Statement of the Representative of Belgium Mr. Damian Angelet to the Conference on Disarmament 21/6/01

Mr. President,

As this is the first time that I have the honor of taking the floor in this gathering I would first of all wish to congratulate you on assuming the presidency of the Conference on Disarmament and for the excellent work that you are doing. Iwould like to announce that in their capacity as coPresidents of the Committee on the General Status and the Functioning of the Convention Banning Anti-Personnnel Landmines, Zimbabwe and Belgium will organize in conjunction with Nicaragua an information meeting on the 3rd Conference of the States parties that will take place in Managua from the 18th until the 21 st of September 2001.

The information meeting will take place on the 27th of June at 3p.m. in rm.VII of the United Nations. All delegations are invited. I would like to take this opportunity sir to tell you that to date 117 states have ratified or acceded to the Convention and 140 states have signed, ratified or acceded to it. Belgium wishes to encourage all states that are not yet members or parties to the Convention to ratify or accede to it in the shortest possible time.

Thank you for giving me the floor sir.