This plenary has been scheduled to allow us to make the appropriate decision on the way forward. The time has been quickly running out and the window of opportunity to achieve a consensual approach, on how to implement the POW three months after it has been adopted, is closing. I think we all agree that the window of opportunity for this year is closing today. In order to allow the Conference to proceed with a meaningful implementation I simply want to briefly recall that the P6 have carried out almost endless discussions and consultations with all interested partners ever since the 29th of May.  I salute the Ambassador of Algeria back in the Conference for his achievement of that day.

Of course we have conducted in that same period, 16 plenary sessions of the Conference. We have intensified the consultations over the last week, not only with informal consultations with everybody interested but also with two informal Presidential consultations open to all interested Delegations. We have left no stone unturned to reach a common approach.  I sincerely want to thank all who have participated in these efforts to bring about consensus. These efforts, as you know, have led to CD/1870 revision 2, which has been circulated on Thursday and on which we were supposed to take a decision this morning.

With that in mind and against this background, it is with serious regret that I have to inform the Conference that consensus on the modalities for implementation on CD/1864 still eludes us. With that situation and given the lack of time remaining I have to reach the conclusion that the Conference is now best served by moving on to the remaining tasks, the Conference has to tackle this year.

We are currently preparing a first drat of the Conference’s report and we will make it available in the course of this week in line with Rule 44 and I hope to make it available this week.

I do hope that the Conference will be able to adopt a report by Thursday September 17. That is the state of affairs in the Conference today. Does anybody want to take the floor at this stage? If that is not the case, before concluding I would like to take the opportunity of informing that the Austrian Foreign Minister will address the Conference on Wednesday at 10 O’clock and subsequently launch with Handicap International, the ICRC and Norway the study on assisting victims of landmines and explosive remnants of war here in this very same room on Wednesday at 11 O’clock.

I would also like to announce today, that we are also planning for a plenary on Thursday, to allow the designated chairmen of 1st Committee of the General Assembly to address the Conference, Ambassador Kankola.

If there nobody else wanting to take the floor, this concludes our business for today, this plenary is adjourned.

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