24 January 2006

South Africa, Ambassador Mtshali

Mr. President, please allow me to congratulate you on assuming the presidency of the Conference on Disarmament and to assure you of South Africa’s support for your effort to steer us towards a consensual work programme for this year that will break the deadlock that has now plagued the CD for almost a decade. You have the important task of heading our work at the start of the 2006 first session of the CD. On a personal note, may I add that I do not envy you this onerous task, since South Africa will be in the exact same position at this time next year?

Generally speaking, my delegation has on more than one occasion expressed the view in this chamber that the inability of the Conference on Disarmament to fulfil its role as the single multilateral negotiating forum in the field of disarmament has less to do with the perceived structural and/or organizational difficulties facing the forum than the inability of member States to show the necessary political will and flexibility to allow meaningful progress to take place.

My delegation is pleased that your presidency has also consulted with the other future incoming Presidents for the remainder of this year. We view this as a positive step in moving the CD process forward whilst at the same time recognizing the prerogative of the CD presidency to react and respond to the ongoing dynamics that will continue to affect our work. We have taken note with interest of your proposal to appoint a number of Friends of the President to assist you in facilitating the work of the Conference. This is a refreshing approach, but one that also leads my delegation to seek further clarification. We are familiar with the concept of coordinators appointed by the presidency, and the tasks that such coordinators fulfil. In this regard, we would therefore seek your advice as to how the Friends of the President would formally report to this body in the fashion that previous coordinators would have done. On this issue, it is also not clear to my delegation whether each incoming President would select and/or invite a new group of Friends of the President to assist him or her, or whether the group that you have identified would serve all the future Presidents for 2006.

On the question of the adoption of our agenda for this year, my delegation is of the view that the agenda adopted by the CD in 1979 still remains applicable in the current international disarmament and security environment. We therefore believe that the CD should be able to adopt the same agenda based on the Decalogue which it had adopted for the past number of years. In this regard, South Africa is of the view that the present agenda contains sufficient flexibility to allow progress and discussions to take place on a variety of issues relating to disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control.

Similarly, my delegation believes that the so-called “core” issues remain equally relevant to this forum. Past efforts to smooth out our differences on these issues have led to a number of formal and informal proposals to guide our future work. In my delegation’s view, however, the proposal of the five Ambassadors, as amended, would still appear to have attracted the strongest and most vocal majority of those sitting in this chamber. South Africa therefore still views the A-5 proposal as a delicate compromise that represents the most realistic proposal for the adoption of a programme of work.

As I have stated previously in this forum, South Africa remains willing to join a consensus on its adoption, and we would once again appeal to all CD members to show a spirit of flexibility as well as the necessary political good will to enable this body to live up to its reputation.

Members of this forum will recall that at the beginning of last year’s session, South Africa cautioned that the CD’s continued inability to commence required disarmament negotiations may well require alternative courses of action. We are all aware of the proposed alternative efforts by a number of member States during the 2005 First Committee in this regard, as you have mentioned in your speech. In South Africa’s view, these efforts were the result of the continued and continuing international concerns about the present disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control affairs in the world today.

Mr. President, you have my delegation’s wholehearted support for your initiative and efforts to galvanize this body into action. We think the time is ripe for the CD to reassert itself and to play its designated role as the forum it was meant to be. What is required is a collective effort aimed at addressing the global disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control issues that affect us all. In this regard, we should be respectful of one another’s views, receptive to alternative ideas, and committed to what I believe should be our shared goal: to translate the international community’s aspirations into action.

Pakistan, Mr. Qureshi

Mr. President, I am speaking on behalf of our Ambassador, Mr. Masood Khan, who was unable to attend this inaugural plenary meeting of the first part of the CD in 2006 on account of a high-level visit from Pakistan for the World Economic Forum in Davos. I would like to extend our warm felicitations on assuming the office of President of the CD, a responsibility which I am sure you will be able to discharge with the utmost sincerity and a high level of competence. I assure you that our delegation will extend to you our fullest cooperation in your efforts to help the CD move forward towards its hallowed objective of concluding universal, non-discriminatory and verifiable disarmament treaties.

The substantive issues will be taken up by our delegation during the course of the CD proceedings, but here I only wish to express our gratitude for the message of condolences and sympathy at the huge loss of life and property in Pakistan as a consequence of the devastating earthquake of 8 October 2005. In the preceding year the tsunami wreaked havoc in parts of Asia. Last year’s first plenary of the CD opened with strong feelings of shock and grief at that horrendous tragedy. Unfortunately, an equally devastating tragedy in 2005 in some parts of South Asia, but mainly in Pakistan, finds the present session in similar grief. The only silver lining for the victims is the overwhelming and swift help that was offered from all corners of the world. In the face of a humanitarian disaster, the world community has shown its basic humanity through the outpouring of sympathy and general practical assistance, although the scale of the disaster is so unprecedented that it will take years, maybe decades, to rebuild normal civic life in the affected areas.

On behalf of the Government and people of Pakistan, I wish to record our most sincere gratitude to all the Governments, humanitarian organizations, relief agencies, NGOs and individual volunteers who participated directly or indirectly in the relief efforts. Pakistan is still struggling to manage the crisis of gigantic proportions. Encouraged and assisted by a caring and considerate world community, our nation will come out of this trauma through determination and perseverance.

I thank you once again for your solidarity and compassion for Pakistan in this time of our natural calamity.

India, Ambassador Jayant Prasad

Mr. President, at this stage the Indian delegation would like simply to convey its gratitude, through you, for the expression of sympathy and condolences by the Conference on Disarmament at the earthquake, with deaths in South Asia, particularly in our neighbour Pakistan. I thank you

Slovakia, Chargé d'affaires, Drahoslav Stefánek

Mr. President, the Ambassador asked me to express my gratitude to you for expressing condolences to the families of victims of the tragic crash of the Slovak military aircraft carrying Slovak peacekeepers who were returning from the KFOR peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. They were serving the cause of peace and stability in Kosovo, and after they had fulfilled their noble task, they tragically lost their lives just a few kilometres short of their homeland. Let me assure you that the condolences will be conveyed to the families of the victims of the accident, and to the Government and people of the Slovak Republic. I would also like to extend my gratitude to the Governments that have already expressed their condolences to the Government of the Slovak Republic.

Chile, Ambassador Juan Martabit

(translated from Spanish): I have taken the floor this morning, Sir, particularly grateful to you for the work that you have done previously in this Conference in order to launch a programme of work once and for all. On this occasion and very briefly, I would like to congratulate you on your election as President, to invite you to continue the efforts that you have undertaken, coordinating with the future Presidents and also maintaining detailed and wide-ranging consultations with all the delegations, in order to set our Conference in motion once and for all. If there is one thing we all know it is that this situation cannot continue as it is, and that it is high time we got down to work. To that end, you may rest assured that, like the previous Presidents, you enjoy the complete and full support of our delegation.

Russian Federation, Valery V. Loshchinin

Mr. President, I heartily welcome you to the responsible position of President and convey to you our wishes for every success. You can count on firm support and cooperation from the Russian delegation.

We too would like to note the intensive and constructive work that you accomplished during the intersessional period; its results should help to achieve progress in the Conference this year, progress which we all await so much. I wish to assure you and all our distinguished colleagues that the Russian delegation will continue to do its utmost in order to enable the Conference as soon as possible to resolve the main issue - securing consensus on the programme of work and renewing substantive activities.

You have drawn our attention to this historic room. It is true, this room has seen a lot, and quite a lot was achieved in this room, even in the time when the Eighteen-Nation Committee was still in operation, and definite successes were achieved here during the cold war period, to which you referred. Now, fortunately, the cold war is behind us, and thus we have the right to expect major successes now that we are closer to each other, we understand each other better. In a nutshell, this is quite an abnormal situation, so you can count on full support from us, as well as from all the members of the Conference, cooperating in every way to achieve progress in this area. I agree with you that political will is shaped in capitals, but I would like to call on everyone - and for my part I will do all I can - to ensure that this political will is also shaped by us from here, from Geneva. This is also very important. Ultimately we are engaged in practical work here, we know the details and the nuances, and a great deal depends on the way in which we give guidance to our capitals. That is also particularly important in the light of the brief but very substantive statement by the Secretary-General, in which a sense of dissatisfaction at everything that is happening in the field of disarmament can also be felt. I take this opportunity to state that we are ready to support the adoption of the agenda for 2006 in its traditional form. In our view, this agenda would allow the Conference to consider practically any specific issue if there is agreement to do so on the part of the participating States.

And in conclusion, I would like to thank you sincerely for your kind words of welcome.

Turkey, Ambassador Kurretin

Mr. President, having taken the floor for the first time in the formal plenary, let me first congratulate you on your assumption of the presidency of the Conference on Disarmament. You can be assured of the full support of the Turkish delegation for your efforts to fulfil the difficult task entrusted to you. Under your able guidance and able guidance of five successive presidencies, we hope that 2006 will be a turning point in the efforts to overcome an impasse that has prevented the CD for eight consecutive years from launching substantive work. In fact, just a few minutes ago, the formal adoption of the agenda so rapidly is a very encouraging development.

Regarding the list of observers, I wish to inform the Conference that Turkey accepts the list contained in document CD/WP.541, with the understanding and precisions circulated in documents CD/1438 and CD/1738.

Peru, Mr. Belevan

(translated from Spanish): Mr. President, I only wish to take the floor, first, to congratulate you on taking the Chair of the Conference, and to thank you for the invaluable support you gave us during the four months of our term. And also to thank you for the kind words addressed to Ambassador Calderón, which I will pass on in due course. I would also like to wish you success and assure you of the full support of the delegation of Peru for your efforts, and to support all the proposals you have made for initiation of the work of the Conference on Disarmament in this 2006 period, in particular the establishment of this P-6 group and the formation of the group of Friends of the Presidents. The results of Peru’s term of office, which as you know was lengthy, will also be conveyed to the Conference on Disarmament in due course.

Cyprus, Ambassador Droushiotis

Mr. President, I, too, would like to extend my warmest congratulations to you upon the assumption of the presidency of the Conference on Disarmament. I wish to assure you, having been admitted to participate in the Conference as an observer, of my delegation’s full cooperation with you.

I would like to refer to the statement made by the representative of Turkey following the admission of observers to the Conference, including Cyprus, and his reference to documents CD/1438, and corrigendum 1, and CD/1738. These documents circulate letters from the Permanent Representative of Turkey which question the legal status of the Republic of Cyprus. They were effectively replied to by my Government in our letters dated 13 December 1996 and 15 July 2004, circulated as documents CD/1439 and CD/1740, to which I would like to draw the attention of the members of the Conference on Disarmament and the non-member States participating in the Conference.

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