CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT HEARS STATEMENTS FROM PAKISTAN, ALGERIA, HUNGARY AND INDIA

The Conference on Disarmament this morning heard statements from Pakistan, Algeria, Hungary and India, as well as from the incoming President of the Conference, Ambassador Joseph Ayalogu of Nigeria.

Pakistan said its primary objective in acquiring nuclear capability was to deter all forms of external aggression that could endanger its national security. To that end, it had opted to maintain credible minimum nuclear deterrence, with flexible and efficient delivery means. Moreover, Pakistan believed that an open-ended arms race in South Asia was counterproductive and fraught with serious dangers.

In response, India said it did not accept the linkage between nuclear restraint and conventional balance and did not entertain the idea of a conventional military balance between India and Pakistan, yet remained open to all constructive solutions on nuclear and conventional confidence-building measures, which it intended to pursue bilaterally under the framework of its ongoing dialogue with Pakistan.

Algeria said the seriousness of the challenges facing the international community called for serious efforts to be made in order to overcome the stalemate facing the Conference. Algeria supported the "A5 proposal" and encouraged the President of the Conference to engage delegations on that basis in order to find a solution to the programme of work.

Hungary recalled that in two days, the 30th anniversary of the entering into force of the Biological Weapons Convention would be marked and on that occasion a CD-Rom was being prepared in order to provide updated information on the Convention.

The incoming President of the Conference said the current challenges facing the Conference required a sober reflection on the part of its members to rethink their positions if they were to make any progress. The President said he intended to explore available options by consulting with the regional coordinators and where necessary, individual delegations on the "Food for Thought" paper. He also urged the regional groups and delegations to look at the issues before the Conference in a comprehensive and balanced way, in order to address the threats and challenges faced globally.

The Conference on Disarmament will hold the last plenary of the first part of its 2005 session at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 31 March.

Statements

JOSEPH AYALOGU, Incoming President of the Conference on Disarmament, delivering his opening address to the Conference, said the current challenges facing the Conference on Disarmament required a sober reflection on the part of its members to rethink their positions if they were to make any progress. Collective security could only be realized when all members had been entrusted to negotiate disarmament agreements by the international community. This was the only way to achieve the convergence necessary to resume the work of the Conference on Disarmament and to reassure the international community of the credibility of the body.

The President said he intended to explore whatever options were available by consulting with the regional coordinators and where necessary, individual delegations on the "Food for Thought" paper, which had not yet received the necessary support from all members of the Conference to enable it to move forward. While pursuing responses to the "Food for Thought" paper, the President said he intended to, if there was no positive indicators of broad support for it, focus on the "A5 proposal". In that regard, he would explore possibilities of agreeing on a work programme based on the "A5 proposal" whilst not disconnecting from the "Food for Thought" track.

The President urged the regional groups and delegations to look at the issues before the Conference on Disarmament in a comprehensive and balanced way, in order to address the threats and challenges faced globally. He expressed hope that the momentum generated by the High-Level Segment this year would help the Conference on Disarmament move forward to advance the course of collective security and peace. He also expressed his belief that the outcome of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference should in many ways energize or catalyze the Conference on Disarmament.

MASOOD KHAN (Pakistan) said the Conference on Disarmament was a key multilateral forum for addressing all issues relating to the most dangerous weapons on the planet, including nuclear weapons, and reduction of and control of armaments. Several bilateral and multilateral initiatives were sprouting, but legally and politically they could not detract from the Conference on Disarmament's mandate as the sole disarmament negotiating forum. Negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty, he added, must cover existing stockpiles and an effective verification mechanism. The international community should strive to prevent the militarization of outer space, and a realistic programme for nuclear disarmament must commence. The Conference on Disarmament should be enabled to take up the issue of missiles in all their aspects. It should also include in its programme of work conventional arms control at regional and sub-regional levels. Moreover, comprehensive consideration of ways to address threats to international security should not be deemed as artificial linkages. Universal compliance required legitimacy and broad support from constituents and stakeholders alike.

Pakistan's primary objective in acquiring nuclear capability was to deter all forms of external aggression that could endanger its national security, he said. To that end, it opted to maintain credible minimum nuclear deterrence, with flexible and efficient delivery means. Pakistan believed that an open-ended arms race in South Asia was counterproductive and fraught with serious dangers and would not transfer nuclear weapons or weapons-related material or technology to any foreign entity or State.

In 1998, Pakistan made a transition from a recessed capability to an overt nuclear capability and put in place a raft of measures. Among them: in February 2000, the Government of Pakistan established a National Command Authority with the mandate and power to oversee and manage Pakistan's strategic assets and nuclear programme; and in September 2004, Pakistan enacted a comprehensive Export Control Act to deal with nuclear and biological weapons.

In the post 1998 phase of its history, Pakistan has accelerated its quest for conflict resolution and peace in South Asia based on three elements – a sustained and result oriented dialogue to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir issue and other outstanding issues with India; nuclear restraint; and conventional balance. Since January 2004, following an historic agreement between President Musharraf and former Prime Minister Vajpayee, later endorsed by his successor Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Pakistan has been sustaining an intertwined process of confidence building and composite dialogue with India. Pakistan's objective was to find a win-win, just and lasting solution of Kashmir. As part of its strategic restraint regime, over the years, Pakistan has also made the following proposals: the maintenance of nuclear weapons on de-alert status; no operational deployment of nuclear ballistic missiles; and no acquisition or deployment of anti-ballistic missile system.

A conventional military balance between Pakistan and India was essential for stability in South Asia, he stated, as it would ensure the prevention of the use of force, which could escalate unpredictably.

IDRISS JAZAIRY (Algeria) said a significant portion of the work of the Conference on Disarmament had been devoted to finding a solution to the question of its programme of work, yet thus far the solution had not been reached. Noting the proposals put forward by a previous President of the Conference, Ambassador Chris Sanders of the Netherlands, he said Algeria had expressed its support for those proposals. The situation with regard to finding a solution to the programme of work was untenable and should not continue in the same manner. The seriousness of the challenges faced by the international community called for serious efforts to be made in order to overcome the stalemate facing the Conference. Steps should be taken to reach a consensus among Conference members.

Algeria was convinced that the "A5 proposal" would solve this question and eventually allow the Conference to commence with its work. The proposal, inspired by many of the previous proposals put forth by Conference members, enjoyed wide support from many delegations in the Conference. Algeria called on the President to carry out negotiations with all delegations of the Conference on the programme of work on the basis of the "A5 proposal" with the hope of reaching a solution and hoped that the delegations would in turn welcome those efforts.

TIBOR TOTH (Hungary) recalled that in two days the 30th anniversary of the entering into force of the Biological Weapons Convention would be marked and on that occasion a CD-Rom was being prepared in order to provide updated information on the Convention.

JAYANT PRASAD (India) said India and Pakistan had been engaged in a composite dialogue process under which a wide-range of issues were being discussed, including Jammu and Kashmir, as well as confidence building measures. Referring to the statement made by Pakistan, he said India did not accept the linkage between nuclear restraint and conventional balance. The defense requirements and threat perceptions of India and Pakistan were not identical. India did not entertain the idea of a conventional military balance between India and Pakistan, yet remained open to all constructive solutions on nuclear and conventional confidence-building measures, which it intended to pursue bilaterally under the framework of its ongoing dialogue.


For use of the information media; not an official record

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