NPT Review Conference

13^th Meeting (PM)

Chairman of 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference

 

Gives Main Committees Another Day to Forge Consensus Agreement

 

Announcing that differences still remained within the three Main Committees of the 2010 Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Chairman said this afternoon that one more day would be needed to forge agreement on the separate areas of the Treaty, before the plenary could meet to produce a single consensus outcome document by the event’s conclusion on 28 May.

Chairman Libran Cabactulan (Philippines) said that, while much progress had been made on the Treaty’s three pillars — disarmament, non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, and the right to peaceful use of nuclear technology — he had set this afternoon as the deadline for the submission of Main Committee reports.  One more day, Monday, would be allocated for that work, and at the end of it, the outcomes would be submitted to the Chair for consolidation overnight and discussion by a plenary meeting the following morning.  “The stakes are high,” he stressed, urging delegates to continue to work towards their common goals in a spirit of goodwill and flexibility.

Iran’s representative, however, asserted that setting artificial deadlines for the Main Committees and subsidiary bodies would not be constructive, as past experience had shown.  Pointing out that the Main Committees were the sole negotiating venues for the Review Conference, he said they should be given adequate time to finish their work, be it Monday, Tuesday or whatever day they finished, in order not to add an extra burden to the plenary.

While the representatives of Nigeria and Cuba said they largely shared that view, Algeria’s delegate said sufficient time had been allotted, adding that some time should be given over to the plenary to consider the outcome document in its entirety, with a balance among the three main pillars.  Chile’s representative expressed support for that statement, while China’s delegate voiced full and continuing support for the President’s leadership.

Following a suspension, the Chairman announced that the previously announced schedule would be kept, expecting work to continue over the weekend, and that the Main Committees’ reports, after being submitted on Monday afternoon, would be available at the Philippine Mission after midnight, or at Headquarters after 9 a.m. on Tuesday, 25 May.

The Review Conference will reconvene in plenary on Tuesday, 25 May, at a time and location to be announced.

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For information media • not an official record