UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY - 54th SESSION

First Committee - Report of the Conference on Disarmament

Statement by H.E. Mr Les Luck, Ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament, Geneva

18 October 1999

Mr Chairman,

Allow me, first of all, to extend to you my warmest congratulations on your election to the high office of Chairman of this Committee and wish you every success in the discharge of your responsibilities. You may be assured of my full cooperation and support in your endeavours. My congratulations also go to the other members of the Bureau who assist you in your important tasks.

Mr Chairman,

I am taking the floor in my capacity as President of the Conference on Disarmament to present to the First Committee the report of the Conference on its work during the 1999 session. This report is contained in document A/54/27 which is before you.

As can be seen from the report, the 1999 session of the Conference on Disarmament was not a productive one if measured in terms of progress made in tackling items on its agenda, although the Conference did give serious and substantive consideration to important questions of security and disarmament. Despite the concerted efforts of successive Presidents throughout the session, consensus on a comprehensive and balanced Program of Work proved elusive and therefore the Conference did not re-establish or establish any mechanism on its specific agenda items during the 1999 session. This was a disappointing outcome.

In the course of intensive consultations on the Program of Work, however, a number of proposals were put forward by delegations and groups of delegations, as well as by successive Presidents of the Conference. The proposals contained several common elements relating to items of the Conference's work. These included the re-establishment of two Ad Hoc Committees. One Ad Hoc Committee would negotiate effective international arrangements to assure non-Nuclear -Weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons.

The second Ad Hoc Committee would, under item 1 of the Conference's agenda entitled "Cessation of the Nuclear Arms race and Nuclear Disarmament", negotiate, on the basis of the report of the Special Coordinator (CD/1299) and the mandate contained therein, a non-discriminatory, multilateral and internationally and effectively verifiable treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other explosive devices. There was also common ground on the reappointment of Special Coordinators on the issues of anti-personnel landmines, transparency in armaments, the review of the agenda of the Conference, the expansion of its membership and its improved and effective functioning.

Despite broad agreement on these aspects of a Program of Work, differences among member States on how to deal with the two issues of nuclear disarmament and prevention of an arms race in outer space ultimately, and regrettably, prevented agreement on a comprehensive Program of Work by the time of the last CD session for 1999. Proposals on these two outstanding issues were drawn up, and offered as a basis for possible agreement, by Ambassador Dembri of Algeria in his capacity as President of the Conference in May and June. It was broadly felt that this work by Ambassador Dembri had brought the Conference closer to agreement on Program of Work although it became clear that further consultations would be required in order to try and bridge the differences on these two important subjects.

Mr Chairman,

During the course of my consultations during the CD session, it was evident to me that there existed a strong collective interest among member States in commencing substantive work as soon as possible during the 2000 session of the Conference on Disarmament. This conclusion is reflected in the presidential statement contained in paragraph 38 of the Annual Report before you. I therefore intend, in accordance with that Report, to conduct jointly with my successor as President, Ambassador Harald Kreid of Austria, consultations during the intersessional months in order to try to achieve this goal.

Although the Conference did not undertake any substantive negotiations this year, it is my belief that it continued to serve as a vital and unique forum for an exchange of views on evolving positions on, and attitudes to, arms control and disarmament. An exchange of views on key issues, such as the Conference witnessed this year, may be seen as a necessary step in defining new priorities and forging the requisite consensus to launch negotiations.

On a positive note, in an important development on 5 August 1999, the Conference decided to admit five new members - Ecuador, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Malaysia and Tunisia - into its ranks, bringing the Conference's membership to 66 States. The adoption of the decision represented the implementation of the recommendation made in 1998 by the then Special Coordinator on expansion, Ambassador Erwin Hofer of Switzerland. This decision, together with the fact that 42 countries participated as observers in the work of the Conference, testify to the continued relevance of the Conference as the sole multilateral disarmament negotiating forum.

Mr Chairman,

The Conference on Disarmament is a robust institution with an impressive track record in negotiating important arms control and disarmament treaties. After what has been a challenging year for disarmament and arms control, I believe there is an even stronger argument for the CD taking a lead in re-affirming the capacity of the multilateral system to address our respective security and disarmament objectives. I would urge all member of the conference to work assiduously - and demonstrate the necessary flexibility and spirit of compromise - to that end and to the benefit of us all.

It only remains for me to express my most sincere gratitude to the Secretary-General of the Conference, Mr Vladimir Petrovsky, to the Deputy Secretary-General of the Conference, Mr Abdelkader Bensmail, and their small team of dedicated staff for their continued valuable support and assistance to the Conference.