SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN URGES CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT TO BREAK IMPASSE IN ITS WORK

21 June 2006

Secretary-General Kofi Annan addressed the Conference on Disarmament this morning, saying that if any single group had the collective power to wake the world up to the danger of increased nuclear weapons and nuclear terrorism, it was the Conference on Disarmament, which for many years pioneered global efforts to control the spread of deadly weapons. And if ever there was a time to break the prolonged impasse that had stymied the work of the Conference, and bring disarmament back into the limelight of the international agenda, it was now.

There was a crisis facing the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) – a twin crisis, of compliance and of confidence, Mr. Annan said. The NPT had proved an effective instrument, and was an achievement worth strengthening. And the Conference on Disarmament had a central role to play in that effort. It was long overdue for the body to abandon the all-consuming linkages that had dominated its approach in recent years, and get down to substantive work, as difficulties paled into insignificance, when measured against the immense challenges that the global community faced in the broader sphere of non-proliferation, disarmament and arms control.

The Secretary-General said the world must also resolve two specific situations. The impasse on the Korean Peninsula was especially disappointing given last September’s agreement, in the six-party talks, which included a set of principles for a verifiable denuclearization of the Peninsula. He hoped the leaders of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea would listen to what the world was telling them, and take great care not to make the situation on the Peninsula even more complicated. Iran, for its part, needed to enable the International Atomic Energy Agency to assure the world that its nuclear activities were exclusively peaceful in nature. In both cases, solutions were needed that were not only peaceful, but that buttressed the NPT’s integrity.

The United Nations of the 21st century was determined to move forward on three fronts simultaneously – security, development and human rights, Mr. Annan said. The challenge of the Conference was to rise to the security part of that mission, and help ensure that security policies really did make the world safer and more peaceful -- not threatening whole societies with annihilation, but making human rights and development more attainable for all. Mr. Annan therefore urged the Conference to put differences and well-rehearsed arguments behind it, and rise to the task.

Representatives of Austria on behalf of the European Union, Indonesia on behalf of the Group of 21, China, Switzerland on behalf of the Western Group and Ukraine on behalf of the Eastern European Group also took the floor, expressing, among other things, that the lack of a shared analysis was precisely what had kept the Conference from moving ahead; however, over the past months, new momentum had been developing. It was hoped that the signal received by all today thanks to the Secretary-General’s speech would lead to strengthening an atmosphere of constructive cooperation in the chamber with a key objective: to break the current impasse and get the Conference back to the leading role it was designed to play in this ever-changing world.

The next plenary session of the Conference on Disarmament will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 22 June, when the Conference will hear an address from the Foreign Minister of Myanmar, subsequent to which it will resume its thematic discussion on new types of weapons of mass destruction and radiological weapons.

Statements

KOFI ANNAN, Secretary-General of the United Nations, said that as members of the Conference on Disarmament, all knew that two very divergent courses were faced. One path – the path of active engagement – could lead to a world in which the proliferation of nuclear weapons was restricted and reversed through trust, dialogue and negotiated agreement. The other led to a world in which a growing number of States felt obliged to arm themselves with nuclear weapons, and in which non-State actors acquired the means to carry out nuclear terrorism. The international community seemed almost to be sleepwalking down that latter path -- not by conscious choice, but rather through miscalculation, sterile debate and paralysis of the very multilateral mechanisms created for confidence-building and conflict-resolution. But if any single group had the collective power to wake the world up to that danger, it was the Conference on Disarmament, which for many years pioneered global efforts to control the spread of deadly weapons. And if ever there was a time to break the prolonged impasse that had stymied the work of the Conference, and bring disarmament back into the limelight of the international agenda, it was now.

There was a crisis facing the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) – a twin crisis, of compliance and of confidence. Today, the contract between the nuclear weapon States and the rest of the international community, which was the basis of the NPT, had been called into question. And while there had been some progress toward disarmament, nuclear weapons worldwide still numbered in the thousands, many of them on hair-trigger alert. If a cascade of nuclear proliferation was to be avoided, there was a need for a major international effort. There was a need to build a common understanding of the most immediate nuclear threats. The currency of nuclear weapons had to be devalued, and two specific situations resolved, namely the impasse on the Korean Peninsula, and the situation with regards to Iran. The NPT had proved an effective instrument, and was an achievement worth strengthening. And the Conference on Disarmament had a central role to play in that effort.

Since the negotiation of the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty nine years ago, the Conference had been barren of achievement, Mr. Annan said. So to the twin crises mentioned earlier another was added: the stalemate faced by the Conference itself, however, it could be sensed that a new momentum was gathering. For the first time in a decade, the Conference was working to an agreed schedule, with the result that there were structured debates on key issues. It also had before it the elements of a ground-breaking instrument on halting the production of fissile materials for weapons purposes. It was hoped that that these steps represented the beginnings of a new period of productivity. It was long overdue for the Conference to abandon the all-consuming linkages that had dominated its approach in recent years, and get down to substantive work, as difficulties paled into insignificance when measured against the immense challenges that the global community faced in the broader sphere of non-proliferation, disarmament and arms control.

The Secretary-General said the world must also resolve two specific situations. The impasse on the Korean Peninsula was especially disappointing given last September’s agreement, in the six-party talks, which included a set of principles for a verifiable denuclearization of the Peninsula. He hoped the leaders of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea would listen to what the world was telling them, and take great care not to make the situation on the Peninsula even more complicated. Iran, for its part, needed to enable the International Atomic Energy Agency to assure the world that its nuclear activities were exclusively peaceful in nature. In both cases, solutions were needed that were not only peaceful, but that buttressed the NPT’s integrity.

The United Nations of the 21st century was determined to move forward on three fronts simultaneously – security, development and human rights, Mr. Annan said. These were inextricably linked; they depended on and reinforced one another. Toward that end, Member States had created a new Human Rights Council, to bring a fresh start to the Organization’s efforts for human dignity. World leaders had endorsed the Millennium Development Goals as a blueprint for a fairer and sustainably prosperous world. The challenge of the Conference was to rise to the security part of that mission, and help ensure that security policies really did make the world safer and more peaceful -- not threatening whole societies with annihilation, but making human rights and development more attainable for all. Mr. Annan therefore urged the Conference to put differences and well-rehearsed arguments behind it, and rise to the task. The hour was late, and the choice was clear: with political will, this Conference could reclaim its former mantle and generate tangible benefits that could shape the course of history, and that was its challenge.

WOLFGANG PETRITSCH, Austria, speaking on behalf of the European Union and the acceding countries Bulgaria and Romania, said that last year in his report “In Larger Freedom”, the Secretary-General had underlined the need for working towards a basic consensus in the field of security. The lack of a shared analysis of the threats was precisely what had kept the Conference from moving ahead; however, over the past months, new momentum had been developing. This could be seen as the result of some new thinking, new approaches and new working methods, best illustrated by the innovative initiative of the common platform of the six Presidencies of the Conference of this year, and how this had been evolving since January. The European Union felt that at present there was a window of opportunity to move forward. Progress could be achieved with a combination of prioritising, and at the same time allowing for a just and meaningful consideration of the concerns of all stakeholders. It was with this developing momentum in mind, that the Secretary-General’s decision to address the Conference was commended, and the Conference was grateful for his thoughtful remarks and strong impetus that his presence provided to maintaining and further enhancing this indispensable momentum.

MAKARIM WISIBONO, Indonesia, speaking on behalf of the Group of 21, said the Group attached great importance to the presence of the Secretary-General in the Conference, which reflected his commitment to disarmament and support for the work of the Conference. The Group also wished to underscore the importance which the Secretary-General attached to the work of the Conference and hoped that it would give impetus for that work to move forward, and hoped that it would encourage all members to demonstrate flexibility, enabling the Conference to carry out its mandated role as the world’s sole multilateral disarmament negotiating forum. The Group was committed to fostering a consensus in the Conference, and wished to reiterate that it would do its utmost to enable the Conference to start its substantive work on the basis of an agreed programme of work.

JINGYE CHEN, China, said the important address of the Secretary-General had been listened to carefully, and China welcomed and appreciated his presence. Since the start of the year, the Conference had been engaged in active and in-depth discussion on issues related to nuclear disarmament and cut-off of fissile materials. The Secretary-General’s speech should provide new impetus for the Conference, and China would work together with other Member States for progress on the basis of a comprehensive and substantive programme of work.

JURG STRUELI, Switzerland, speaking on behalf of the Western Group, said the Secretary-General’s presence was warmly welcomed, as were his thoughts on the role and responsibilities of the Conference and of its disarmament machinery. This and his presence at the new Human Rights Council was the source of an injection of ideas for progress in the Conference, which had experienced some positive developments over the last few months. This year, after the coordinated initiative of the Six Presidents, the Conference had been able to outline a schedule of activities allowing for debate on all issues on the agenda throughout most of the year. This exercise had proven to be productive and thought-provoking. Renewed hopes of overcoming the impasse that had held up work had emerged as a result of proposals made during the structured debates; however all knew bridges towards the future needed to be built.

YEVHEN BERSHEDA, Ukraine, speaking on behalf of the Eastern European Group, said the Conference had achieved significant results in the past, addressing the problems and challenges of vital importance in terms of international peace and security. It was hoped that the signal received by all today would lead to strengthening an atmosphere of constructive cooperation in the chamber with a key objective: to break the current impasse and get the Conference back to the leading role it was designed to play in this ever-changing world.