26 January 2006

The Conference on Disarmament showed some life at its second plenary session of 2006, with spirited responses to prodding questions in the Netherlands’ statement in addition to regularly planned general statements from Algeria, Japan, Germany, China and France. Norway, France and the Secretary-General of the CD responded to the Netherlands.

Although some delegations have suggested the Conference look at alternative proposals, three of the statements made today expressed continued support for the A5 (Five Ambassadors') agenda as contained in CD/1693Rev1. Algeria called the A5 agenda the most “objective and realistic basis” for a Programme of Work, China called it “balanced in relative terms” and Germany said it enjoys the widest cross-group support. China reminded the conference that it had made “significant concessions” in order to support the A5 as a Programme of Work, and said it would not be in a position to support Peru’s proposal (CD 1757) because of its weakened Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) mandate.

Japan urged the conference to begin substantive discussions with or without a programme of work, and the Secretary General of the Conference, Sergei Ordzhonikidze, scolded, “you are not supposed to deal with procedure, you are supposed to deal with substance.” In this regard, Japan expressed appreciation for the initiative of the six 2006 CD Presidents, or the P6. This initiative is getting some attention from the CD members as a “new element…that can offer some prospect of progress in the Conference” in the words of French Ambassador Rivasseau. Japan encouraged the P6 to present the Conference with a timeline for substantial discussions as soon as possible to give delegations the opportunity to prepare for deeper discussion of issues.

Seemingly in a reference to Iran, Algeria noted that diversion of nuclear technology to military use is the true cause for concern, not its use for peaceful purposes. It also said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is the appropriate mechanism for ensuring transparency regarding fissile materials. The IAEA has called an emergency meeting of the Board of Governors on February 2nd, where the European Union and the United States are likely to push for a Security Council referral. In this context, Algeria reiterated its support for a multilateral and legally binding fissile materials treaty, and for the regional denuclearization of the Middle East through a Nuclear Weapon Free Zone, as supported in the 1995 Non-Proliferation Treaty resolution and Security Council resolution 687 (1991). Read more about this situation on RCW’s Nuclear Iran? page, including civil society talking points and letters to the IAEA Board.

The CD’s frustration rippled through an exchange prompted by Ambassador Landman of the Netherlands’ response to Secretary General (SG) Kofi Annan’s suggestion that CD members invite their Foreign Ministers to address the Conference. Landman asked when the UN SG last addressed the conference, why the CD SG was absent from its opening session without explanation, and when a new deputy CD SG would be appointed. In answering these questions, Sergei Ordzhonikidze, Secretary-General of the CD, told the Conference that Annan did not attend the CD because it is “not producing political decisions.” He also rebutted that the CD’s problem was not his or the UN SG’s attendance, but rather the positions of the Member States. The deputy CD SG is in the process of being selected, as is the Under-Secretary General for Disarmament Affairs in New York. Norway suggested the UN SG visit the Conference when they justified their financial expenditure of the UN’s money by delivering negotiations.

Once again, the seemingly isolated CD recognized its connection to the outside world. CD Secretary General Ordzhonikidze acknowledged the CD “can save the world billions of dollars for development, the environment, health, education and so on” if it would only get to work on disarmament. Algeria cited SIPRI’s 2005 military expenditures report, which found that $975 billion USD was spent globally on the military in 2004 when hundreds of millions of people live below the poverty line. Japan opened its first statement of the 2006 CD session by recognizing that the outside world’s view of the CD “has reached the point of no tolerance.” Algeria even suggested the CD open its doors to civil society in order to not “remain on the margins of what is happening elsewhere”.

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Jennifer Nordstrom
Project Associate