28 February 2006
As requested by the Group of 21, the Conference on Disarmament held two open plenary meetings on 28 February, with structured debate on the sub-item 'assessment on implementation of nuclear disarmament'. Rotating President Ambassador In-kook Park of Republic of Korea had a list of 12 speakers in the morning session (Syrian Arab Republic, Italy, Egypt, Russian Federation, Argentina,Iraq on behalf of G21, Brazil, France, Australia, Japan, Myanmar and US), and five in the afternoon (Sweden, Netherlands, Mexico, Norway and New Zealand).
As has been frequently stated by delegations in previous sessions, commencing negotiations on an FMCT is considered the next logical step for the CD to take. Italian Ambassador Carlo Trezza reminded the CD that the 13 Practical Steps towards nuclear disarmament agreed upon by the 2000 NPT Review Conference, included the commencement of negotiations on an FMCT (a priority for his delegation). Statements by Argentina, France, Australia, Japan, Egypt and New Zealand all pointed to the negotiations of an FMCT as the best step forward for disarmament. Ambassador Johannes Landman of the Netherlands stated: "After all, already a decade ago all of us agreed on the principle of starting these negotiations."
Several delegations noted the lack of a global inventory on fissile material holdings. Ambassador Elisabet Borsiin Bonnier of Sweden referred to the problem with existing arsenals and stocks of fissile materials, as there is no global inventory of existing fissile materials, she asked "How would we even know if some amount "disappeared"?" We share this question from the Swedish delegation, and in order to promote transparency and discussions on fissile materials, publish an annual Model Nuclear Inventory. We encourage delegations to review this information and look forward to responses regarding its accuracy.
The establishment of Nuclear Weapons Free Zones (NWFZ) gained attention from several delegations, especially a NWFZ in the Middle East. Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari of the Syrian Arab Republic expressed his government's commitment - together with other Arab States - to establish a NWFZ in the Middle East. He pointed out Israel's refusal to heed to the will of the international community and international laws, and claimed that not only does Israel maintain nuclear facilities with the "unambiguous support from major nuclear-weapon states [but also] dumps its nuclear waste in the Syrian Golan Heights." The statement of Ambassador Ja'afari sparked an argument with Israeli Ambassador Itzhak Levanon, who replied that the Syrian speech was filled with "repetitive inaccurate information". He clarified Israel's position on a Middle East zone free from weapons of mass destruction, referring to certain conditions or circumstances his government requires for the establishment of such zone. The Ambassador, however, did not comment on the nuclear waste dumping in the Golan Heights. In reply, the Syrian Ambassador maintained that these conditions are unacceptable - Israel cannot protect their nuclear weapons while refusing other states the peaceful use of nuclear power. He brought up the Beirut Conference 2002 on the Middle East peace process, and the Israeli massacre in Palestinian Jenin. Ambassador Levanon replied by requesting Syria not bring up political issues not related to arms control in the CD.
The Strategic Offensive Reduction Treaty (SORT), or the Moscow Treaty, between the Russian Federation and the US gained attention in Tuesday's CD. Ambassador Valery Loshchinin of the Russian Federation and Interim Charge d'Affaires Thomas Cynkin of the US both shared information specific figures related to reductions in line with the Moscow Treaty and Article VI of the NPT. New Zealand stated that while the Moscow Treaty was a welcome beginning, a renewal of the Treaty provides Russia and the US with "the opportunity to make an effective concrete contribution to nuclear disarmament, by agreeing to destroy rather than merely stockpile the weapons covered by the Treaty."
While welcoming the information given by Russia and the US, many delegations including Australia, Japan, Norway, Argentina and Brazil pointed out the need for increased verification and transparency measures. Mexico stated that if the CD wants to do an "exhaustive evaluation" and objective assessment of nuclear disarmament up to date, a greater degree of transparency is needed. Information on disarmament efforts undertaken by the nuclear weapon states, he said, is the right of his delegation as a Party in compliance with the NPT.
Ambassador François Rivasseau of France held that the establishment of an ad hoc committee on nuclear disarmament is no longer relevant if negotiations on an FMCT are started. A cut-off treaty, he said, today seems like a nuclear disarmament effort in itself. Mexican Ambassador Macedo found this unacceptable, seeing an ad hoc committee on nuclear disarmament as a necessity whether or not an FMCT is negotiated, as these would complement each other. Syria, Italy, Egypt, Iraq (on behalf of the G21) and Argentina all made statements similar to the Netherlands' Ambassador Landman who reiterated his government's active support for a subsidiary body "to deal nuclear disarmament in further detail and as a gradual process."
An issue touched upon by some delegations was the changed national security doctrines of some states. Swedish Ambassador Borsiin Bonnier stated that for decades, the threshold for use of nuclear weapons has been kept very high, and the use of nuclear weapons in tactical missions "has been considered a taboo". She inquired whether this is still the case, referring to the plans to develop new kinds of nuclear weapons with low-yield characteristics. Borsiin Bonnier expressed the importance of hearing from all states that possess nuclear weapons on these issues. Ambassador Caughley of New Zealand underscored that "mutual understanding of security doctrines" is valuable for finding ways to reconfigure states' doctrines without compromising security. Not only national doctrines, but also regional strategic alliances, should be examined. Ambassador Caughley questioned the justification of nuclear deterrence within NATO, "given the overwhelming collective conventional force power held between its members". Brazil also pointed to the problem with weapons research programs as well as new security doctrines.
Many delegations included calls for the ratification of the CTBT as a contribution to nuclear disarmament. While welcome, the test moratorium cannot substitute the entry into force of the treaty. New Zealand "urge[d] China and the United States, through an exercise of leadership, to become party to the Treaty". In this year of the 10th anniversary of the historic ICJ advisory opinion "The Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons", a number of delegations including Syrian Arab Republic, Argentina, the G21 and Myanmar noted its relevance.
The important notion of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation as mutually reinforcing was repeated by several speakers. As the Ambassador of Iraq, on behalf of the G21 put it: "the mere existence of nuclear weapons and their possible use or the threat of their use represents a continuous threat to humanity. As long as nuclear weapons exist the possibility of their proliferation will remain". The words of New Zealand's Tim Caughley captured the feeling many have "Unfortunately, nuclear disarmament proceeds much too slowly for my delegation."
Alex Sundberg, Disarmament Intern
Susi Snyder
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom