CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT HEARS STATEMENT BY VENEZUELA ON BEHALF OF LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES

The Conference on Disarmament today heard Venezuela, speaking on behalf of the Latin American member and observer countries of the Conference, to talk about the programme of work of the Conference.

Ambassador Roberto Garcia Moritan of Argentina, President of the Conference on Disarmament, said that at the next meeting of the Conference, Bernard Kouchner, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of France, was scheduled to address the Conference and take up the important issue of nuclear disarmament. It would be the first time that a dignitary would be addressing the Conference since it had adopted its programme of work.

Maria Elena Dos Santos of Venezuela, speaking on behalf of the Latin American member and observer countries of the Conference on Disarmament (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Uruguay and the Dominican Republic), thanked the President for his efforts to enable the prompt implementation of the programme of work. She also expressed their full support and full collaboration in the work they hoped to undertake in the next weeks. Their delegations had welcomed the adoption of the programme of work, which would permit the Conference to fully assume its role as the sole multilateral negotiating forum in the field of nuclear disarmament. She also reiterated their commitment to work constructively in order to achieve the Conference’s objectives. They also trusted that the political will recently demonstrated by all members would help reinforce the work of the Conference and lead them forward.


The next meeting of the Conference on Disarmament will be on Thursday, 25 June at 10 a.m.


For use of the information media; not an official record

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