Reaching Critical Will

Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

Conference on Disarmament

General Assembly First Committee

UN Disarmament Commission

Special Session on Disarmament

Statement by Ambassador Hamza Khelif of Algeria to the Conference on Disarmament 17th June 2008

Thank you Mr. President.

Since this is the first time I am taking the floor, that is to say the Algerian delegation under your able Presidency. I would like to express to you Sir our sincerest heartfelt congratulations on your assumption of the Presidency of the CD. We do thank you Sir for your able leadership, your effective steering of our deliberations, as well as the consultations you are making.

By the way sir, we also extend our deepest profoundest thanks to your predecessors, the Ambassador of Ukraine and his august delegations for the efforts he made during his Presidency of the CD.

As a matter of fact, the Algerian delegation do not have a specific statement today and w also had no intention to take the floor today because the position of my delegation has been already expressed at the outset of this session by his Excellency Ambassador of Algeria. The same position has not changed so far. However, the discussion that took place now gives us appetite if one can say to take the floor in order to enrich this discussion concerning the current position of the CD as well as document CD/1840 which is related to the program of work of the CD.

As you know Sir, the delegation of Algeria has been dealt into the work of conference long time ago in order to contribute to the work of the CD as much as possible in order for the conference to emerge from the stalemate and the deadlock known since 2000 and before. Such a deadlock and stale does not mean the conference or the members of the CD did not really work or make contribution. However, all the contribution that were made here until this day regretfully did not gain consensus so far.

I have listen attentively to the statement by his Excellency the ambassador of Canada concerning the program of work as well as the issues that are ready to be negotiated on. Here Sir, I would like to pose a question, what do you mean there are questions on matters ready for negotiation and matters that are no yet ripe for negotiations? Does that mean we lack consensus or are there other technical questions that need to be clarified for any of these items. He also mentioned in his valuable statement and he also referred to a previous statement, in order to reach a program of work, this needs very difficult decisions or consensus as far as he said.

Here I have another question, on NSA, what do you mean by that this question did not gain consensus. Does this mean that some countries are against the negotiations on NSA in the CD? If this is so, this does not only affect NSA. There is no consensus on the four core issues otherwise we could have started negotiations as well on FMCT. Mr. President, Algeria attaches great importance to Nuclear Disarmament, however, in view of the conflicting directions and orientations in the CD, there was a proposal under the A5 proposal that this question would be discussed but not negotiated, at the same time they know that NSA is supposed to be a very urgent matter. Because we say in French quantification of non proliferation needs also we need to quantitative the use of nuclear weapons otherwise there is no point in all the efforts we are currently making.

Mr. President the delegation of Algeria as we said before in our statement we believe that document CD/184o is a progress compared to L1 unfortunately we notice dt hat position of delegations are not yet elevated to consensus so Sir we would like you to and whoever will be your successor, the delegation of the UK as well as the P6, we kindly ask you to work together in order to reach consensus, the desired consensus through intensive consultations we hope sir that eventually we will gain consensus on CD/1840 in a way to take into account the preoccupation of members of the CD.

Thank you.