17 March 2004
Rhianna Tyson, Project Associate, Reaching Critical Will
While in Geneva for the Commission on Human Rights, several Ministers of Foreign Affairs are capitalizing on their trip to Switzerland by delivering high-level interventions to the floor of the Conference on Disarmament. In the first of three sessions this week, Ministers from Sweden, Ireland,
Bangladesh, and Canada took the floor on Tuesday.
These statements, and all others from the 2004 session, are available here.
Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation
The Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham discussed the recent developments concerning the DPRK, Libya, Iran, and the A.Q. Khan network, in an effort to draw a frightening picture of "the international environment (which) urgently demands our creativity and commitment." Sweden's Minister Laila Freivalds , too, gave brief overviews on these topics, and voiced nearly exactly the same concerns and recommendations over and in regard to the DPRK, Iran, and Libya.
In the frightening present reality, Ireland highlighted the "tendency (of) some Members of the Treaty to stress its non-proliferation aspects to the neglect of the disarmament provisions of the NPT." He added, "I am firmly convinced that disarmament and non-proliferation are mutually reinforcing."
Minister Freivalds echoed this statement, concurring that "disarmament and non-proliferation are mutually reinforcing." Bangladesh's Minister Reaz Rahman, while acknowledging the importance of non-proliferation efforts, maintained that "nuclear weapons constitute the single most dangerous threat to mankind."
Vertical Proliferation
Without mentioning any State by name, Irish Minister Cowen deplored "the development of new types or new uses for nuclear weapons (which) is unlikely to inspire a sense of confidence." Rather, he maintained, such development "suggests that the taboo on the use of such weapons could be weakened."
Sweden agreed: "Blurring the lines between conventional weapons and non-strategic nuclear weapons would lower the threshold against the use of nuclear weapons." Therefore, in accordance with the New Agenda working papers that have been put forth in recent PrepComs, Swedish
Minister Freivalds suggested that "a binding and verifiable disarmament agreement on non-strategic nuclear weapons should be negotiated." Moreover, she asserted, such an agreement "as a decisive measure to prevent terrorism by nuclear weapons."
Negative Security Assurances
Bangladeshi Minister Rahman, too, refrained from naming names, in Bangladesh's advocacy for a "universal, unconditional, and legally binding instrument" on Negative Security Assurances (NSAs). His country remains "deeply concerned at the changes in nuclear policy of certain nuclear weapon
countries to ease out of their commitment" to provide NSAs to NNWS, as pledged in SC res 984 (1995). NSAs, he maintained, serve as "an important element" in the decision of NNWS to renounce the nuclear option. NNWS in the NPT "have a legitimate right to receive an unconditional assurance" that NWS will not use nor threaten to use nuclear weapons against them. A binding instrument on NSAs would, he assured, "securely anchor the non-proliferation regime" in a time when "serious challenges" facing it are threatening to "unravel the whole process" of the NPT.
The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
Most States voiced concern over the disintegration of the 13 Steps of the NPT 2000 Review Conference Final Document, "a realistic blueprint for achieving nuclear disarmament," according to Irish Minister Cowen.
To Bangladesh, the lack of progress by the NWS on the 13 Steps "is disheartening." Minister Rahman urged that we not lose sight of the "all important goal of general and complete disarmament.as required by Article VI of the NPT." While welcoming the entry-into-force of the Moscow Treaty,
Bangladesh maintained that SORT "does not fully compensate for the abrogation of the ABM Treaty."
Canada will be using the accomplishments of past NPT conferences to push for progress at the upcoming 2005 Review. At that conference, Canada "will be pressing hard to encourage all states to be faithful to the bargain they made in 1995, a bargain premised upon permanence with accountability. We will encourage states to demonstrate fidelity in deeds and not just words to
Article VI, to reinforce the linkages between Articles III and IV and to improve the Treaty's functioning and implementation."
Comprehensive nuclear Test-Ban Treaty
Ireland, Canada, and Bangladesh all noted the urgency of the CTBT's entry-into-force. As Irish Minister Cowen identified, "there is a fundamental link between the objectives of the NPT and the CTBT- one of the fundamental building steps on the road to disarmament." For his part, Canadian Minister Graham wrote letters to every one of his counterparts in hold-out States, "urging them to complete this important unfinished business." Bangladesh noted that it was the first country in South Asia to sign, "tangible testimony to our constitutional commitment towards general and complete disarmament."
Plurilateral Initiatives
The Western countries all discussed various plurilateral strategies to combat nuclear proliferation. Ireland, the current President of the E.U., noted that as a part of the E.U. Strategy Against Proliferation, the E.U. decided that "non-proliferation should be mainstreamed into our overall
policies." Sweden noted that "multilateralism is at the core," of the E.U. strategy, which covers a "wide spectrum" of proliferation concerns.
Canada welcomed the E.U. Strategy, along with the recent proposals set forth in speeches by U.S. President Bush and U.K. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. Such "joint efforts," Canadian Minister Bill Graham asserted, are "no substitute for the Conference on Disarmament and legally-binding treaties."
Canada, which will be hosting the next meting of Proliferation Security Initiative "operational experts," declared its commitment to PSI principles, stressing also its concurrent commitment to "ensuring that any PSI activity in which we participate will be fully consistent with international law and our own national legal authorities."
Canada also reaffirmed its leadership of the G8 Global Partnership, and supports President Bush's proposal to expand the Partnership to regions outside of FSU.
Verification
Verification remained an important topic to nearly all States. As Swedish Minister Freivalds stated, "Our possibilities to detect, at an early stage, non-compliance must be strengthened through effective use of existing verification arrangements and by devising new complementary mechanisms." Ireland and Sweden both voiced their support for effective compliance and
verification regimes for the BTWC, a noticeable void in the biological weapons nonproliferation regime.
To Canada, the unmasking of the A.Q. Khan network, Libya's relatively advanced nuclear program, the North Korean situation and the continued ambiguity of Iran's nuclear ambitions "highlight the extent to which it is urgent to reinforce compliance and verification mechanisms." Minister Graham
called on countries to strengthen "state-to-state compliance and verification mechanisms across the board. the existing multilateral framework.(and) the capabilities of the UN as well." After all, affirmed
Minister Graham, "the success of the NPT in stopping horizontal proliferation of nuclear weapons ultimately depends on the effectiveness of verification provisions in Article III."
Canada gave notice of the "enhanced support" that it will give to the IAEA. Canada will also be further examining the "interesting ideas on the nuclear fuel cycle" that the Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei has put forth, and they will be "working with all the authorities involved to promote more such realistic initiatives."
Addressing the CD Stalemate
Most all of the Ministers noted with grave disappointment the lack of progress in the CD. Canada and Bangladesh urged the Conference to support the A5, even though to Bangladesh, the A5 proposal "does not necessarily meet all expectations." Minister Rahman acknowledged, however, that "this
may never happen" and that the proposal "seems balanced" enough to reach a consensus.
Minister Cowen voiced Ireland's support for a subsidiary body in the CD to deal specifically with nuclear disarmament. He also urged reconsideration of "the exclusivity" of CD membership, stressing that "legitimacy underpins respect for multilateral action," and that "if we want an effective
multilateral system we must all contribute meaningfully to it." Furthermore, he flummoxed, "I find it hard to believe, much less understand, how a body charged with a mandate of such relevance to humankind.can continue to effectively exclude civil society from a meaningful role in its deliberations."
To Sweden, it is "high time" to begin negotiations on an FMCT, and Minister Freivalds called on all states "not to delay this any further." Canadian Minister Graham asked: "Why should the start of such formal talks, such a small step forward, remain so difficult? I must say that I find it hard to
understand." While Bangladesh maintained that negotiations on a fissban should include the existing stockpiles; "without which, any such treaty will be incomplete."
In regards to PAROS discussion, Ireland unemphatically noted that they "see merit in embarking on a process which could eventually lead to an agreement on the non-weaponization of outer space." By contrast, Bangladesh remains decidedly "convinced" that the only way to save outer space from the poison of its weaponization is through a legally binding international instrument.
The prevention of space weaponization was, and always has been, a "fundamental Canadian goal," Minister Graham declared. He urged the Conference to establish an ad hoc committee on PAROS to "begin discussing, without any preconditions, how the international community can keep outer
space weapons-free." This "fundamentally Canadian" idea, he noted, "has evolved" in Canada. While they remain firmly opposed to the weaponization of space, Canada recognizes "the need to ensure the safety of satellites vital to our security and prosperity." Minister Graham announced the joint
seminar sponsored by UNIDIR and the Canadian DFAIT on "Safeguarding Space for All" to be held in Geneva on March 25-26 this year.
Conventional Weapons
Only Sweden and Ireland noted the upcoming conference on tracking and marking Small Arms and Light Weapons. Ireland's Minister Brian Cowen hoped that "the misuse of" SALW would "be given greater priority," while Sweden called for "export controls, including control of arms dealers, increased transparency in arms trade and marking and tracing of arms" in the discussions set to take place this summer.
Ireland, the host of an April, 2003 conference on the Explosive Remnants of War, noted that the progress on the CCW should be regarded as "a significant step forward," especially in the midst of what he characterized as "a difficult period for arms control." Swedish Foreign Minister Laila
Freivalds noted that the CCW protocol "is presently before the Swedish Parliament for consideration." In addition, Sweden "regrets the decision by the United States to pursue its landmine policy outside the framework of this important Convention" prohibiting APMs.
----
It is encouraging to see that some States are heeding the call of Ambassador Kuniko Inoguchi, the last CD President for the 2003 sessions. In her closing remarks, Ambassador Inoguchi called for more States to send Foreign Ministers or their high-level equivalents, in order to not only raise the profile of the CD's important work, but also as a demonstration of States' commitment to the CD and to the multilateral process that it embodies.
************************************************