17 August 2006

The Conference on Disarmament (CD) held a plenary meeting on August 17, concluding the Senegalese presidency. Japan, Belgium, the Netherlands and Senegal took the floor. In his outgoing statement as President, the Senegalese Ambassador was very satisfied with the initiative to negotiate an Arms Trade Treaty.

Negative Security Assurances

Japan said that although states parties to the nuclear Non-Prolifertion Treaty (NPT) have committed themselves to Negative Security Assurances, negotiators carefully phrased those commitments so the international community could clarify what it really wanted later. Japan then raised fundamental questions about Negative Security Assurances, which the Netherlands said reflected its own concerns. Japan asked if Negative Security Assurances are better than Positive Security Assurances; if a globally legally binding instrument would be more effective than regional ones, like Nuclear Weapon Free Zones; and how to choose and define non-nuclear weapon states beneficiaries of assurances. Japan's questions are more pointed when contextualized by the North Korea nuclear situation, in which North Korea wants security assurances in order to disarm, and others say they do not deserve such assurances for breaking their NPT obligations.

Japan, which just commemorated the 61st anniversary of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, wants to raise awareness about the true nature of nuclear weapons. Ambassador Yoshiki Mine reiterated the importance of disarmament education, "not only education in schools but also public lectures and forums, training courses for diplomats, seminars and other endeavors help to raise the awareness of the terrible nature of nuclear weapons."
Japan advised the international community to learn from the hibakusha (survivors of nuclear weapons) before they disappear.

Programme of Work and CD progress
In his farewell statement, Ambassador Francois Roux of Belgium, one of the states to initiate the Five Ambassadors' proposal, would continue to work for reaching an agreement on a program of work in the CD. The conference has an opportunity to make real progress in negotiations for a Fissile Materials Cut-off Treaty (FMCT), and while this was a priority issue for Belgium, it did not diminish the significance of other subjects on the agenda. However, he also quoted the Secretary General's June 21 statement: "it is long overdue for this negotiating body to abandon the all-consuming linkages that have dominated our approach in recent years and get down to substantive work."

In its outgoing statement as President, Senegal said Tuesday's informal discussions about the CD report to the General Assembly had shown the importance and substance of this year's work. Ambassador Camara also hoped the close and active cooperation of the Six CD Presidents would be continued next year.

Next week, Slovakian Ambassador Anton Pinter will take over the Presidency, and discuss transparency in armaments and the annual report to the General Assembly. The CD has also invited the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to address the Conference on the subject of fissile materials. The presentation will be held in a formal plenary meeting on Thursday 24 August, followed by an informal meeting with an opportunity for questions and discussion.

The next plenary meeting will be held on Tuesday 22 August.

-Beatrice Fihn, Disarmament Intern 
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom