CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT DECIDES TO ENHANCE ENGAGEMENT OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN ITS WORK

Hears Statements from Poland, China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the United States

The Conference on Disarmament today approved by consensus a decision concerning the enhancement of the engagement of civil society in its work. It also heard statements from Poland, China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the United States on how to start substantial negotiations in the Conference, as well as on issues concerning non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament.

Among other things, the decision concerning civil society states that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) shall be entitled to make written material available to the members of the Conference outside the Council Chamber twice per annual session. After the Conference adopts a programme of work, it will allocate one informal plenary meeting per annual session to NGOs to address the Conference. Only NGOs whose activities relate to the work of the Conference will be able to address it, and a formal selection process will be put in place to consider requests from NGOs to participate.

Ambassador Amina Mohamed of Kenya, the outgoing President of the Conference, said that despite her efforts, it had not been possible to reach an agreement this morning on holding informal plenary meetings. She intended to call for another plenary meeting tomorrow, Friday, 13 February, at 3 p.m. because she believed that between now and tomorrow, delegations having difficulty would have time for consultations.

In her concluding remarks, Ambassador Mohamed said that according to the Chinese saying, the journey of a thousand miles began with one small step. She believed that the Conference had taken that step today and that it would only move forward from this point. In her opening statement, she had noted that agreement on a programme of work was the biggest challenge and responsibility. She hoped that the informal plenary meetings would facilitate the work of the Conference to that end.

Prior to her statement, Poland said it supported the proposal of the President for holding informal plenary meetings of the Conference, as this was a legitimate way of conducting work as expressed in the rules of procedure. However, such informal plenary meetings should be result-oriented. Deliberations should be given a decent chance to move the Conference forward. With all the expertise and talents gathered in this room, and by using innovative creating thinking, the Conference would be able to find the way out of the labyrinth.

China said the issue of non-proliferation was growing salient in the area of international security. Over the years, China had constantly strengthened and improved its non-proliferation legal system on the principle of the rule of law and had promulgated a series of laws and regulations concerning the nuclear, biological, chemical, missile and military fields. It had also adopted stringent and effective export control measures.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea said it supported the Five Ambassadors proposal and considered it as a package which should not be de-linked. The goal of nuclear disarmament should be the first priority in dealing with any attempt in the Conference. The goal of disarmament in general could only be accomplished when nuclear disarmament was accompanied by the total elimination of nuclear weapons. Also, unconditional security assurances against the use of nuclear weapons to Non-Nuclear States had become a vital issue for nuclear disarmament and in the context of the purpose of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

The United States asked that the remarks made by President George Bush yesterday to the National Defense University in Washington be distributed and entered as an official document of the Conference. In his remarks, the President addressed the issue of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and what must be done to strengthen the world’s efforts to stop the spread of deadly weapons.

The next plenary of the Conference will take place at 3 p.m. on Friday, 13 February 2004.

Text of Decision Taken by the Conference

The Conference on Disarmament approved a decision regarding the enhancement of the engagement of civil society in the work of the Conference by consensus. The decision states that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) will continue to be allowed to attend formal plenary meetings and to be seated in the public gallery. NGOs shall be entitled upon request to receive official documents of the plenary. NGOs shall be entitled - at their own expense and twice per annual session - to make written material available to the members of the Conference outside the hall. After the Conference adopts a programme of work, it will allocate one informal plenary meeting per annual session to NGOs to address the Conference. Only NGOs whose activities relate to the work of the Conference will be able to address the Conference. A formal selection process will be put in place to consider requests from NGOs to participate.

Statements

KRZYSZTOF JAKUBOWSKI (Poland) said the Conference on Disarmament, as the single multilateral body devoted to negotiate disarmament instruments, remained relevant. Today’s world put outstanding challenges in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation. Issues like proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, compliance with the international treaties in the disarmament field, regional arms control and disarmament seemed to be even more relevant today than during the Cold War when the Conference on Disarmament had its best time. Asking which other forum of multilateral character was capable of dealing with those issues, he said that the Conference on Disarmament could best fulfil this task. What the Member States had to do now was to think and discuss how to re-start substantial work.

Ambassador Jakubowski said that he was convinced that although the Conference had not adopted a programme of work and had not started any negotiations since 1998, it was conducting substantive work. Every plenary meeting, informal meeting, seminar and side-event were used to explain national positions and to close the gap between national stand-points. Asking if the Conference could start negotiations, the Representative of Poland said it could. The Conference should adopt the agenda while trying to adopt the recommendations of the General Assembly to the needs of the present time. This entailed creative thinking about the agenda as a framework which could effectively deal with current challenges. If there was no basis for consensus on one issue, the Conference should try to concentrate on a search for common ground to start substantial work. At the same time, it should also start without delay its work on the subjects that had already met the consensus. Creative thinking, free from stereotypes could bring progress to the work of the Conference.

Poland supported the proposal of the President of holding informal plenary meetings of the Conference, as this was a legitimate way of conducting work by the Conference as expressed in the rules of procedure. However, such informal plenary meetings should be result-oriented. Deliberations should be given a decent chance to move the Conference forward. Ambassador Jakubowski said that with all the expertise and talents gathered in this room, and by using innovative creating thinking, the Conference would be able to find the way out of the labyrinth.

HU XIAODI (China) drew attention to the issues that the Conference on Disarmament would be discussing this year, among them the Third Prepcom for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) 2005 Review Conference, and the Biological Weapons Convention expert group meetings and annual conference. It was imperative that all these challenges were met by the Conference in a comprehensive and balanced manner when promoting arms control and disarmament. The issue of non-proliferation was growing salient in the area of international security. Over the years, China had constantly strengthened and improved its non-proliferation legal system on the principle of the rule of law and had promulgated a series of laws and regulations concerning the nuclear, biological, chemical, missile and military fields. It had also adopted stringent and effective export control measures. The Ambassador recalled that on 3 December 2003, the Chinese Government had issued a white paper entitled “China’s Non-Proliferation Policy and Measures” which laid out China’s non-proliferation policy and measures. This document elaborated, for the first time in a comprehensive manner, the characteristics of China’s non-proliferation export control system, which featured internationally accepted measures, such as export registration system, a licensing system and approval of “catch-all” principle and penalty measures, among them.

The Chinese Government had devoted great efforts to building non-proliferation export control organs, publicizing relevant policies and regulations, conducting education for enterprises, and investigation and handling cases of violations. It attached great importance to the investigation and handling of cases of law violations relating to non-proliferation. Ambassador Hu mentioned that over the years, his Government had participated extensively in the construction, improvement and development of the multilateral non-proliferation regime. Last September, the Foreign Minister of China, Mr. Li Zhaoxing, had sent a letter to the Chair of “Missile and Its Technology Control Regime”(MTCR), in which he clearly stated that China was ready to positively consider applying for joining the MTCR. On 26 January this year, China had submitted its application for the membership of the “Nuclear Suppliers Group”(NSG). Also, on 27 January this year, President Hu Jingtao of China and President Jacques Chirac of France had issued a joint communique which embodied a series of basic positions aimed at promoting arms control and preventing proliferation. Among other things, the communique stated that the two leaders agreed in principle to hold a United Nations Security Council summit meeting on the issue of non-proliferation.

Furthermore, last October, the Ambassador recalled, China had successfully launched the “Shengzhou 5”manned spaceship, which both marked China’s significant progress in the field of peaceful uses of outer space and constituted part of the endeavour by the whole international community to explore outer space. China continued to hold the view that the Conference of Disarmament should reach agreement on a programme of work as suggested by the Five Ambassadors, so as to start substantive work to negotiate international legal instruments on its important agenda items, including the prevention of an arms race in outer space.

JANG CHUN SIK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) welcomed the adoption of the agenda of the Conference for this year, adding that an early agreement on the programme of work remained the first priority. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) viewed that the “Five Ambassadors” proposal still remained the basis for its work in the Conference, even though it needed further refinement. The DPRK was supportive of the Five Ambassadors proposal and considered it as a package which should not be de-linked. The goal of nuclear disarmament should be the first priority in dealing with any attempt in the Conference. The goal of disarmament in general could only be accomplished when nuclear disarmament was accompanied by the total elimination of nuclear weapons. More than a decade had passed since the Cold War had come to an end. However, the thinking mode of Cold War still existed in the field of disarmament and the reliance of Nuclear Weapons States on nuclear weapons was increasing rather than decreasing. The emergence of a recent doctrine of pre-emptive nuclear attack on sovereign States and unilateral attempts to develop smaller nuclear weapons were making the process of a general disarmament, especially nuclear disarmament, more complicated.

Unconditional security assurances against the use of nuclear weapons to Non-Nuclear States had become a vital issue for nuclear disarmament and in the context of the purpose of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Nuclear threat by Nuclear States against Non-Nuclear-States was being openly uttered and integrated in policies, as such commitments were unilateral, conditional and legally unbound. It proved that the unilateral commitments made by Nuclear Weapons States could never prevent a nuclear war. DPRK insisted that the doctrine of pre-emptive nuclear attack should be abandoned. It also insisted that legally binding international arrangements to assure unconditionally non-nuclear States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons and aiming at the total elimination of all nuclear weapons should be secured. The adoption of egoistic attitudes and double standards on the issue of non-proliferation should not be allowed.

Moving on to the issue of preventing an arms race in outer space, the Representative of the DPRK said the prevention of the deployment of weapons and an arms race in outer space had become a pressing task facing the international community. With the abrogation of the Anti-Ballistic Missiles Treaty and the accelerated development of missile defense systems, outer space risked being weaponized. Outer space should not be allowed to become a sphere of military confrontation and it should be used for peaceful purposes as the common heritage of mankind. DPRK hoped that the Conference could reach an early agreement on a comprehensive and balanced programme of work so as to allow the Conference to start its work on substantive issues, giving priority to such issues as nuclear disarmament and prevention of an arms race in outer space.

JACKIE SANDERS (United States) said she wished to share with the Conference the remarks made by President George Bush of the United States yesterday to the National Defense University in Washington. In his remarks, the President addressed the issue of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and what must be done to strengthen the world’s efforts to stop the spread of deadly weapons. The Ambassador asked that the remarks be entered as an official document of the Conference. She also praised the President of the Conference for her accomplishments in focussing attention of the body on the relevant security issues facing the international community.

AMINA MOHAMED (Kenya), Outgoing President of the Conference on Disarmament, said that despite her efforts, it had not been possible to reach an agreement this morning on informal plenary meetings. She intended to call for another plenary meeting tomorrow at 3 p.m. because she believed that between now and tomorrow, delegations having difficulty would have time for consultations. She said that the plenary would be held at 3 p.m. tomorrow to provide the Member States with time. If there was still no agreement on informal plenary meetings, then she would be comfortable that she had done all she could as President.

Ambassador Mohamed said she wished to make her concluding remarks now. She expressed her profound appreciation to all members of the Conference for their support, understanding, encouragement and flexibility. This had been a unique privilege to preside over the Conference and an honour for her country which had had the courage to believe in the inherent value of belonging to this body many years ago. A Chinese saying said that the journey of a thousand miles began with one small step. She believed that the Conference had taken that step today and that it would only move forward from this point forward. In her opening statement, she had noted that agreement on a programme of work was the biggest challenge and responsibility. She hoped that the informal plenary meetings would facilitate the work of the Conference to that end. Such meetings could be an effective vehicle to build confidence and understand each other’s issues, as well as to make good use of the facilities. In conclusion, she thanked her predecessor for her tireless efforts, and also recognized the work of successive Presidents on the two issues that were before the Conference today.

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