CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT HEARS STATEMENTS FROM MINISTERS OF NIGERIA AND REPUBLIC OF KOREA
The Conference on Disarmament today heard statements by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria and the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea, addressing the core issues before the Conference as well as issues of particular interest for their countries, such as legally binding instruments to control trade in weapons and the status and future prospects for the Six Party Talks on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The Representatives of Morocco and Pakistan on behalf of the Group of 21 also addressed the Conference.
While fully accepting that the first logical and sensible step in addressing nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation was the negotiation of a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT), Joy Ogwu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria, said Nigeria believed that a comprehensive and non-discriminatory approach to FMCT should take on board the issue of existing stocks and due verification. With regard to negative security assurances, to deny such assurances to States was to encourage proliferation through the back door. Indeed, countries like Nigeria, that had given up the nuclear weapons option, signed and ratified all nuclear-related treaties and placed all peaceful nuclear activities under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards and monitoring, viewed the continuing reluctance of some States to accept even the concept of negative security assurances as a betrayal.
Addressing current developments and the future outlook of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea nuclear issue, Cho Jung-Pyo, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea, said that the Joint Statement of the Six Party Talks in September 2005 and the initial actions for its implementation agreed on last month had been major steps in the direction of the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. The Six Party Talks had now moved from the phase of "word for word" to that of "action for action". What was needed now was a comprehensive and multi-layered process that encompassed politics, security and economics and induced the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons and programmes.
The Representative of Morocco spoke on the Hague Code of Conduct Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation, which, since June 2006, had been under the Presidency of Morocco. The Code made a strong political statement for the establishment of and compliance with transparency measures in the form of an annual declaration on ballistic and space programmes and for prior notice for missile and space launches. The Code of Conduct had the advantage of imposing flexible, non-prescriptive rules of conduct in this area of priority importance for the world today.
The Representative of Pakistan, speaking on behalf of the Group of 21, said that the Group believed that it was now more urgent than ever for the international community to redouble their efforts and live up to their commitments to the goal of creating a nuclear-weapon-free world. The Group of 21 reiterated the need to refrain from any act that might lead to a new type of nuclear arms race, including the development of nuclear weapons, and new types or modernization of nuclear weapons and their delivery systems. There was also a genuine need to diminish the role of nuclear weapons in strategic doctrines and security policies to minimize the risk that those weapons would ever be used and to facilitate the process of their total elimination.
The next plenary of the Conference will be held on Friday, 16 March, at 11.30 a.m., when the Under Secretary for Human Rights and Multilateral Affairs of Mexico and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain will address the Conference.
Statements
JOY OGWU, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria, said that, as the world's sole multilateral forum for disarmament negotiations, the Conference on Disarmament was uniquely placed to play a lead role in efforts to create a stable, peaceful and sustainable global security order that would benefit all of mankind – the strong and the weak alike. Disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, which were central to conflict prevention, were issues of paramount importance to Nigeria. As a developing country, Nigeria also realized the causal relationship between disarmament and arms control and the attainment of sustainable development, including the Millennium Development Goals. Against that background, the continuing impasse in the Conference was a source of great concern. It was important that the Conference agree on a work programme that sought to promote a comprehensive collective security umbrella for everybody. Today, deliberations were deadlocked principally because of the absence of strong political will on the part of some Member States. There was also a palpable lack of appreciation for the security concerns of different groups of nations. The process of reconciling competing national priorities had to involve accommodation, mutual understanding and a willingness to adjust national policy in the interest of the collective good.
Nigeria believed that the total elimination of nuclear weapons offered one of the most effective and credible guarantees against the use or threat of use of those weapons. While waiting for the day when such weapons would be eliminated, Nigeria applauded all unilateral and bilateral endeavours towards that end, and called on the nuclear weapon States to do much more to lower the threshold of the possible use of those weapons. An early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was a necessary first step. Nigeria also reiterated its support for the concept of internationally recognized nuclear-weapon-free zones, and called on all States who had not yet signed or ratified the Treaty of Pelindaba on an African nuclear-weapon-free zone to do so in order to enable the Treaty to enter into force. While fully accepting that the first logical and sensible step in addressing nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation was the negotiation of a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT), Nigeria believed that a comprehensive and non-discriminatory approach to FMCT should take on board the issue of existing stocks and due verification. With regard to negative security assurances, Nigeria felt that to deny such assurances to States was to encourage proliferation through the back door. Indeed, countries like Nigeria, that had given up the nuclear weapons option, signed and ratified all nuclear-related treaties and placed all peaceful nuclear activities under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards and monitoring, viewed the continuing reluctance of some States to accept even the concept of negative security assurances as a betrayal.
Finally, on the issue of the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons, which had fuelled conflicts in the West African sub-region, Nigeria wished to draw attention to the landmark convention, adopted in June last year, which banned arms transfers into, from or through that sub-region and banned the transfer of small arms and light weapons to non-State actors. In that connection, the President of Nigeria, in his September 2006 address to the General Assembly, had called for a comprehensive and legally binding global arms trade treaty, and Nigeria was prepared to work assiduously with other like-minded members of this forum to ensure the speedy negotiation of such a treaty.
CHO JUNG-PYO, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea, said, with regard to the core issues of the Conference on Disarmament, the Republic of Korea strongly supported the immediate commencement of negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT), which was ripe for negotiation. An FMCT could be a building block for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation given the delayed entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Moreover, FMCT negotiations would reinforce mutual trust and reaffirm their commitment to multilateral disarmament. The Republic of Korea welcomed the United States proposal on the FMCT tabled last year and hoped that it would provide a good basis for starting negotiations. On nuclear disarmament, transparency, irreversibility, and verifiability should be the guiding principles. The Republic of Korea supported the concept of negative security assurances as a practical means of reducing the sense of insecurity of non-nuclear weapon States. As the Republic of Korea was actively pursuing a peaceful space programme, space security, including prevention of an arms race in outer space and the intentional targeting of space objects, was also an important issue for the Conference, and further elaboration of the various aspects of that issue within the Conference was welcomed.
Turning to current developments and the future outlook of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea nuclear issue, the Vice Minister said that the Joint Statement of the Six Party Talks in September 2005 and the initial actions for its implementation agreed on last month had been major steps in the direction of the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. The Six Party Talks had now moved from the phase of "word for word" to that of "action for action". The current agreement had a number of merits. First, its multilateral character lent greater formality and binding power. Second, the 13 February agreement laid the foundation for halting additional production of nuclear materials by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Third, by incorporating a performance-based approach and a timetable for implementation, the denuclearisation process of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea could be expedited. What was needed now was a comprehensive and multi-layered process that encompassed politics, security and economics and induced the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons and programmes. Towards that end, the Republic of Korea planned to manage inter-Korean relations strategically so as to allow for the efforts aimed at the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue to reinforce inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation, and vice versa. Ultimately, when the Six Party Talks had achieved denuclearization and succeeded in developing a solid cooperative framework, the mechanism of the Six Party Talks would serve as a good basis for a future multilateral security regime in Northeast Asia.
MOHAMMED LOULICHKI (Morocco) observed that since June 2006 Morocco had assumed the Presidency of the Hague Code of Conduct Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation, thus illustrating Morocco's commitment to disarmament and non-proliferation. The Hague Code had been the first multilateral instrument to combat the proliferation of ballistic missiles, stipulating a general commitment with regard to the production, testing and deployment of ballistic missiles, and the reduction of national stockpiles, as well as a commitment to not contribute to their proliferation. In addition, the Code made a strong political statement for the establishment of and compliance with transparency measures in the form of an annual declaration on ballistic and space programmes and prior notice for missile and space launches. Furthermore, while asserting that space programmes should not be used to conceal ballistic missile programmes, the Code recognized the right of States to the use of outer space for peaceful purposes.
The Code of Conduct had the advantage of imposing flexible, non-prescriptive rules of conduct in this area of priority importance for the world today. States parties to the Code also undertook to ratify or accede to the 1967 Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies; the 1972 Convention on International Responsibility for Damage Caused By Space Objects; and the 1974 Convention on Registration of Objects Launched Into Outer Space, thereby making yet another contribution to the prevention of an arms race in outer space. As President of the Code of Conduct, Morocco had undertaken a number of consultations both with States parties and non-member States in a number of relevant multilateral forums. The next "presentation" of the Hague Code of Conduct Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation was scheduled for 25 to 27 April 2007 in Rabat, on the occasion of the international workshop on the use of outer space technology for sustainable development, organized jointly by the UN Bureau for Space Affairs, the European Space Agency and the Royal Centre for Remote Sensing.
TEHMINA JANJUA (Pakistan), speaking on behalf of the Group of 21, said that the Group believed that it was now more urgent than ever for the international community to strive for international peace and security and to redouble their efforts and live up to their commitments to the goal of creating a nuclear-weapon-free world. The Group reiterated the need to refrain from any act that might lead to a new type of nuclear arms race, including the development of nuclear weapons, and new types or modernization of nuclear weapons and their delivery systems. There was also a genuine need to diminish the role of nuclear weapons in strategic doctrines and security policies to minimize the risk that those weapons would ever be used and to facilitate the process of their total elimination. The Group of 21 therefore called for renewed efforts to resolve the current impasse in achieving nuclear disarmament and, in that connection, recalled the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice of 8 July 1996 which unanimously stated that there existed an obligation to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control. The Group of 21 stressed that the fundamental principles of transparency, verification and irreversibility be applied to all nuclear disarmament measures.
The Group of 21 emphasized that nuclear disarmament remained of the highest priority for the Conference on Disarmament. It was deeply concerned that the Conference, the sole multilateral disarmament negotiating forum, had been unable to agree on a programme of work and to commence negotiations on nuclear disarmament, in spite of the various proposals that had been presented, including the Five Ambassadors proposal, with a view to reaching agreement. Noting that the initiatives of the six Presidents of the Conference in 2006 and 2007 had been aimed at breaking the decade-long impasse in the Conference, the Group reiterated its readiness to be flexible and constructive in dealing with any initiative aimed at reaching such an agreement. The Group of 21 remained concerned about a lack of progress on a number of issues, including the unequivocal undertaking by the nuclear weapon States made during the 2000 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference to accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals leading to nuclear disarmament, and the implementation of the 13 practical steps set out in that Conference's final document. In that regard, the Group hoped that the first session of the Preparatory Committee in 2007 would facilitate the successful outcome of the 2010 NPT Review Conference.
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