Transcribed Opening Statement of the Ambassador of Ecuador Mr. Roberto Betancourt-Ruales,
President of the CD

23/8/01

Ambassadors, Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General of the Conference on Disarmament, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen,

Let me say that I feel extremely honored at the privilege, as representative of Ecuador, of taking over the Presidency of this Conference, which is the key multilateral forum for negotiations in the field of disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation and arms control. This honor has for the first time fallen to Ecuador, which was accepted as a member of the Conference on Disarmament in 1999, the year when my country finally achieved this long-standing objective of its foreign policy, after 16 years of waiting and tireless efforts. Ecuador joined the Conference on Disarmament with the conviction that a world free of nuclear weapons is not only a dream but an urgent necessity and that this organization is able to take care of the security requirements of all States and especially to safeguard the rights of those that do not possess nuclear weapons.

Ecuador supports objectives such as the intensification and irreversibility of the nuclear disarmament process through the elimination and destruction of those weapons. It has backed international efforts to achieve nuclear disarmament and is a party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. My country has supported concrete initiatives, such as the convening of an international conference to determine the best ways of eliminating nuclear risks.

Ecuador is in favor of the establishment of new nuclear-weapon-free zones, because it believes that such zones strengthen the nuclear non-proliferation system and contribute to the achievement of nuclear disarmament. In this respect, Ecuador took an active part in preparing the Treaty of Tlatelolco, which declared Latin America a nuclear-weapon-free zone. In 1999, Ecuador coordinated the working group of the United Nations Disarmament Commission, which set out guidelines for the creation of nuclear-weapon-free zones.

As I assume this delicate responsibility, I feel bound to acknowledge the skillful and creative work of options exploration and consultations undertaken by the former Presidents of the Conference on Disarmament in their effort to build the consensus needed to approve a Programme of Work for the Conference. Special mention should be made of the valuable contribution of the distinguished Latin American diplomat, Ambassador Camilo Reyes of Colombia, who led the members of the Conference on Disarmament in adopting the decision to appoint three Special Coordinators. That decision deserved due recognition on the part of the members, as it provides a mechanism which we hope will be a valuable contribution to the future of the Conference. I therefore feel that it should be preserved in the general interest. I shall make sure that the decision is included in the next report of the Conference on Disarmament to the United Nations General Assembly.

On taking over the Presidency, Ecuador notes with deep concern the fact that, despite the fact that, despite the considerable diplomatic efforts made by the last 18 Presidents of the Conference on Disarmament, who have held this office since 1999, it has not been possible to reverse the situation of paralysis which prevails within this Organization, where serious differences regarding crucial matters are threatening the very raison d'etre of the Conference and make it impossible for us to approve its Programme of Work.

Despite the circumstances, however, we renew our trust and support all efforts aimed at reactivating the goal for which the Conference on Disarmament was created. The Conference has a very clear mandate to promote and preserve international peace and security through the elimination of nuclear weapons and arms reduction and control.

During the period of Ecuador's Presidency, no changes are expected in the climate of stagnation described earlier, especially since the strategic scenario and international security situation still appear to a large extent to determine progress towards any kind of consensus.

We are on the threshold of the end of the third part of Conference meetings for 2001 and the prospects for moving ahead with the treatment of substantive matters do not appear encouraging. Nevertheless, it would not be reasonable to exclude the possibility in the future of arriving at a new consensus decision which would allow us to advance and progress along the road that lies ahead before the Conference on Disarmament. I believe that in the time available we shall be able only to prepare the ground for next year's session.

Aware of our responsibility, we affirm our undertaking to work to reactivate the goal of the Conference on Disarmament and especially its capacity for action. In this respect, Ecuador will explore all consultation mechanisms at its disposal.

In this spirit and using the proposal contained in document CD/1624 submitted by Ambassador Amorim as a basis, together with the valuable recommendations of the Presidents of the Conference on Disarmament who preceded me in this office, I propose to continue undertaking consultations with a view to identifying possible ways of arriving at a consensus for agreeing a Programme of Work for the Conference.

In addition, in response to the recommendation put forward by the distinguished Cuban Ambassador, Mr. Carlos Amat Forés, aimed at maintaining activities within the small area of discussion and negotiation established in the framework of action of the three Special Coordinators, I should like, in consultation with the delegations, to identify the best formula for ensuring that this work should continue and to find out how the members of the Conference on Disarmament would like to deal with the first reports on these activities.

In any event, it is clear that the work of the Coordinators, which is fully supported by this Presidency and by the members of the Conference on Disarmament, can in no way replace the main activity for which the Conference on Disarmament is responsible with respect to the substantive matters of the Programme of Work.

I should like to express my thanks to the distinguished Cuban Ambassador, Mr. Carlos Amat Forés, my predecessor, for his intensive efforts to promote a consensus with regard to agreeing a Programme of Work and for allowing me to share the valuable information he gathered in the course of his consultations. Finally, I should like to thank all delegations for the support I feel sure you will give to the Presidency.

Thank you very much.