"Security" cannot be a precondition for negotiations!!

During the seventh plenary meeting of the Conference on Disarmament (CD), Norwegian Deputy Defence Minister Mr. Bath Eide delivered a statement on the work of the CD and Norway's commitment to nuclear disarmament. Ambassadors from New Zealand and the United Kingdom welcomed his statement, after which the new president of the CD, Ambassador Chitsaka Chipaziwa of Zimbabwe, delivered his opening remarks. Egypt's ambassador delivered two statements, one on nuclear disarmament and the second on the fissile materials cut-off treaty.

Brief highlights

-Norway's deputy defence minister encouraged the CD to engage with civil society representatives and to consider nuclear weapons in the context of broader international security issues.

-New Zealand agreed that civil society has a "huge contribution" to make to the work of the CD.

-Norway, the United Kingdom, and Egypt outlined several steps to nuclear disarmament endorsed by their governments.

-Egypt called for the Shannon Mandate to be used as the negotiating mandate for a fissile materials cut-off treaty.

-Egypt called for the implementation of the 1995 NPT resolution on the Middle East and Egypt and Zimbabwe voiced support fornuclear weapon free zones.

Work of the CD
Norwegian Deputy Defence Minister Mr. Bath Eide stressed what he views as "encouraging new signals and initiatives" toward disarmament, including US President Obama and Russian President Medvedev's positions on key issues of international security and arms control and recent European articulation of the "complete elimination of nuclear arsenals." He argued, "these developments have created an atmosphere we haven't had for many years," and urged the CD to make "full use of the possibilities."

To this end, Minister Eide advocated for increased engagement with civil society, which can "contribute with innovative approaches and ... help mobilize the political will that is necessary to move forward." He referenced civil society involvement in the processes leading to the Mine Ban Treaty and the Convention on Cluster Munitions, arguing that while nuclear weapons are "of a different category" from cluster munitions and landmines, "there are parallels and lessons to be learned from the humanitarian disarmament approach, which could benefit our work on disarmament and non-proliferation." In particular, he insisted on the need for non-governmental representatives to "remind us that we are starting in the wrong end when we make a benign security environment a precondition for negotiations." [Emphasis mine] Ambassador Don Mackay of New Zealand echoed Minister Eide's call for civil society participation, noting that civil society "has a huge contribution to make to debate and to progress in this area as in others."

Minister Eide also noted that the Ottawa and Oslo processes were open to all states, while the CD, which is mandated to negotiate global legally-binding obligations, excludes the majority of states from participating. He argued that the CD "can" have a crucial role to play in disarmament, "but only if we, the Governments, want it to." The current president of the CD, Ambassador Chitsaka Chipaziwa of Zimbabwe, agreed that it is up to CD member states to end the deadlock. He expressed belief that the organization of work and the informal debates will be useful to this end.

Measures for disarmament
Minister Eide also called for improving verification mechanisms for all aspects of nuclear activities, entry into force of theComprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and the full implementation of a verifiable fissile materials cut-off treaty. He advocated for nuclear weapons to be considered comprehensively, in the context of "the broader agenda of international security policy" including climate change, disease, global financial crisis, and humanitarian and development challenges, arguing, "we cannot afford the staggering costs that the nuclear weapons option entails." New Zealand's Ambassador Mackay welcomed Minister Eide's attempt to place the CD in a broader security context, noting that diplomats can "get very focused on the narrow prisms that we operate through."

Ambassador John Duncan of the United Kingdom likewise welcomed the minister's statement, noting that the "world has changed" to consist of "interconnected States" and that the UK government is attempting to "articulate a vision for the future, not only a political dimension to that, but the practical steps that will be required to achieve that vision." Demonstrating the differing views on "practical steps," Ambassador Hisham Badr of Egypt suggested that UN General Assembly resolutions on decreasing the operational status of nuclear weapon systems and on reducing nuclear danger—neither of which the UK government supports—are important steps "that could practically enhance confidence and transparency measures while working towards realizing our goal of a Nuclear Weapons Free World." Ambassador Badr also directly quoted Article VI of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), arguing that it clearly lays out states' obligations "in clear and unambiguous language."

Fissile materials cut-off treaty (FMCT)
Egypt's Ambassador Badr noted that most member states "have at one stage or another, and in one formula or another, supported negotiating an FMCT." He advocated that it "would not be wise to waste such a rare convergence of opinion." He suggested that the "path of least resistance" is to adhere to the process contained in the 1995 Shannon Mandate while at the same time not precluding any delegation from raising for consideration the issue of existing stockpiles.

Nuclear fuel cycle
Norway's Minister Eide argued that strengthening the NPT's provisions on "peaceful uses" of nuclear energy is necessary to ensure "energy access and energy security" and called for the development of a "proliferation proof" system through multilateral approaches to the fuel cycle.

Nuclear weapon free zones
Ambassador Chipaziwa of Zimbabwe noted that it is his "cherished goal" that Africa "remain a nuclear-free zone for all time" andEgyptian Ambassador Badr reaffirmed his government's support for the creation of nuclear weapon free zones. Ambassador Badr also emphasized the importance of implementing the 1995 NPT resolution on the Middle East.

Notes from the floor
Today's meeting was held in Room VII rather than the usual CD chamber. The room's gallery was void of seats and headsets so the three civil society representatives in attendance sat quietly and discretely on the main floor with the delegates. This seemed to cause no problem and the delegates, who are used to NGO representatives sitting on the main floor during meetings of the UN General Assembly First Committee and the NPT Preparatory Committees and Review Conferences, did not appear to mind. In fact, after the meeting was over, several delegates engaged in informal interaction with the NGO representatives. WILPF appreciated this unplanned opportunity to demonstrate the possibilities for future civil society representation at the CD and encourages CD member states to reflect on this experience in their considerations around this issue.

WILPF further notes that in today's meeting there was a good deal of emphasis on the responsibility of CD member states to break the impasse in the CD. While agreeing that the governments represented at the CD are primarily responsible for moving forward with negotiations of relevant treaties, WILPF urges all states—and civil society within all states—to apply the necessary pressure and provide the necessary arguments for progress. Many delegates have stressed the interconnectedness of states; WILPF encourages them to remember this, and their responsibilities to their populations, when they represent their countries at the CD.

The next plenary meeting of the CD is scheduled for Thursday, 19 February 2009.

- Ray Acheson, Reaching Critical Will of WILPF