12 September 2006

The Conference on Disarmament (CD) held a plenary meeting on September 12. Kazakhstan, Ecuador, Russian Federation, China, Syrian Arab Republic and Belarus took the floor.

Central Asian Nuclear Weapons Free Zone (CANWFZ)
Kazakhstan reported that the five Central Asian states signed the CANWFZ treaty on Friday 8 September. The five former members of the nuclear weapons possessing Soviet Union signed the treaty in Semipalatinsk, where Kazakhstan courageously closed a nuclear test site 15 years ago.

China, the Russian Federation and Belarus supported the treaty. In contradiction to statements made by France, the United Kingdom and the United States last week, Russia said this treaty was established according to the Disarmament Commission guidelines from 1999, with help from the UN. China said they would always welcome and support any state wishing to establish a NWFZ.

Last week, the United States, United Kingdom and France declared that they would not sign the CANWFZ treaty as it is. Today, Kazakhstan said parties to the treaty would negotiate the text of its protocol with the nuclear powers in order to enable the Nuclear Weapons Free Zone to enter into force. The protocol includes obligations not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against the five Central Asian states.

New Issues
Although Syria opposes including new issues in the CD's agenda, if the CD is going to consider new issues then Syria had some suggestions.

These issues were:

-Vacating the Middle East from any nuclear weapons;

-Submitting Israeli nuclear establishments to the IAEA safeguards;

-Israel dumping nuclear waste in the Syrian Golan;

-Certain nuclear states providing Israel with the latest nuclear technology;

-Israel using cluster bombs and other prohibited weapons against Lebanese civilians;

-American and British forces using depleted uranium during the invasion of Iraq;

-America using phosphoric weapons during the attack on Falujah.

-However, Syria preferred for the Conference to concentrate on the four core issues in order to adopt a program of work that respected the priorities of all countries.

New Ambassador from Ecuador
The new Ambassador from Ecuador, Mr. Mauricio Mantalvo Samaniego, talked about the stalemate of the CD and hoped that they could begin substantive work in 2007. Ecuador noted the progress made this year, as well as major difficulties still stalling states from reaching effective disarmament commitments. Ecuador was disappointed that more progress was made in disarmament during the cold war than is being made now. The international community should use solid and increasing multilateralism to tackle a world full of weapons not just owned and used by states anymore

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