Sixty-third General Assembly

First Committee

16^th Meeting (AM)

UNITED NATIONS IS DRIVING FORCE IN EFFORTS TO ADDRESS NEW SECURITY THREATS,

AS DISARMAMENT MACHINERY ASSUMES MORE MAJOR ROLE, FIRST COMMITTEE TOLD

Impasse in Disarmament Bodies Examined; Lack of Political Will Obstructs

Consensus on Special Disarmament Session, Some Say; Two Draft Texts Introduced

The United Nations was the driving force behind efforts to address the new  threats to security, and the disarmament machinery had an increasingly important role to play, representatives of regional groups said today in the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security), as it continued its thematic debates.

On behalf of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, Qatar’s representative stressed the importance of multilateralism and the crucial central role of the United Nations in the maintenance of the disarmament machinery, in view of the latter’s importance in mitigating threats to peace and security throughout the world.  Each component of the disarmament machinery had an important role to play.

The European Union’s speaker agreed, saying that a multilateral approach to security, disarmament and non-proliferation was the best way to maintain international order.  She emphasized the importance and mutually reinforcing nature of the First Committee, the Conference on Disarmament and the United Nations Disarmament Commission, along with various international treaties, their bodies and review processes.

The Union would spare no effort to revitalize the Conference on Disarmament, by resuming its stalled negotiations and substantive work, and adopting a programme of work, she said, adding its desire for the Conference’s expanded membership.  However, it regretted that no agreement had been reached during the Disarmament Commission’s three-year cycle.

The Commission was indeed the sole specialized, deliberative body within the United Nations disarmament machinery, said Indonesia’s representative, on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement.  He blamed the Commission’s impasse on a lack of political will and inflexible positions of certain nuclear-weapon States, and he called on Member States to display the will and ways to achieve agreement as soon as possible.

Deeply concerned by the lack of consensus on the deliberations to consider the goals of a fourth special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament, the Movement’s speaker regretted the lack of political will of a certain State in obstructing consensus.  He then introduced a draft decision entitled Convening of the fourth special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament (document A/C.1/63/L.22).

Highlighting that the United Nations regional centres had been instrumental in promoting understanding and cooperation among States in their respective regions, he also introduced a draft resolution entitled United Nations regional centres for peace and disarmament (document A/C.1/63/L.24).

Recognizing the crucial role of the United Nations in disarmament, Brazil’s speaker, on behalf of the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), underscored the importance of starting, without delay or preconditions, negotiations on a treaty to ban the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons, and requested the Conference on Disarmament to also initiate the negotiation of a legally binding instrument to prevent an arms race in outer space.

The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. on Friday, 24 October, to continue its thematic debate on disarmament machinery.

Background

The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) met this morning to begin its thematic debate on disarmament machinery.

Members were first expected to hear an informal exchange with a panel on that topic, with participation of the President of the Conference on Disarmament; Chairman of the United Nations Disarmament Commission; Chairman of the Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters; and Deputy Director of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR).

Thematic Debate on the Disarmament Machinery

SOPHIE MOAL-MAKAME ( France), speaking on behalf of the European Union, said that the Union strongly believed that a multilateral approach to security, disarmament and non-proliferation was the best way of maintaining international order.  The Union, as a strong supporter of effective multilateralism, considered that the General Assembly and its First Committee, the Conference on Disarmament, the United Nations Disarmament Commission and the various international treaties, together with their bodies and review processes, were mutually reinforcing.

She said that, in view of the new threats to security, the disarmament machinery had an increasingly important role to play, and the Committee should make every effort to preserve and, where possible, further strengthen it.  Given its universal nature, the First Committee was one of the most important forums for discussing non-proliferation and disarmament issues.  The Union fully supported the activity of the Office for Disarmament Affairs, under the authority of Sergio Duarte, High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, in implementing the mandates, decisions and relevant resolutions of the General Assembly.

The Union emphasized the importance of the Conference on Disarmament as the single multilateral forum available to the international community for disarmament negotiations, she said.  It had stated that it could accept proposal CD/1840 as it stood, showing its goodwill and determination to overcome the current stalemate.  The Union had constantly sought to secure the adoption of a programme of work for the Conference, and would spare no effort to revitalise the forum so it could resume negotiations and substantive work.

She said that the Union was encouraged by the informal discussions which took place during the 2008 session of the Conference on Disarmament and by the statements made by high-level personalities this year.  Concerning proposal CD/1840, while it could accept the proposal as it stood, the European Union would prefer a text with a stronger emphasis on the negotiation, without preconditions, of a non-discriminatory multilateral treaty banning the production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons or other explosive devices.  It considered the document a compromise text, which reflected concessions by all parties.  The Union had called on all delegations to show flexibility and support the consensus document, which was beginning to take shape.

The Union favoured expanding the Conference.  As for the Disarmament Commission, she regretted that no agreement had been reached during its three-year cycle, which had just ended.

LUIZ FELIPE DE MACEDO SOARES (Brazil), speaking on behalf of the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), said that multilateralism was the only path towards effective general, and complete, disarmament.  He reiterated his group’s commitment to the effectiveness of the multilateral disarmament mechanism established within the United Nations.  He was also committed to the letter and spirit of the set of bodies created by the General Assembly’s First Special Session on Disarmament, to bolster the role of the United Nations in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation.  He was willing to consider innovative arrangements to revitalize work in all spheres of the mechanism, in order to ensure concrete results.

He said that the Disarmament Commission played a fundamental role in the multilateral machinery as the sole deliberative body with universal participation, but his regional group regretted that the body had concluded its triennial cycle without substantive results.  Good faith and necessary political will were indispensable conditions for the Commission’s health.  It was the right moment to reflect on the possibility of identifying other ways of carrying out the work, and Member States should decide on the issues for the next triennial cycle during the current General Assembly session.

MERCOSUR remained deeply concerned over the stagnation of the Conference on Disarmament, and he called on all parties to demonstrate greater flexibility and understanding for the adoption of a programme of work and for the revitalization of that unique negotiating forum, he said, lending his support for the proposal formulated by the current presidents.  It was important to commence, without delay, negotiations without preconditions on a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons and other nuclear artefacts, and he would support the consideration, in those talks, of a universal verification regime.  His group also insisted upon the inclusion of a universal, unconditional and legally binding instrument on negative security assurances for non-nuclear-weapon States.  His group, acknowledging the common interest of humanity in the exploration of peaceful uses of outer space, asked the Conference on Disarmament to initiate the negotiation of a legally binding instrument to prevent an outer space arms race.

FEBRIAN ALPHYANTO RUDDYARD (Indonesia), speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, said he supported the work of the Disarmament Commission, but had regretted the inability to have reached agreement on recommendations on its two agenda items, owing to the lack of political will and inflexible positions of certain nuclear-weapon States.  Regarding the agenda for its next substantive cycle, he had submitted preliminary positions, including that the Movement would not support any agenda for the Commission that was not consistent with the General Assembly’s decision 52/492.

Based on that decision and General Assembly resolution 61/67, he said the Movement agreed that the next cycle of the Commission should consist of recommendations for achieving the objective of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, and elements of a draft declaration of the 2010s as the fourth disarmament decade.  He called on Member States to display the political will and flexibility to achieve agreement as soon as possible.

Recognizing the Conference on Disarmament as the sole multilateral negotiating body on disarmament, he reiterated the Movement’s call on the Conference to agree on a balanced and comprehensive work programme, by establishing an ad hoc committee on nuclear disarmament as soon as possible and as its highest priority.  He also emphasized the need to start negotiations on a phased programme for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons within a specified timeframe, including a nuclear weapons convention.  He was deeply concerned by the lack of consensus on the deliberations to consider the goals of a fourth special session devoted to disarmament, and regretted the lack of political will of a certain State in obstructing consensus.

He then introduced two draft texts, one, a decision entitled Convening of the fourth special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament (document A/C.1/63/L.22); and another, a resolution entitled United Nations regional centres for peace and disarmament (document A/C.1/63/L.24).

He highlighted that the United Nations regional centres had been instrumental in promoting understanding and cooperation among States, in their respective regions.

NASSIR ABDULAZIZ AL-NASSER (Qatar), speaking on behalf of the Member States of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, stressed the importance of multilateralism and the crucial central role of the United Nations in the maintenance of the disarmament machinery, in view of the latter’s importance in mitigating threats to peace and security throughout the world.  Each component of that machinery had an important role to play.

He said that the Gulf Cooperation Council’s member countries had been consistently working to strengthen the disarmament machinery at several levels.  That had been reflected by their positive positions in the United Nations, with regard to resolutions and decisions on disarmament, as well as by organizing and hosting events that promoted training and participation of technical experts in the implementation, at the regional level, of international instruments related to the disarmament of all kinds of weapons.  The Cooperation Council member States attached special importance to those instruments, particularly those related to strengthening human rights law and the international humanitarian law.

Member countries of the Cooperation Council had also enacted the necessary national legislation for fulfilling their international and national obligations in the area of disarmament and international security, he said, citing as examples the training of Gulf professionals, and raising media awareness on implementation and verification.  They were also keen on strengthening the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and activating the pillars on which it rested.  The group called for a substantive and professional 2010 NPT Review Conference, in accordance with internationally agreed commitments, based on which the Treaty had been extended indefinitely and the Arab States had agreed to join, in return for making the Middle East a nuclear-weapon-free zone.

He said that the Cooperation Council’s States were convinced that Israel’s accession to the NPT would contribute to preserving the credibility of the disarmament machinery and its multilateralism, and enhance the confidence necessary to find many solutions to the problems of the Middle East.  Those countries also supported the early implementation of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).  He stressed the inalienable right of State parties to the NPT to acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

Also important was confidence-building in the area of conventional weapons, as well as respecting the right of States to acquire, transfer and stockpile conventional weapons that enabled them to defend themselves, he said.  However, the only secure safety valve that prevented terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction laid in the complete elimination of stockpiles of those weapons and an end to their production.  The Cooperation Council’s member States had also enacted legislation that limited the problem of small arms.  He reiterated that the Disarmament Commission was an important pillar of the disarmament machinery.

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For information media • not an official record