31 May 2007

In this morning's plenary, Ambassador Elisabet Borsiin Bonnier of Sweden assumed the Presidency of the Conference on Disarmament (CD) in an atmosphere of growing frustration and pessimism over the lack of consensus on the P6 Proposal, Decision L1. 

Ambassador Bonnier delivered a frank and succinct statement to the Conference, which provided delegates with a realistic assessment of the present situation before the CD. Because the P6 proposal has now been on the table for two months with no agreement, the Conference is sliding into negativity and pessimism, with concerns that the CD will return to the deadlock which has paralyzed it for the past decade. It is imperative now that delegations be patient, she said, as the President requires more time to establish a way forward. 

Ambassador Bonnier said she will need some days to ascertain potential courses of action before she can present the Conference with any proposal or conclusions. She declared that she will not schedule any informal meetings with the issue coordinators during the next week, as "the overall situation for their work is unclear, and it is not possible to pretend business as usual."

Her message to the Conference was clear, concise, and much needed: "Be patient, try to contain your frustrations and, please, refrain from accusing, blaming or lobbying against each other. We are in this situation together and if there is a way out we will have to walk it together. Do your best to rekindle the cooperative and constructive spirit that prevailed during the first part of the session."

She reminded the Conference of the purpose and limited scope of the P6 proposal. The proposal was not intended to be a grand political platform or compromise. Instead, she said, it "is a simple practical proposal for our work. It takes as its basis where we actually stand at this point in time, the fruit of our collective work so far. And it proposes a way to organize and focus our work for the remaining part of this session. Nothing more and nothing less. There are no preconditions. The results are not prescribed or assured in advance, but will have to emerge in the course of actual work. It is an inclusive and enabling proposal. No political or substantive position taken here, or elsewhere, is compromised. All delegations will be able to pursue their respective priorities in the course of the work. Furthermore, L.1 upholds the negotiating perspective that this forum is established for."

Algeria, which has indicated resistance to the proposal in the past, requested the President hold additional weekly plenary meetings to enable all states to continue dialogue. Algeria said it remains optimistic and "would like to be able to adopt our program of work during this session."

Japan reiterated its support for the P6 proposal as it stands now and said further informal consultations with countries that have voiced hesitation, along with additional clarifications from the Presidency, could be valuable. 

Peru also stated its support for the proposal and appreciation for the President's insightful analysis. 

As the only scheduled speaker for today's plenary, Mr. Diego Belevan of Peru provided the Conference with a summary of the outcome of the Lima Conference on Cluster Munitions, held last week in Lima from 23-25th May. 

The Lima Conference was held in order to begin negotiations on a legally-binding initiative on the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of cluster munitions which cause unacceptable harm to civilians. It also aimed to establish a mechanism for international cooperation and assistance, assuring appropriate care and assistance to victims and their communities. Mr. Belevan was pleased to announce that the Conference had fully met the objectives set at its outset by the Foreign Minister of Peru by starting substantive analysis of elements for a future instrument.

The majority of the participants shared the view that victims are the main focus of their work, particularly taking into account the humanitarian and human rights aspects fundamental to a new and effective treaty. There was broad agreement on the need to provide adequate assistance to all victims, individuals, relatives, communities, and affected countries, as cluster munitions have far-reaching affects on socio-economic development. It was also quite clear that prevention is one of the most effective means of reducing the negative impacts of cluster munitions. 

The Conference also discussed provisions for clearance operations, risk education, international cooperation and assistance, transparency, compliance, and the destruction of stockpiles, with a general sense of consensus from participants.

Discussions on defining cluster munitions for a future instrument revealed a variety of concerns and options. Some states advocated for a broad definition and a complete ban, while others wanted more specific and detailed wording which would provide exemptions for certain types of cluster munitions. 

It was clear, however, that participants in the Lima Conference showed unmistakable political will to move forward in the process to conclude a new international instrument on cluster munitions. Twenty-eight new states joined in the Oslo process and the Conference successfully moved towards the fulfillment of the goals set out in Oslo.

More information on the Lima Conference can be found here: http://www.wilpf.int.ch/disarmament/ClusterMunitions/clustersubindex1.html

The next formal plenary will be held Tuesday, June 5th at 10:00 am.

- Katherine Harrison, Disarmament Intern, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom