Statement of the Ambassador of Myanmar H.E. Mr. Mya Than

Mr. President

I should like to express the profound gratification of my delegation with the effective manner in which you have conducted the proceedings of the CD during this first difficult month of its 2001 session I applaud you for your great efforts.

Allow me also to take this opportunity to express our deep appreciation to your predecessor His Excellency Mr. Petko Draganov for his tireless efforts and invaluable contribution to the work of the CD during his long tenure of Presidency until the end of December 2000.

I also wish to extend a most warm welcome to our colleagues who have recently joined us in the CD: His Excellency Mr. Nugroho Wisnurmuti of Indonesia, His Excellency Mr.Rakesh Sood of India, His Excellency Mr. Prasad Karlyawasam of Sri Lanka. His Excellency Mr. Horacio Solar& of Argentina His Excellency Mr. Steffen Kongstad of Norway and Her Excellency Ms. Amina Chawahin Mohamed of Kenya. Most of them are our old-time friends. We look forward to Intimate relationship and close cooperation with them all.

Mr. President,

The focus of consultations and discussions among the member delegations In the CD now is as to how to revitalize the CD and as to what kind of useful work we shall do in the CD, in the absence of a consensus programme of work. I recall that at the Informal plenary meeting on 3 February 2001, you said that now we might turn our attention to 11 Plan 0 '' while continuing our efforts to achieve 0 Plan A". I shall, therefore devote this statement to my proposal for Plan B and shall reserve a general policy statement of my delegation to a more opportune time later on.

Mr. President,,

The CD is a unique Institution. it is the single multilateral negotiating forum dealing with arms control and disarmament. It has a track record of many multilateral agreements on arms control and disarmament. As a matter of fact all the existing multilateral agreements on nun-proliferation and disarmament of weapons of mass destruction are products of the CD. This forum Is capable of producing concrete arms control and disarmament agreements when the Member States have the political will and have mandated it to do so. The present Impasse is due to the lack of political will on the part of some Member States but not due to the Inherent inefficiency of the CD. Having sold this I do believe that there is still room for Improvement in the methods of work of the CD.

There are many aspects to the question of how to improve the methods of work of the CD. in this statement I shall focus on only one aspect: how to revitalize the CD and start a process of dialogue that will facilitate our endeavours to reach a consensus programme of work and to carry out our real substantive work.

Mr. President,

Your analysis of the present state of consultations at the plenary meeting on 1 February and at the informal plenary meeting on 8 February 2001 indicated that things are not moving at all in these consultations. You, Mr. President, have tried your host to reach a consensus text on a programme of work by conducting continuous and intensive consultations. I admire your great energy. tireless efforts and ingenious diplomatic initiatives. Your consultations and activities In this connection are not confined to Geneva. You have travelled to Beijing Moscow, London,, Parts and Washington to enter into serious consultations with high-ranking authorities In thoserespective capitals. Notwithstanding all these endeavours. your consultations have so far yielded no positive results. it is through no fault of yours. Nor Is It because of the lack of perseverance or the lock of ingenuity on your part. it is simply because of the current political situation and the underlying political Issues. In spite of the lack of any tangible results, we commend you for your tireless efforts.

Mr. President,,

So the situation stands. Now the question Is: what shall we do in the CD pending an agreement on a programme of work? If I am not mistaken. the issue of the programme of work Is likely to remain pending for sometime. I believe that we should not leave the CD to lie Idle until we can reach agreement on a programme of work.

While a consensus programme of work Is our objective and we want to have It as soon as. and as much as any other delegation., I should like to propose that, pending an agreement on a programme of work, the President should convene plenary meetings,, devoted to substantive Items on the agreed agenda. The outline of my proposal Is as follows:

The President should continue to conduct his on going consultations on a programme of work.

(b) Member delegations should be encouraged to make the optimum use of regular plenary meetings to address substantive issues and make their contributions.

(c) At the some time. the President should convene, in addition to the regular plenary meetings. plenary meetings, devoted to substantive items on the agenda which the CD has adopted on the opening day of its 2001 session. Since we have already agreed on this year's agenda,, discussion of substantive items one by one should not pose any problem. Each of these plenary meetings may be devoted to each substantive Item: cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament. prevention of nuclear war. including all related matters etc.

- The President should structure to the extent possible discussions on the particular substantive agenda items or subjects - He should, at the some time., allow and encourage member delegations to make general comments and raise any Issue, relating to the work of the CD and the agenda Items or subjects under discussion.

- in this context. member delegations and groups of the Member States should also be encouraged to submit papers, working papers and non-papers and to put forward concrete proposals.

- Salient points of the discussions at these plenary meetings should be complied and should he Incorporated In the report of the CD.

Furthermore. the President should also be encouraged to conduct Informal consultations and discussions with member delegations and groups of the Member States in appropriate formats on how to overcome the present impasse and move forward In the CO.

Basically. plenary meetings I have referred to in my proposal will he something like the Informal plenary meeting that you convened on Thursday, 8 February 2001.

The main thrust of my proposal it. to make the optimum use of the mechanism of plenary meetings,, devoted to substantive issues and any issues the members delegations may wish to raise relating to the work of the CD.

This is the outline of my proposal. it may be modified as necessary and appropriate so as to reach consensus among all member delegations. My delegation is very flexible.

May I stress once more that the purpose of this proposal Is not to replace the current efforts to reach agreement on a programme of work but to facilitate and serve as a preparatory process, leading to, and supportive of reaching consensus on a programme of work which, in turn., will enable us to start our substantive work

Mr. President,,

I put forward this proposal with the bust of intentions in order to revitalize the CD and to facilitate our efforts to secure a consensus programme of work and commence our real substantive work.

I am just placing this proposal on the table. But I am not seeking a decision on It Immediately. I shall leave it to the Incoming President/ Presidents to take it up for a decision when time Is opportune.

I hope that this proposal to make the optimum use of the mechanism of such plenary meetings will receive serious and favourable consideration of the Member of the CD.

It is true that this arrangement go not entirely satisfactory. it will, however, be a workable and useful exercise The question bore is: pending and short of,, an agreement on a programme of work., what kind of goal-oriented and useful process can we have in the CD? My proposal is one possible way of doing that.

We believe that such plenary meetings will provide us with an opportunity to better understand each others positions, to Identify and clarify the issues and to explore ways and means to move forward.

Furthermore, they can also generate momentum and facilitate our search for a consensus text On programme of work.

Mr. President

Let me further Illustrate how this proposal can facilitate efforts to secure a consensus programme of work with the analogy of a patient in coma. Lot us suppose that a patient has high fever caused by malaria. The patient collapses into a coma. The physician. anxious to save the life of the patient tries, as a first step. to resuscitate the patient and to make him regain consciousness. Once the patient has recovered from coma. the second step taken by the physician Is to cure the patient of malaria and to restore him to normal good health.

The first step of resuscitation of the patient is analogous to making the optimum use of the mechanism of plenary meetings devoted to substantive issues on the agenda. The second step of curing the patient of the malaria disease is analogous to reaching agreement on a programme of work. The first step in the analogy of the patient, by no means hampers but only helps the second stop of curing the patient. in the same way. the first step of convening plenary meetings as outlined In my proposal will only facilitate the second step of reaching agreement on a programme of work.

Mr. President,

I hope that my proposal outlined above will be of useful input and that it will help us to start the work of the CD on Plan B loading to "Plan A

I thank all of you for your kind support and cooperation.

I thank you Mr. President.