Reaching Critical Will

Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

Conference on Disarmament

General Assembly First Committee

UN Disarmament Commission

Special Session on Disarmament

Statement by Ambassador Emilio Izquierdo Miño, Under-Secretary for Multilateral Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Integration of Ecuador
to the Conference on Disarmament 10th June 2008

Unofficial Transcript

Thank you Mr. President.

Mr. President

It is a pleasure to be taking the floor on behalf of Ecuador at this meeting in the second session of the Conference on Disarmament for the year.

I begin by congratulating you, Sir, on the work you have been carrying out as the President of this important part of multilateral disarmament body.

On this occasion I would like to reiterate the concern of my country in matters relating to disarmament negotiations.

We have a record that we feel is limped because we believe we are, and we are trying to maintain ourselves as an island of peace free from matters which alien to the reality of our country. We have a solid commitment to peace, to defense of sovereignty, disarmament, fight against international crime and non interference in the internal matters of other states.

Disarmament and non-proliferation are paths which we must follow decisively. My country has displayed this in living up to its obligations through signature ratification of the Ottawa Convention. Pursuant to those commitments and decisions by Ecuador, in that respect, to date 253 273 anti personal mines have been destroyed from our existing arsenals and 4621 anti personal mines and 65 anti tank mines have been destroyed. It is not an easy undertaking because as is known, we require from the international community an extension and greater cooperation if we are eliminate this devastating weapon from our territory once and for all.

Ecuador has committed itself to rehabilitating its land so that this can be useful, productive, and not pose a threat to the lives of our civilian population. We make this point because we note with concern that many countries in our disarmament related matters such as weapons of mass destruction have failed to live up to their obligations, for instance, the treaty of nonproliferation of nuclear weapons.

I would like to express my thanks to the Irish delegation for his very full report presented to the CD last week which makes clear the significant achievement arrived at in Dublin through the adoption of the text of the Convention prohibiting the use, development, production acquisition, stockpiling, retention and transfer of cluster munitions, a process which my country supported continuously. We believe that satisfactory results have been attained and in this regard, we are also firmly committed to participate actively and firmly in the processes for the limitation of armaments and for disarmament which constitute an abiding challenge to be confronted by the international community such as matters relating to the review of the Non Proliferation Treaty.

Our record in the field of Nuclear disarmament is amply known in negotiations. We continue to believe the need to strengthen and create nuclear weapons free zone as an appropriate mechanism to work towards nuclear disarmament.

In that way may I recall that Ecuador took part from the very outset in the drafting then the strengthening of the Tlatelolco treaty, the most long standing in the field which has proved its efficiency since1967.

Likewise my country took an act of part in working in the UN Commission on Disarmament in 1999 under Ecuador in leadership to achieve consensus on approval of the document “Principles and Guidelines for the creation of Nuclear Weapons Free Zones”

Mr. President, clearly, the international community must also address and implement without restrictions consensus based international agreement arrived at with so much effort. My country has paid particular attention to conventional disarmament issues, such as those relating to UN plan for the prohibition of the illicit trafficking of small and light arms since this is something in which directly linked to the safety of our citizens which we are all duty bound to work to protect. These are lethal devices used daily in our cities. They are also instruments used by international organized crime.

Member states are fully mindful of the fact that the circumstances on which the Conference on Disarmament has found itself in recent years has been odious. Lack of consensus on such basic issues in the field of international peace and security, are a matter of manifest concern, inability to act on disarmament agendas and items and to fulfill them violates the efforts of international community which should be priority with the view to strengthening the machinery which will make possible the human development of less wealthy countries.

Draft decision CD 18/40 presented for consideration by member states now, is we feel, a valuable procedural endeavor to address substantive items through the appointment of coordinators which would make possible the speeding up of a work that is being now long dormant. The practice of the approach described in the draft decision is a realistic as a means of emerging from the coma in which we find ourselves. The document refers to the four fundamental issues which need to be discussed. We are aware that the proposal may have its weaknesses as is inevitable in any consensus process, however, we reach a stage in which flexibility will be decisive in developing and constructing a program of work which will enable us to overcome such an unacceptable lack of action which might be regarded as evidence of a deplorable lack of imagination.

We have challenges ahead of us, the so called substantive debate on Nuclear Disarmament, prevention of nuclear war, negotiations on a non-discriminatory multilateral treaty prohibiting the production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons or other explosive nuclear devices, the prevention of an arms race in outer space, international agreements which provide assurances to non nuclear weapon states against the use or threat of use against such nuclear weapons, and in addition, with respect to new kinds of weapons of mass destruction, and new weapons systems or radiological weapons, comprehensive disarmament program and transparency in disarmament all come to mind. All of these ladies and gentlemen, have been hanging fire over the international community for far too long now.

Mr. President, on behalf of Ecuador, a developing country, which has committed the efforts of its government and people to overcome its problems, I call on the CD to display greater responsibility with respect to commitments undertaken since 1979. My country would urge it to live up to its role, a role that is almost lost now as the sole multilateral negotiating forum for disarmament available to international community.

Ecuador reiterates its firm commitment to the renewal of this important process and its decision to take an active part together with the countries for which we share similar principles and positions and those who may have other interests with the view to supporting or developing a substantive program of work as speedily as possible and to support initiatives which can restore interrupted negotiations. Lack of political will and craven avoidance of international commitment to peace , security and international development have a fundamental impact on countries like Ecuador striving with such sacrifice to overcome social inequality, poverty and the abusive imbalances imposed by the unjust trade which only favors interests of the most powerful.

The Conference on Disarmament is a forum which has in the past produced instruments which have proved key to strengthening of international peace and security and peaceful co-existence. Disarmament and non proliferation are parts on which we must embark on with greater seriousness and responsibility. We must have responsibility to speed up the processes to give effect to the ideals of mankind, to devote less resource on armaments and to work to seriously fulfill the millennium development goals.

In short, we need a rather more creditable business card.

Thank you.