CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT HOLDS FIRST PLENARY UNDER THE PRESIDENCY OF ARGENTINA

The Conference on Disarmament this afternoon held its first plenary under the Presidency of Ambassador Carlos Mario Foradori of Argentina.

The President said the Conference urgently needed a high dose of common sense. About 1,600 hours of deliberations in the last 22 years had been wasted in trying to agree on something that should be very simple to achieve, establishing a programme of work. If the purpose of this exercise was doing nothing, members of the Conference should be brave and honest enough to explain here that the Conference should not function anymore and that by consensus it had been decided that the “bank” of the Conference on Disarmament was bankrupt.

Speaking during the plenary were the United Kingdom, Viet Nam, Algeria, Australia, Peru, Austria, Belarus, Colombia, France, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Chile, Spain, United States, Republic of Korea, Brazil, Iran, Bulgaria, Mexico and Canada.

The next public plenary of the Conference on Disarmament will be held on Monday, 24 February at 10 a.m., when it will start a three-day high-level segment, which coincides with the high-level segment of the Human Rights Council.

Statements

United Kingdom, speaking on behalf of the five Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty nuclear weapon States, or P5, said they had met in London from 12 to 15 February for the ninth P5 Conference. They had reiterated their commitment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in all its aspects, including that it provided the essential foundation for preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons. They had also reiterated their commitment to continue their individual and collective efforts to uphold their obligations, and advance the goals of the treaty in all its aspects. The P5 had exchanged views on the current situation in the international security environment and other issues relevant to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, and pledged their full and continued support to the International Atomic Energy Agency and its new Director-General. Specifically, they reviewed progress on the five areas of work agreed at the Beijing P5 Conference in January 2019.

Viet Nam expressed hope that the Conference would move forward in achieving a balanced and comprehensive programme of work, as the only way to break its current deadlock. Multilateral cooperation had always had a special place in Viet Nam’s foreign policy. As a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council 2020-2021, and Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for 2020, Viet Nam was committed to doing its best to work with United Nations Member States and achieving the goals of sustainable peace and development.

Ambassador CARLOS MARIO FORADORI of Argentina, the President of the Conference, said he intended to continue his work together with his P6 colleagues to ensure the resumption of substantive work in this forum. The P6 considered that more time was needed to exchange views and explore possible ways forward on the package. The Presidency had conducted a number of consultations, and he thanked all Member States for their efforts and flexibility. The Conference urgently needed a high dose of common sense. About 1,600 hours of deliberations in the last 22 years had been wasted in trying to agree on something that should be very simple to achieve, establishing a programme of work. If the purpose of this exercise was doing nothing, members of the Conference should be brave and honest enough to explain here that the Conference should not function anymore and that by consensus it had been decided that the “bank” of the Conference on Disarmament was bankrupt. That would save millions of dollars of the respective taxpayers of those present, who could use the money to heal the pain of the victims of war. There was still hope that common sense would emerge, and this was why a revised version of the package would be circulated on Monday for members of the Conference to analyse prior to it being tabled on Tuesday afternoon.

Algeria, the outgoing President of the Conference, said that Algeria stood ready to assist the President. It was important to build consensus around the programme of work that would allow the Conference to resume its work. Past efforts had brought the Conference closer to success. An objective approach, a spirit of consultation, as well as a constructive approach were necessary.

Australia expressed appreciation for the briefing on the P5 meeting; it was a good practice. The statement just given by the President was sensible. Australia appreciated and supported the consultations that the President had held, and applauded his approach to establish a programme of work. The Conference urgently needed a dose of common sense, as the President had said.

Peru said it supported the package as it was balanced and represented an opportunity to achieve the adoption of a programme of work. This would be a positive signal for the international community, a step forward towards restarting multilateral negotiations on disarmament, as set out in the Conference’s mandate. In that context, Peru supported the work of Argentina as the President of the Conference.

Austria expressed support for the President’s appeal for common sense, as well as his analysis and approach. Last Friday, the Conference came very close to adopting the package, as a result of the herculean efforts of the Presidency. As a member of the P6 in 2020, Austria appealed to the delegations to show flexibility and support the valuable efforts of the President.

Belarus, as a member of the P6 in 2020, expressed support for the President. The Conference could move on working on substantive work. This required a constructive approach and common sense. The Presidency could count on Belarus’ support in that regard.

Colombia thanked the new President and his predecessors for putting together the package. Colombia expressed hope that their efforts would allow the Conference to resume its work.

France said the President of France had recently shared his analysis of the international security situation, calling on Europe not to be a spectator in the new strategic environment but rather to take back ownership of its future. He had notably reiterated some of the priorities that pertained to the work of the Conference, such as respecting the Non-Proliferation. He had also reiterated that France wished that the New Start Treaty be extended beyond 2021. Disarmament was not an end in itself but rather contributed to improving international security. France therefore opposed unilateral disarmament, which would expose it and its partners to violence and blackmailing.

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea said it did not accept the argument made in the statement by the United Kingdom, which could only be interpreted as an attempt to put pressure to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which would only be futile. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea strongly disagreed with, and rejected, the charges made in the statement.

Chile confirmed that the President could count on the support of Chile in his efforts to foster common sense. Peace and security were common goods. The Conference must not allow the window of opportunity to close, and must work to reach consensus. The real work came after adopting a programme of work.

Spain noted the high level of coordination between the members of the P6. Obviously some States would have concerns about one thing or another, but a consensus was the only way to preserve the raison d’être of the Conference and resume negotiations as soon as possible.

United States said it was horrifying that 1,600 hours had been dedicated to discussing a programme of work that had not been adopted. The package was the best compromise the Conference could hope to achieve. The Presidency had the United States’ full support. It was time to get on board and get to work, or go home.

Republic of Korea said that it was regrettable that consensus had not been reached on the programme of work, and encouraged delegates to show flexibility and show the world that the Conference was doing its job. The adoption of a programme of work was of the utmost importance, and the Conference should not disappoint the international community again this year.

Brazil thanked Algeria for its efforts when it held the Presidency and urged further efforts to resume substantive work.

Iran said the Conference was the sole multilateral forum for nuclear disarmament. With increasingly sophisticated nuclear weapons, the world was not a safe place, and delegates needed to work together to advance the cause of nuclear disarmament. On the P5 conference, it would have been appropriate for the agenda to address United Nations Security Council resolution 2231. Iran’s nuclear programme had been and continued to be peaceful.

Bulgaria welcomed the new President’s transparent and proactive approach, which followed the impeccable pattern set under Algeria’s presidency. The Conference was close to reaching consensus. Sitting here merely delivering political messages was not acceptable. Working together and fostering trust and confidence was desperately needed.

Mexico offered its cooperation to the President. The continuity showed by the P6 was an excellent practice. As Viet Nam had stated, multilateralism was vital for peace and security. The statements of the United Kingdom and France contributed to transparency in this forum.

Ambassador CARLOS MARIO FORADORI of Argentina, the President of the Conference, said he remained open to comments and suggestions.

Canada expressed its complete faith in the abilities of the President and his good faith efforts in getting the Conference to work again. Canada asked about the schedule for the high-level segment the following week, as well as about the webpage of the Conference.

For use of the information media; not an official record

DC20.008E