23 January 2008

“We need progress” was the message given by Ban Ki-moon United Nations Secretary General during the first formal session of the 2008 Conference on Disarmament.  This is the first time this millennium that the UNSG has personally opened the CD session to “personally renew [his] call” on the CD to “move forward in a spirit of compromise”.  It was a high level beginning for Tunisia’s presidency, as theirForeign Minister of Tunisia, Abdelwaheb Abdallah also took the floor.  Russia (on behalf of the Eastern Group), Sri Lanka (on behalf of the Group of 21), Italy (on behalf of the Western Group) and China also addressed those crowded in the CD chamber and the dozens in the public gallery.

Telling the conference that a “disarmament stalemate can also jeopardize other key Charter goals.” The SG was “deeply troubled by [the] impasse over priorities” and reminded the conference that “when you were at the verge of reaching a decision on this draft presidential decision last June, I called on you to move forward in a spirit of compromise and seize that historic opportunity.  You did not.”  

Echoing the need for the conference to move forward, Foreign Minister Abdallah also reminded the conference about the Tunisian approach to international relations that is “based on a tight interdependence between security, peace and development.”  Earlier, the SG reminded the conference that “concerted disbarment will forestall arms races [and]… free up resources that would have been diverted to armaments…[that] can then be used to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.”

Sri Lanka’s Ambassador, Dayan Jayatilleka, representing the Group of 21 acknowledged the statements made by the UN Secretary General and called it “… the spur of conscience to the flank of plodding procedure.”  He also stated the vulnerability of the Group of 21 to nuclear weapons build up and put forward two pillars on which he believed the work of the CD should rest- a balance between urgency of the imperative; and the need for consultation, compromise, constructive dialogue and consensus.

Russian Ambassador, Valery Loshchinin noted that the CD is “succeeding in holding serious and far-reaching discussions on all agenda items.  Trust among partners has also increased.”  Building and strengthening that trust and the threat perceptions of CD members into a consensual programme of work is the challenge that has kept the CD from negotiating since the 1996 CTBT conclusions. 

Italy’s Ambassador Lucia Fiori, the only woman to take the floor, recalled some of the specific modalities that have moved the CD closer to a programme of work in recent years.  Specifically noting the appointment of coordinators for seven items of the CD agenda Ambassador Fiori said that the deliberations that took place under their work “culminated in the presentation of a Presidential draft Decision (L.1).” 

The high level of attention paid to the opening of the CD this year sends a strong signal to CD members- who will hopefully live up to the SG’s expectation to “make this a breakthrough year.”

The next public plenary session will be held at 10am on Friday, 25 January.

- Susi Snyder and Sandra Fong, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom