Let me thank your for giving me the floor and congratulate you on your assumption of the post of the President of the Conference on Disarmament at this important stage of its activities. I would like to wish you success and assure you of my delegation's readiness for constructive cooperation.

Since this is my first statement during this year session of the Conference, I would like also to welcome our new colleagues who have joined our work.

Mr. President,

The issue of PAROS has been for many years and remains to be among the top priorities for the Russian diplomacy. I wish to recall that our country has repeatedly taken initiatives in this field. The most well-known among them are the proposals which were advanced in early 1980s concerning the conclusion of a treaty prohibiting the deployment in outer space of any kind of weapons as well as the one banning the use of force in outer space and from space against the Earth.

In his address at the Millennium Summit in the UN on 6 September, the President of Russia Vladimir V.Putin stated: "Particularly alarming are plans for the militarization of outer space. In the spring of 200 1, we shall be celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the first manned flight to outer space. That man was our compatriot, and we are suggesting that on that date, under the aegis of the United Nations, an international conference on the prevention of the militarization of outer space be organized. I think that the most appropriate venue will be Moscow".

Comprehensive preparations are being conducted now for such a conference, which is designed to serve the two-fold purpose of addressing both the issues of preventing the introduction of weapons into outer space and the prospects for the peaceful use of outer space. These goals have also been reflected in the forum's logo - "Arms - free outer space - the arena for peaceful cooperation ,in the 21st century".

The work of the conference is scheduled to take place during four days from 11 to 14 April 2001; three of them will be devoted to meetings and one will feature a tour of Youri A.Gagarin's memorable places, and of the Russian scientific and industrial space-related organizations. The conference will be held in the format of several symposia. One of these will be specifically dedicated to the issue of the prevention of an arms race in outer space, which has been spelled out in the resolutions of the General Assembly of the United Nations.

Representatives of national space agencies, foreign and defence ministries, academies of science, leading outer space-related scientific and research centres, commercial and industrial companies, international and non-governmental outer space organizations, universities, scientific and educational centres, insurance companies and banks engaged in outer space - related activities, as well as cosmonauts and astronauts have been invited to attend the forum.

It is a matter of great satisfaction to us to announce today that the world community expresses a considerable interest in the Moscow conference. More than 40 countries and international organizations, first of all the UN, have already officially confirmed their participation in it. The countries will be represented at the level of heads or deputy heads of national space agencies, deputy ministers or senior officials of the ministries of foreign affairs or other government departments. A large number of representatives from NGQ's and the academic community are also planning to take an active part in the Moscow forum.

I am taking into account the noticeable interest in the forthcoming Moscow conference from the CD delegations we have prepared a short reference material concerning this forum and we will be distributing it as an annex to my statement.

Mr. President,

In advancing the initiative to convene an international conference on the non-militarisation of outer space, Russia, has undoubtedly, taken into account the fact that human activities in outer space may pursue various objectives.

On the one hand, these may be aimed at creating, through monitoring, communications and navigation outer space systems, launched by military agencies, what is called the climate of confidence and predictability and ensuring control over the compliance with international agreements in the area of arms reductions. In the long run, such activities would lead to strengthening international security.

On the other hand, there is a real threat that military outer space systems could be eventually created and deployed, which would lead to undermining global strategic stability.

Russia would like to draw attention of the world community to this issue in order to prevent by joint efforts such dangerous developments. We share the view that the elaboration, right now, of specific measures to prevent an arms race in outer space would help to avoid these enormous expenditures as would be required to disarm it in the future. We believe that a speedy elaboration of an international legal regime prohibiting deployment in outer space of weapons other than WMD, should become one of the principal tasks of the world community.

Russia's initiative is universal in nature. It is not targeted against the interests of any State. We proceed from the premise that the contemporary norms of the outer space law contain "blank spots" and do not ensure a comprehensive and effective ban on an arms race in outer space. They limit only certain - if even important - types of military activities of States, particularly those related to testing and launching in outer space of nuclear and other types of weapons of mass destruction.

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In Russia's view the question could be taken up that, building upon a clearcut legal basis, one should preclude the stationing of any type of weapons in outer space and renounce the use or threat of use of force in outer space, from outer space or towards outer space and prevent an arms race in outer space and, more so, its turning into a battlefield. We are convinced, however, that such a work on the outer space subject area should not result in creating obstacles to the peaceful exploration of outer space.

Due to the fact that the upcoming forum is timed to coincide with the anniversary of Youri Gagarin's flight, much attention will be paid at it to the issues of the peaceful use of outer space and to those of international, including commercial, cooperation in its exploration as a real alternative to the militarization of outer space. That is why it is no accident that three out the four symposia scheduled to take place within the framework of the conference will be devoted to the problems of peaceful outer space, including manned outer space activities, outer space ecology, the use of outer space resources for the purposes of sustainable development and outer space education.

The representative international conference on the prevention of an arms race in outer space, as proposed by Russia, is not either a negotiating exercise or an academic event. We would like it to proceed in the format of a "brainstorming session" enabling the participants in the conference to recount the results and new projects of the exploration of outer space, to exchange views and hold discussions. We are ready for such a dialogue. We would be glad to hear and support any suggestions from the partners, aimed at strengthening strategic stability and at further mutually beneficial cooperation in the peaceful exploration of outer space.

We hope that each country will be able to find the topics of interest to it in the agenda of the Moscow conference.

Thank you for your attention.