2 September 2004

Rhianna Tyson, Reaching Critical Will

Last week, the CD heard from the representatives of Argentina, Israel, Malaysia and Kazakhstan. None of these statements are yet available on the RCW site.

Marcelo Valle Fonrouge of Argentina voiced his country’s support to establish a subsidiary body on the prevention of an arms race in outer space, as well as discussions on a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty.

Israel’s new ambassador to the CD, Ambassador Itzhak Levanon also took the opportunity to address the CD for his first time, stating his intention to remain “unreservedly available” to work closely with the President and his new colleagues in Geneva.

Malaysia’s Ambassador Rajmah Hussain, who will be soon leaving her post in Geneva, noted with disappointment that progress within the CD was due in large part to the “elusive political will by some key States” and that she hoped that, sooner rather than later, the Conference would fulfill its mandate as the only multilateral negotiating forum on disarmament.

Ambassador Nurlan Danenov of Kazakhstan, in another farewell address to the CD, said that despite the new threats to national and international interests, the enormous potential of the Conference remained untapped. A new political vision was necessary to combat new threats. The new challenges must be met with new and more effective means, but the international community’s political will for cooperation and compromise to allow the Conference to stand up to these new challenges was absent. He also reiterated his country’s support for the A5 proposal, negotiations on an FMCT and on PAROS.

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