Reaching Critical Will

Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

Conference on Disarmament

General Assembly First Committee

UN Disarmament Commission

Special Session on Disarmament

Statement by Ambassador John Duncan of United Kingdom
to the Conference on Disarmament 3rd June 2008

Unofficial Transcript

Perhaps I might be permitted a short comment in response to what our Dutch colleague has just said.

I think this morning has been an illustration of very much the problem which we as an institution face and the Presidencies as your servants are grappling with.

We have heard calls for further change to some of the basic proposals put forward. We have heard calls for movement and references to historic opportunities and undue delay. We have also heard a report on action which has led to a new international norm in under 18 months which flows directly from dissatisfaction at the existing international architecture for arms control and disarmaments ability to grapple with these issues. I think that is very illustrative of the challenge we and the UN arms control disarmament architecture face at the beginning of the 21st century. I think that it has been a helpful illustration which should focus all of our minds.

We as your Presidency will continue, as we explained last week, the bilateral consultations to see what can be achieved in the coming weeks that lie ahead of us and we take due note of the comments of our Dutch friend.