STATEMENT

by H.E. Mr. Petko, Draganov - Ambassador, Permanent
Representative of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Conference on Disarmament

Geneva., February 1, 2001

Mr. President,

At the outset, please allow me to extend my warmest congratulations and personal satisfaction on your assumption of the Presidency of the Conference on Disarmament at the beginning of its 2001 session. I would like to use this opportunity to commend the energy, creativity and imagination you have been showing in the still on-going consultations, some of which I was privileged and pleased to share with you. I would like to express my gratitude for the cooperation and goodwill I have enjoyed during this period. It is well known that the early stage of the Conference's annual session is particularly difficult and this may be especially true this year. I am fully confident, however, that under your wise guidance and buoyant determination the CD has as good a chance as any to overcome its present deadlock and meet the responsibilities entered upon it by the international community as the sole forum for negotiating international arms control and disarmament treaties. At this important juncture, let me assure you, Mr. President that in carrying out your term of service you can count on my delegation continued cooperation and support.

Let me use this occasion to say a warm word of welcome to our new colleagues from Indonesia, Ukraine, Sri Lanka and Argentina and to wish them every success, as well as to bid farewell to the outgoing distinguished ambassadors of Bangladesh, Iraq, Mongolia, Sri Lanka and the Republic of Korea. My best wishes for good health and success to them and their families. I would also like to extend my greetings to the Secretary-General of the CD and Personal Representative of the UN Secretar-General, Mr. Vladimir Petrovsky. A special word of welcome goes to our new Deputy Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament, Mr. Enrique Roman-Morey, to whom we also pledge support and cooperation.

Mr. President,

I am pleased to make my short intervention today under the presidency of the representative of a country, which has proven in practice that the achievement of a mine-free world is among its highest priorities. Let me start by reiterating Bulgaria's firm support for all efforts, including in the framework of this forum, aimed at achieving a total elimination on anti-personnel landmines. Let me express our satisfaction with the fact that by the end of the year 2000 107 countries had ratified the Ottawa Convention and 57 countries had notified their consent to be bound by the Amended Protocol II to the CCW. We are ready to support all proposals aimed at the universalization of these international instruments.

As I already had the possibility to inform the CD on previous occasions, in accordance with its consistent policy of non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament, in 1998 the Republic of Bulgaria ratified the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on their Destruction (Ottawa Convention) as well as the Amended Protocol II to the Convention on the Prohibition or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which may be Deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to have Indiscriminate Effects.

Since signing the Ottawa Convention Bulgaria has acted with vigor to meet its commitments:

· In 1999 the Bulgarian Government adopted a National Program for. the implementation of the Ottawa Convention. It comprises all details concerning the demining of the minefields and the destruction of the stockpiles of antipersonnel mines. The necessary national machinery, namely an Interagency working group under the chairmanship of a Deputy Minister of Defence was established to coordinate and control the implementation of the Program.

· By October 31, 1999 all 68 minefields on the territory of Bulgaria had been cleared and 13 926 antipersonnel mines, type PSM-1 had been destroyed on the spot. A total of 13 364 acres were made mine-free.

Today, Mr. President, it is my pleasure to announce that, by December 20th, 2000, i.e. two years in advance of the deadline under Art.4 of the Ottawa Convention, a total of 881 970 antipersonnel mines had been destroyed and the Republic of Bulgaria effectively became a 100% antipersonnel mine-free country. In accordance with Art.3 of the Convention 4000 APMs have been retained for the purpose of training in mine detection, mine clearance and mine destruction techniques.

Thank you for your attention!