Reaching Critical Will

Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

Conference on Disarmament

General Assembly First Committee

UN Disarmament Commission

Special Session on Disarmament

Unofficial transcript
Colombia, Mr. Daniel Ávila Camacho
20 August 2009

Thank you very much, Madame President.

First of all, we wish to welcome the Ambassador of the Netherlands to this forum and tell him he can count on the friendship and cooperation of my Delegation.

Madame President,
The Delegation of Colombia wishes to acknowledge your professionalism and dedication, as also to thank you for all the tireless efforts that you and your Delegation have made throughout your Presidency in order to make significant progress in the disarmament Conference, with the support of the platform of Presidents. I take this opportunity to express our full support for the next Presidency of the Conference, the delegation of Austria.

As we have affirmed throughout the year, the only goal of this Delegation in this forum is that, of initiating substantive work on the issues of disarmament and international security as early as possible. We cannot remain in the current situation, we must move forward.

Madame President,
As you know, Cartegena de Indias, located on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, will be the Headquarters for the Second Review Conference of the States Parties to the Convention against Anti-Personnel Mines. The Cartegena Summit will be held on the 30th of November to the 4th of December and will be presided over by Ambassador Susan Eckey of Norway. Time is getting closer and for this reason we have launched the official page of the event, which is www.cartegenasummit.gov.co, which contains information related to this important international appointment. We are currently making technical adjustments to change it, but it is already available.

The only registration procedure is available on that page, and we call upon all of you to visit it and begin to register as early as possibly. Both the Colombian Delegation, as also the support unit for the implementation of the Convention and the disarmament office of the United Nations, will be ready to attend to any concern or request that may arise in this connection or on any other subject in this meeting.

Finally, Madame President, I wish to inform you that the distinguished Vice-President of Colombia, Francisco Santos Calderón, will be present at the inaugural session of the second meeting in Cartegena, to be helt on the 3rd and 4th of September in Geneva, here in the Palais des Nations, with the purpose at the highest level of reiterating Colombia’s commitment to the Convention against Anti-Personnel Mines. We therefore hope that you will all be there or here in September, as also in Cartegna.

Thank you very much, Madame President.