from outside the region to also join.

BROWN CHIMPHAMBA (Malawi) said that his country was encouraged by the harmonious global efforts at averting and stopping the threat of international terrorism.  It was keenly aware of the dangers posed by terrorists who could carelessly resort to the use of weapons of mass destruction.  Against that background, his country was concerned that some legal instruments governing the multilateral disarmament regime had recently come under threat, or had stalled in implementation.  The country reaffirmed its commitment to the conclusion and implementation of the NPT and continued to call for its universality.  It hoped that the 2005 Review Conference of the NPT would not experience the same difficulties as the last three preparatory meetings.

It was clear that the fight against the spread of landmines had been successfully fought under regional and international initiatives, he continued.  In that regard, Malawi planned to attend the first review conference of the Ottawa Convention in Nairobi in November.  The country was in the process of implementing the Convention through a multi-sectoral approach, which involved the Government and civil society.  The Government had been able to participate in meetings of the Convention, after it started using the sponsorship programme.  That had helped it to make progress in the implementation of the Convention.

On small arms and light weapons, he said that those weapons did not only pose a threat to the security of States, but also endangered their socio-economic and political stability.  His country was satisfied with the important progress achieved in the implementation of the Programme of Action and the activity of the open-ended working group to negotiate an international instrument to enable States to identify and trace, in a timely and reliable manner, the illicit traffic in small arms and light weapons.  Supplies of small arms and light weapons should be limited to governments or to duly authorized entities.  Arms transfers must also be under national, regional and international control, in order to prevent such weapons from falling into the hands of heartless terrorists and non-State actors.

FAYSSAL MEKDAD (Syria) said that, once again, the “gloomy picture” that coloured international peace and security had returned.  Statements delivered during the Committee’s current session had highlighted concerns over a global environment in which war and might prevailed over peace and justice.  Declaring that pre-emptive wars had excessive costs, both in terms of people and property, he emphasized that international problems could only be solved through universal solidarity and multilateralism.

Lamenting that the Conference on Disarmament had been prevented from fulfilling its mandate because of a lack of political will, he regretted, in particular, that efforts to create a legally binding instrument on nuclear disarmament had been fruitless.  Criticizing the fact that some countries were continuing to develop and improve their nuclear arsenals, he wondered why pressure was being applied simultaneously on other countries to refrain from defending themselves.  He also found it ironic that a blind eye was being shown to countries outside the NPT, while other States were barred from using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

Voicing support for a comprehensive and just peace in the Middle East, he called on Israel to pull out of the Arab territories it had occupied in 1967.  He also noted that Israel, backed by nuclear weapons, had pursued expansive and aggressive strategies in the Middle East, a region that was often discussed in a falsified and deceptive framework.  If one looked at the true facts, he said, one would see that his country had actually been among the first to call for the establishment of a regional zone free from weapons of mass destruction.  Declaring that the United Nations should supervise nuclear disarmament in the Middle East, he lamented that a lack of international agreement had led Israel to feel that it did not have to sign on to the NPT, or subject its weapons facilities to international inspection.

KOMI SOULE (Togo) said that the major challenges confronting the international community in the areas of disarmament and non-proliferation could only be met through scrupulous respect by all States of their international engagements.  Togo welcomed the unilateral decision by Libya to renounce its weapons of mass destruction programmes.  His country favoured complete and general disarmament in all its forms.

He announced that on 1 July his country had deposited its instrument of ratification of the CTBT.  The country was now implementing the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Moratorium on Import/Export of Small Arms in West Africa.  In that regard, it called on the international community to support the national commission established by the Government to combat illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons.

He went on to highlight the important role of United Nations regional disarmament institutions.  Those institutions were called upon to act in harmony with regional organizations on disarmament questions, including such issues as the advancement of peace and post-conflict peace-building.  The institutions now found themselves in a critical situation.  The distressing financial situation of the three United Nations regional disarmament centres should be the focus of greater attention by the First Committee, so as to ensure that resources were provided for the proper implementation of their mandate.  The General Assembly should review the means for the financing of the centres, in order to provide them with adequate resources.  MemberStates and other partners should also revisit issue and plan for a revival of the centres, in particular, the Lomé Centre.

LESLIE B. GATAN (Philippines) said that his country had been taking every possible step to enhance its programme to address the problem of illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, and in the areas of marking and record-keeping, as well as cooperation in tracing small arms.  The Philippine National Police had been strictly enforcing the country’s Basic Firearms Law, seeing to it that the manufacturing process of arms and weapons were in accordance with the law and existing regulations.  The country also had a “macro-etching” process, which enabled it to determine or restore the original serial numbers of firearms which had been defaced or tampered with.

He called on all States to refrain from pursuing programmes that could undermine the CTBT, pending its entry into force.  That Treaty, with its verification and on-site inspection regime, was a major contributor towards the reduction and eventual elimination of nuclear weapons.  His country endorsed the Joint Ministerial Statement on the CTBT made last month, which called for universal adherence to the Treaty.  It was disappointing that, four years after the 2000 NPT Review Conference, the collective and unequivocal commitment by the nuclear-weapon States for a transparent, accountable and verifiable elimination of their nuclear arsenals remained largely unrealized.  Those States should make further efforts towards the elimination of all nuclear weapons.

His country was encouraged by the imminent formation of the ASEAN Security Community, which would lead to ASEAN countries at peace with one another and with the world at large, he continued.  That community would strengthen the region’s capacity to deal with security challenges, both traditional and non-traditional.  His country viewed nuclear-weapon-free zones not only as instruments for nuclear non-proliferation, but also as important contributions to nuclear disarmament.  His region remained hopeful of fruitful negotiations with nuclear-weapon Powers on the establishment of the South-East Asian Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone.  He acknowledged China’s interest in acceding to the treaty.

LUIS GALLEGOS (Ecuador) said international peace and security depended on complete, verifiable and irreversible disarmament.  However, multilateral disarmament was currently a source of great disappointment, especially given the deadlocks in the Conference on Disarmament and the Disarmament Commission.  Reiterating his commitment to the NPT and the need for nuclear Powers to report on their steps taken to dismantle and eliminate their nuclear stockpiles, he said the Treaty was a fundamental instrument for the achievement of a safer and more peaceful world.  Regarding States that remained outside the NPT, especially those with nuclear capabilities, he urged them to adhere to the Treaty, so that they could carry out their nuclear programmes within a non-proliferation framework and under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The lack of progress in nuclear disarmament was alarming, he said.  However, what was especially worrying was that certain countries were modernizing their nuclear weapons.  In that context, he stressed that only the elimination of such weapons could guarantee that they would never fall into the hands of terrorists.  Voicing support for Security Council resolution 1540 (2004), which concerns non-State actors and weapons of mass destruction, he, nevertheless, stated that legally binding measures intended for all Member States should be negotiated and agreed upon at the multilateral level.  Turning to missiles, he said that just a few days ago his country had joined The Hague Code of Conduct.  In that regard, his delegation would co-sponsor Chile’s draft resolution on the Code.

On small arms and light weapons, he expressed support for both the United Nations Programme of Action concerning the illicit trade of such weapons, and efforts made to advance their marking and tracing.  Regarding landmines, he urged all States that had not yet done so to accede to the Ottawa Convention.  He also said that, following much work along its southern border, Ecuador had been able to destroy many mines, with the help of Canada, the United States, Japan, and the Organization of American States (OAS).  Nevertheless, there were still many more that needed to be eradicated.  For its part, his country had already destroyed all of its stockpiles.

NEBOJSA KALUDJEROVIC (Serbia and Montenegro) said international terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction presented the most serious security threat facing the world today.  Adding that terrorists armed with weapons of mass destruction could have “tragic consequences of unprecedented proportions”, he emphasized that the international community had to engage in resolute and timely action.  In that regard, he maintained that the United Nations, with the help of regional and subregional organizations, should be at the centre of efforts aimed at global cooperation.  Stressing that the international community had to improve existing disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control instruments, he said that such agreements should be made more universal and fortified by stronger verification regimes.

In order to promote regional stability, there should be more transparency, information exchanges, and other confidence-building measures between States, he said.  For its part, his country had joined several regional initiatives, including the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe.  Turning to landmines, he noted that his country was greatly affected by such weapons and had, thus, ratified the Ottawa Convention last year.  Serbia and Montenegro was ready to destroy its landmine stocks, he said.  However, financial resources were needed for such destruction and, in that regard, he invited the international community to provide assistance.  He also suggested that the world should do more to help reintegrate mine victims back into society.

Addressing the CTBT, he told delegates that his country had ratified it last May and stood for the Treaty’s early entry into force.  He also informed the Committee that his country had been making efforts to improve its security systems surrounding radioactive materials.  With respect to Security Council resolution 1540, he called it an “important step in the right direction”, and he urged Member States to adopt adequate laws at the national level to create the conditions for a strict arms control regime.  Before concluding, he voiced his support for the Biological Weapons Convention and Chemical Weapons Convention.

J.U. AYALOGU (Nigeria) said that the need to implement disarmament and non-proliferation measures continued to be a major challenge in the maintenance of international peace and security.  The international community had recorded a string of failures on arms control and disarmament since the beginning of the decade.  The CTBT had not yet entered into force, due to lack of ratification by some States whose ratification was mandatory.  The negotiations to conclude a compliance protocol on biological weapons remained inconclusive, just as little progress had been made in negotiating an instrument to ban the production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons.

The perennial paralysis in the Conference on Disarmament appeared to have assumed a permanent character, he continued.  He expressed support for the proposal for a mechanism for breaking the existing impasse in reaching agreement on a work programme.  He believed that the fissile material treaty was due for negotiation, but added that, for the outcome to be meaningful, it should contain a reliable verification mechanism that should not exclude existing stockpiles.

He reaffirmed his country’s commitments to the obligations undertaken in the Programme of Action of 2001 United Nations Conference on small arms.  His country welcomed the commencement of negotiations for an international instrument to enable States to identify and trace illicit small arms and light weapons in a timely and reliable manner.  The magnitude of the problem posed by the proliferation of small arms and light weapons demanded that the instrument envisaged should be legally binding.  The success of the working group on tracing would have positive impact on the Review Conference, which will assess the progress so far made in the implementation of the Programme of Action.

In the West Africa subregion, consideration was currently being given to achieving the ultimate objective of transforming the ECOWAS Moratorium on the Import/Export of Small Arms from its current status of a political instrument to that of a legally binding Convention, he added.  The cooperation of the international community would be absolutely essential in realizing that important objective.  As part of his country’s fight against illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, it destroyed 1,139 illicit firearms on 2 September in commemoration of the United Nations Small Arms Day.  It also hosted a three day ECOWAS Conference on Combating Illicit Small Arms Brokering from 22 to 24 March, under the sponsorship of the Governments of the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom.  That conference was successful in sensitizing ECOWAS member States to the problem of illicit brokering, and helped in developing common understanding on ways to address the problem, including subregional coordination mechanisms.

ARMEN MARTIROSYAN (Armenia) said that his country attached the greatest importance to nuclear safety.  On 8 January, it had ratified the Additional Protocol to the IAEA Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement.  It had been the first country in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to sign that Additional Protocol.  His country fully supported the efforts of the IAEA to enhance the safety and security of radioactive sources.  In a letter to the IAEA Director General in August, the Armenian Foreign Minister had informed him of the country’s commitment to follow and work towards the guidance contained in the IAEA Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources and to encourage other countries to do the same.

He said that Armenia encouraged the finding of a negotiated solution to outstanding nuclear issues in the world and supported all efforts in that direction.  The example by Libya was encouraging.  That decision had, however, made the need for additional measures to strengthen the NPT and the verification efforts more than ever an imperative.

Armenia spared no effort to strengthen its national export-control system, so as to guarantee legitimate use of, and trade in, dual-use items and technologies and to provide the exporter and the international community with due assurances, he continued.  A law on State control over the export of dual-use items and technologies, as well as its transit through Armenian territory, was ratified and entered into force at the end of 2003.  In addition, in May, the Government adopted a decree regulating the expertise on dual-use items.  It was currently working on the updated national control list.

A week ago, Armenia became the newest subscriber to The Hague Code of Conduct against the Proliferation of Ballistic Missiles, thus, adhering to the common goals of  preventing and curbing the proliferation of ballistic missile systems capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction, he stated.  Armenia considered that initiative to be one of the most important by the international community aimed at the further regulation of outstanding disarmament issues and the strengthening of multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation mechanisms.

ALOUNKEO KITTIKHOUN (Lao People’s Democratic Republic) said that, despite some progress, there was still “no light at the end of the tunnel” when it came to breaking the deadlock in the Conference on Disarmament.  Furthermore, the planet continued to be plagued by lingering armed conflicts, terrorism, interferences in States’ internal affairs, ethnic strife, and civil wars.  Such instability had not only undermined development, but had also intensified the risk of the use or threat of use of weapons of mass destruction against mankind, he said.  In that context, he stated that the root causes of conflicts needed to be addressed and that a legally binding and unconditional instrument on security assurances to non-nuclear-weapon States had to be concluded.

Declaring that the only way to guarantee that nuclear weapons would never be used lay in their total elimination, he called for an international conference to arrive at an agreement on how to eradicate them in phases.  Expressing concern over the advancement and deployment of anti-ballistic missile defence systems, as well as the pursuit of outer space-based weapons, he said that such developments contributed to the “erosion” of a secure global environment.  Telling delegates that his country had ratified the CTBT in 2000, he called on all States, especially the nuclear-weapon States, to ratify it as soon as possible.

Regarding the Biological Weapons Convention, he said it needed to be strengthened through multilateral negotiations and fortified with a legally binding protocol.  That was especially important given the terrorist threat of biological weapons being used in today’s world.  Turning to nuclear-weapon-free zones, he said they constituted positive and helpful steps towards achieving global nuclear disarmament.  With respect to the Treaty of Bangkok, which had established his region’s zone, he called on nuclear-weapon States to sign the relevant protocol.  He welcomed China’s announcement of its readiness to accede.

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