CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT HEARS MESSAGE FROM SECRETARY-GENERAL ON PRESIDENTIAL DECISION TO RESTART SUBSTANTIVE WORK

The Conference on Disarmament this morning heard a message from United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in which he told Member States that the adoption of a Presidential draft decision to start substantive work in the Conference, supplemented if necessary to overcome any reservations, would have a positive impact on the international security atmosphere. At the same time, if the Conference did not move forward, it would have a devastating impact on multilateral and bilateral disarmament efforts. The President of the Conference then introduced a complementary Presidential statement to the draft decision to clarify issues and address concerns raised by Members on that document.

Sergei Ordzhonikidze, the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General, read out the Secretary-General’s message in which Mr. Ban said that he could not overemphasize how important it was that the Conference overcome its differences. That was a matter that transcended concerns about the effectiveness and utility of the Conference – it went to the very heart of the current international security environment. Adoption of the Presidential draft decision (CD/2007/L.1), supplemented if necessary in such a way as to overcome any reservations, would have a positive impact on the international security atmosphere. If the Conference did not move forward, it would have a devastating impact on multilateral and bilateral disarmament efforts. The Secretary-General called on the Conference to reflect deeply on this historic opportunity, and urged Members to take forward the vital work of the Conference in a spirit of compromise and accommodation.

Ambassador Elisabet Borsiin Bonnier of Sweden, President of the Conference, then submitted a complementary Presidential statement, reflecting an understanding of the Conference on the implementation of L.1. It served to add clarity to questions raised by delegations. She hoped that delegations were ready and able to do what was do-able at this point in time: to begin with no doors to the future closed.

Egypt and Pakistan made short statements expressing their views on the Presidential draft decision, and the related complementary Presidential statement.

Egypt said the complementary Presidential statement had taken into consideration a number of the concerns Egypt had expressed, and it was grateful for that. However, Egypt had hoped and continued to hope that the text of L.1 would contain larger clarity and precision. Egypt looked forward to the continuance of the informal consultations until all the concerns of all were included in such a way that they could move forward.

Pakistan noted that the Secretary-General had underscored two words in his message to the Conference: compromise and accommodation. While there had been some compromise, accommodation, too, needed to be made. In that connection, Pakistan noted that several delegations had concerns on L.1 that related directly to their national security.

Presidential draft decision CD/2007/L.1 calls for the appointment of four coordinators to preside over substantive discussions on the issues of nuclear disarmament; prevention of an arms race in outer space; and negative security assurances; and to preside over negotiations on a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.

The next plenary of the Conference will be held on Tuesday, 19 June, at 10 a.m., when it will continue its consideration of draft decision CD/2007/L.1.

Statements

SERGEI ORDZHONIKIDZE, Director-General of United Nations Office at Geneva, Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General, read out a message by United Nations Secretary-General BAN KI-MOON addressed to the Conference on Disarmament. As the Conference's work had intensified, it had brought high hopes of a turning point in multilateral disarmament diplomacy. The Secretary-General said he had been encouraged by the concerted efforts of this year's Presidents to resolve the long-standing disagreement in the Conference over its priorities. He could not overemphasize how important it was that the Conference overcome its differences. That was a matter that transcended concerns about the effectiveness and utility of the Conference – it went to the very heart of the current international security environment. Member States of the Conference bore a heavy responsibility.

The Secretary-General’s statement said adoption of the Presidential draft decision (CD/2007/L.1), supplemented if necessary in such a way as to overcome any reservations, would have a positive impact on the international security atmosphere. It would demonstrate to the international community that the security challenges before them were not overwhelming, but could be addressed collectively. If, on the other hand, they did not move forward, it would have a devastating impact on multilateral and bilateral disarmament efforts. Compromise was never an easy reflex. Yet, finding a fair accommodation now would deprive no Member of the ability to assert its national position in the phases of the Conference's work following the adoption of the Presidential draft decision. The Secretary-General called on the Members of the Conference to reflect deeply on this historic opportunity, and urged them to take forward the vital work of the Conference in a spirit of compromise and accommodation.

ELISABET BORSIIN BONNIER (Sweden), President of the Conference on Disarmament, observed that Members had now spent quite some time in informal open-ended Presidential consultations to explore whether the Conference would be able to find a way to move forward towards a programme of work for the remaining part of this session on the basis of the Presidential draft decision contained in document CD/2007/L.1 – or not. As a result of those consultations, she was now submitting to the Conference a complementary Presidential statement, reflecting an understanding of the Conference on the implementation of L.1. It served to add clarity to questions raised by delegations as regards L.1.

To her mind, each of the two documents was very clear in its respective message. Nevertheless, some delegations had repeatedly stressed that they wished to establish even further clarity by an explicit expression of the relationship between the two documents. For others, it was equally important that that be done without modifying the documents themselves. To square that circle, Ms. Borsiin Bonnier would suggest today a very short third document. It brought the two documents together in a very simple draft decision by the Conference. If accepted, it would mark the end of a decade-long stalemate and the beginning of the kind of work the Conference had been established to pursue.

Ms. Borsiin Bonnier said she did not expect immediate reactions today. But she did ask that delegations seriously considered what they had before them. They still had a chance to begin their work. She hoped that delegations were ready and able to do what was do-able at this point in time: to begin with no doors to the future closed.

SAMEH SHOUKRY (Egypt) expressed Egypt's deep appreciation for the efforts deployed by the President to find a way to break the stalemate that had marked the work of the Conference for the past decade. When Presidential draft decision L.1 was considered in a multilateral setting, respecting the views of all – that was the ideal setting to bring a consensus in the Conference and to bring everyone to agree to move forward and to work on a transparent basis and within the Conference rules of procedures. Egypt fully appreciated the complementary Presidential statement that had been submitted today, which had been reached through the collective efforts of many delegations, including Egypt. The current version of the complementary statement was a good basis, in addition to L.1, for the Conference to resume its substantive work and to allow Members to reach a consensus, which Egypt would like to join when that work was completed. The statement had taken into consideration a number of the concerns Egypt had expressed, and it was grateful for that. However, Egypt had hoped and continued to hope that the text of L.1 would contain larger clarity and precision. Egypt looked forward to the continuance of the informal consultations until all the concerns of all were included in such a way that they could move forward.

TEHMINA JANJUA (Pakistan) said that Pakistan would take a close look at the new documents submitted by the President today, send them to Pakistan's capital, and await instructions. Pakistan also thanked the Secretary-General for his message. The Secretary-General had underscored two words in concluding that message: compromise and accommodation. While there had been some compromise, accommodation, too, needed to be made. In that connection, Pakistan noted that several delegations had concerns on L.1 that related directly to their national security.