Draft Resolution L.18

Confidence-building measures in the regional and sub-regional context

US Delegation

Mr. Chairman,

It is with regret that my Delegation is compelled to vote “no” on a resolution dealing with confidence-building measures, or CBM’s. I refer to draft resolution L.18, Rev. 1, entitled, “Confidence Building Measures in the regional and sub-regional context.” The United States places particular value on the role that CBMs can play in establishing an atmosphere of trust, cooperation, and renewed optimism among States long distrustful of one another, and would have been pleased to support a well-crafted resolution on the issue in this Committee.

Unfortunately, the draft before us, though revised, remains seriously flawed. It asserts principles that have little to do with CBMs, and with which we do not agree. This draft fails to take account of the considerable body of established principles on CBMs and the broad convergence of views on how they are best employed, as reflected most recently in the UN Disarmament Commission’s work on this issue. Most important, this draft resolution seems to run contrary to the very spirit of mutual and voluntary accomodatoin that gives CBMs their power.

Mr. Chairman, allow me to be absolutely clear. My Delegation does not believe that our vote on this draft should be mistaken to signal a choosing of sides on the various disputes between India and Pakistan. Our negative vote will represent our rejection of an approach that distorts a principle (that is, the confidence-building measure) that we hold dear. Many delegates will recall that it was just such an approach that helped produce a failure of the UN Disarmament Commission to produce an agreed document on conventional CBMs after three years of what seemed, up to that time, to have been productive effort.

Mr. Chairman,

My delegation has expressed throughout this First Committee session our deep concern that multilateral disarmament institutions will become ever more irrelevant if we cannot find ways to refocus our efforts to address the urgent security challenges before us. If the Committee endorses this draft resolution, we shall be voting to burden ourselves with yet another perennial resolution whose underlying purpose is to bring a bilateral dispute into this body. We urge delegations to consider whether this represents the best use of our time and energy in this Committee, and then to join with us in opposing this draft resolution.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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