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27 February 2007

At its February 27 public meeting, the Conference on Disarmament (CD) discussed "transparency in armaments" (agenda item 7). Several states noted transparency's utility in building confidence among states. The EU and Turkey discussed controlling Man Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS). Many governments also showed their admiration for the successful Mine Ban Treaty on its 10th anniversary. Australia; Germany on behalf of the EU; Turkey; Japan; Argentina on behalf of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru; Canada; Indonesia; Algeria; Venezuela; and Jordan took the floor. 

Mine Ban Treaty
Australia, Turkey, Canada, Indonesia, Algeria and Jordan made statements celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Mine Ban Treaty.Canada called it "one of the most successful disarmament treaties in history," noting that many states not even party to the Convention had "effectively adopted its norms." Australia, Turkey and Jordan noted Indonesia's February 20th ratification, bringing the number of states parties to 153, or, as Canada noted, 80 percent of the world. Indonesia hoped their ratification would be followed by others outside the Convention, "most particularly in the Southeast Asia region, which is considered one of the most mine-affected regions of the world."Jordan, which will be the first Arab State to host a Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Convention when it hosts the 8th such meeting next November, hopes the meeting will look at challenges ahead and how to overcome them.

As we continue to struggle with deadlock in the traditional disarmament machinery, we should note that this recent incredible success story bent traditional ways of working. Australia said the Treaty "marked a fundamental shift in the international community's approach to arms control. Governments worked side-by-side with civil society, outside traditional fora, and agreed a ban on an entire class of weapon-anti-personnel landmines." Algeria called the Treaty a "framework for partnership between states and intergovernmental organizations as well as regional organization and civil society." 

Transparency in Armaments
The EU and Japan agreed that transparency in armaments could build confidence among states, while Argentina, speaking on behalf of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru, gave a successful example of a transparency instrument designed to do so. The EUsaid transparency in armaments could also strengthen regional and international peace and security and contribute to more responsible arms transfers, while Japan said it could prevent arms build-ups and arms races. Argentina said the Inter-American Convention for Transparency in the Acquisition of Conventional Arms built confidence among the states of the region that went beyond weapons issues, and called on the CD to discuss such bilateral and regional instruments, and identify areas for further confidence-building in armaments. 

Japan and the EU both supported the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms, and Venezuela reiterated its call for the Register to include weapons of mass destruction. The EU emphasized the importance of transparency in relation to Small Arms and Light Weapons, a new category for the Register. Japan called the Register "closely connected" to creating an Arms Trade Treaty, in light of their mutual confidence-building functions, and urged governments to submit their views on an Arms Trade Treaty to the Secretary-General. While Venezuela noted that the Register built confidence in conventional arms, it called the Register discriminatory for not including information on weapons of mass destruction, on which the international community does not have information on existing stocks. For the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review process, Reaching Critical Will creates a Model Nuclear Inventory as an example of how such stock-taking could be done, on the premise that identifying the location of the weapons is the first step towards disarmament. The 2005 Inventory is available here, and we will be producing a 2007 version for the upcoming Preparatory Committee. 

Man Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS)
The EU and Turkey agreed that the unauthorized use of Man Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS) by terrorists and other non-state actors was a threat to civil aviation. The EU supported work to prevent the illicit transfer and unauthorized access to and use of MANPADS, while Turkey advocated stricter export controls, improved stockpile security, and the collection and destruction of old and surplus MANPADS. Turkey added that "as a main co-sponsor of the UN General Assembly Resolution on the Prevention of the Illicit Transfer and Unauthorised Access to and Use of MANPADS, Turkey believes that discussing this issue at the CD may indeed prove useful and fruitful." 

The CD also decided to accept Jordan as observer state. The next formal plenary meeting will be held on March 6, at 10 am.