28 February 2008

Rotating President of the Conference on Disarmament (CD), Ambassador Üzümcü of Turkey, opened the session. He was followed by interventions from the representatives of Syria on behalf of the Group of 21, India, and Slovenia on behalf of the European Union. All three of their statements made reference to the topic of prevention of arms race in outer space and welcomed the draft treaty on the prevention of the placement of weapons in outer space introduced by the Russian Foreign Minister to the CD earlier this month. Ambassador Rao of India also spoke on nuclear disarmament, negative security assurances, and fissile materials.

Outer space
Speaking on behalf of the Group of 21, Syria’s Ambassador Faysal Khabbaz Hamoui raised concerns over the inadequate existing legal instruments “to deter further militarization of outer space or prevent its weaponization” and emphasized the necessity of further measures that effectively provide for verification. He further lamented the development of missile defense systems and other “advanced military technologies ... which have, inter alia, contributed to the further erosion of an international climate conducive to the promotion of disarmament and the strengthening of international security.”

Ambassador Hamoui argued, “it is time to start negotiation in the Conference on Disarmament on matters related to the Prevention of Arms Race in Outer Space,” and referred to UNGA Resolution 62/20, which recommends the establishment of an ad hoc committee in the CD in 2008. India’s Ambassador Rao echoed this call, stating that as a country ranked “among the advanced space-faring nations in the world,” India is “deeply conscious of the need to strengthen the present international legal framework.”

While Ambassador Hamoui said the draft treaty submitted by Russia and China “is a good basis for further discussion toward adopting an international binding instrument,” Mr. Jerman of Slovenia, on behalf of the European Union, said work is needed to achieve consensus on definitions and an “effective and robust verification system.” He argued, “it is not sufficient to only refer to a possible future additional protocol.” In the meantime, Mr. Jerman said, the EU “wishes to focus on a pragmatic and incremental approach,” through transparency and confidence-building measures. The EU plans to present these measures to the CD for discussion. They will presumably be based on the concrete proposals that the EU submitted to the Secretary-General, which were included in his report of 17 September 2007.

Nuclear disarmament
Ambassador Rao outlined India’s contributions to the promotion of nuclear disarmament within the CD and concrete steps to disarmament, much as the Group of 21 did on 26 February. He pointed to the “holistic framework seeking negotiations for a time bound commitment for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons to usher in a world free of nuclear weapons and rooted in non-violence” submitted by India’s Prime Minister Rajiv Ghandi to the Special Session on Disarmament in 1988. This action plan called for a binding commitment by all nations to eliminate nuclear weapons in stages within a specific time frame; the participation of all states in the process of nuclear disarmament; and the demonstration of tangible progress at each stage.

Missiles
Ambassador Rao also called for “an inclusive process based on the principle equal and legitimate security” to govern the possession and use of missiles. He argued the lack of legal regime on missiles “arises mainly due to the untenable claims made by some states for the exclusive rights for the possession of advanced weapon systems and their continued modernization.” He expressed hope that the panel of government experts currently meeting at the UNGA on missiles in all their aspects will initiate a “multilateral, universal and non-discriminatory approach to missiles.”

India has produced two classes of nuclear capable, land-based ballistic missile designs, the Agni and the Prithvi, which have been inducted into the Army and the Air Force. The Navy has sea-based surface-launched ballistic missiles, which may soon be deployed on its warships, and tested a nuclear-capable submarine-launched ballistic missile a few days ago. India is jointly developing a cruise missile with Russia, called BrahMos, which was brought into service by the Indian Navy in 2006. India is also developing an intercontinental ballistic missile named Surya, based on its polar space launch vehicle.

Work of the Conference
Ambassador Rao concluded his statement by quoting a former Indian ambassador to the CD, who said

The CD is not an organization with programmes and projects. It is a forum ready to be used when there is need for it and when we, the members, wish to do so. It was set up by us to negotiate multilateral treaties which, while responding to the needs of international security, safeguarded vital national security interests as well. Agreement to negotiate such treaties is reached, I believe, when views coincide on the bases and the objectives of a treaty.

This perspective was upheld by the Indian delegation’s position on a fissile materials cut-off treaty, about which Ambassador Rao said, “It is obvious that the Treaty would have to meet India’s national security interests.”

Though many delegations might agree with this assessment of the CD’s purpose and nature, it actually undermines the potential of the CD—and the vision of a nuclear weapon free, nonviolent world presented by India’s former Prime Minister—in several significant ways. First of all, it suggests that the governments of 65 states have the exclusive right to determine what is relevant—and when it is relevant—not just for international security but primarily for those states’ national security priorities, for national security is placed above international security in this formulation. It ignores human security altogether, emphasizing the concerns of government—the elites, whose interests generally lie with preserving the status quo and pursuing a position of influence in the heavily militarized structure of international relations—over those of its citizens, who instead call for money not to be spent on the military-industrial complex but rather on education, health, housing, social programmes, gender equality, sustainable energy, and ecological preservation.

Benin’s representative to the UNGA First Committee recognized that the perspective of the CD presented by India’s delegation is no longer appropriate, when in 2007 he suggested delegates should strive to set aside their national priorities when they enter deliberative or negotiating fora, to come as agents of change whose job it is to find solutions to the problems of humankind.

Other Conference matters
President Üzümcü announced a series of high level sessions next week. On Monday at 4pm, the Foreign Minister of Argentina will address the CD. On Tuesday at 10am, the Conference will hear from dignitaries from Netherlands, Kazakhstan, Romania, Iran, Slovakia, Colombia, and Norway. The second session on Tuesday will begin at 3pm with addresses from dignitaries from Turkey, Japan, Ukraine, and the Republic of Korea. The Conference will also convene on Wednesday to hear from the Swedish State Secretary.

The next plenary session is scheduled for Monday, 3 March at 10am.

- Ray Acheson, Reaching Critical Will