Fifty-ninth General Assembly

First Committee

9^th Meeting (PM)

Disarmament committee concludes general debate

 

The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) this afternoon heard the final speaker in its general debate, which began on 4 October.

During the debate the Committee deliberated on the whole range of arms limitation and security arrangements.  Issues covered in the debate include the questions of ways to improve the working methods of the Committee, the threat of nuclear weapons falling into the hands of terrorist groups or other non-State actors, the erosion of adherence to some of the multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation instruments, and the lack of progress in the Disarmament Commission and the Conference on Disarmament.

Shamser M. Chowdhury (Bangladesh) told the Committee today that provision for the use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapons States contravened the negative security assurances that had been provided by nuclear weapons States.  Further, development of new types of nuclear weapons was also in contravention of assurances provided by nuclear weapons States when the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) was concluded.  Those States argued that the Treaty would prevent the improvement of existing nuclear weapons and the development of new types of nuclear weapons.

Mr. Chowdhury said that his country was concerned at the lack of progress by nuclear weapons States on eliminating their arsenals.  The threat to humanity derived from the continued existence of nuclear weapons and their possible use, or threat of use.  His country underscored the need to accomplish the total elimination of nuclear weapons.  The parties concerned to commence negotiations on the issue without delay.

Bangladesh viewed the Conference on Disarmament as the sole multilateral negotiating body on disarmament, he continued.  It regretted that the continued inflexible position of some nuclear-weapon States continued to prevent proper functioning of the Conference and emphasized the necessity to start negotiations on a phased programme for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons within a specified timeframe, including a nuclear weapons convention.  An international conference should be convened at the earliest possible date, to reach agreement on such a phased programme.  The total elimination of nuclear weapons was the only absolute guarantee against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons.

Bangladesh had noted with concern the negative implications of the development and deployment of anti-ballistic missile defence systems and the pursuit of advanced military technologies capable of being deployed in outer space, which had contributed to the further erosion of an international climate conducive to the promotion of disarmament and the strengthening of international security, he stated.  In that regard, substantive work on the prevention of an arms race in outer space needed to commence immediately.

His country was committed to pursuing a universal adherence to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and had unconditionally opted to remain non-nuclear, he said.  It was the first Annex 2 nation in South Asia to have signed the CTBT and was party to almost all disarmament related treaties, including the NPT, CTBT, Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and of Their Destruction (Chemical Weapons Convention), and Convention on the Prohibition of the Development and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction (Biological Weapons Convention).  It attached particular importance to strict adherence to those treaties and considered that nuclear testing of any kind undermined nuclear non-proliferation, both horizontal and vertical, and constituted a major threat to international peace and security.

He stated that there was a direct relationship between disarmament and development.  His country, therefore, supported all measures, partial and otherwise, towards arms control, and conventional and nuclear disarmament.  It urged all countries, particularly the major military powers, to curb military expenditures and devote part of the resources made available by implementing disarmament treaties to the economic and social development of developing countries.  The Millennium Development Goals could be best achieved against the matrix of disarmament, reduction in military expenditure, devotion of resources to poverty eradication and sustained confidence building measures, he added.

He announced that Bangladesh supported regional approaches to nuclear disarmament and believed that confidence-building measures, through the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones, could significantly contribute to disarmament.  He welcomed existing zones and called for the establishment of such zones in South Asia, in the Middle East and in other parts of the world.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on Monday, 18 October, to start thematic discussion on the items before it and to begin the introduction and consideration of draft resolutions.

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