26 May 2008

Ms. Fiona Paterson, Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom, opened Monday's Conference on Disarmament (CD)meeting in the absence of incoming Conference president, Ambassador John Duncan, who was unable to attend due to the ongoingcluster munitions conference in Dublin. The representatives of Iran and Poland welcomed the incoming president and presented their views on the proposed programme of work CD/1840, a fissile materials cut-off treaty, and nuclear disarmament.

Brief highlights

-The United Kingdom, assuming presidency of the CD, announced that it will hold P6 consultations and Presidential consultations with regional groups on Monday mornings, plenary meetings on Tuesday mornings, and intensive consultations during the rest of the week.

-Iran called for a "balanced and comprehensive" programme of work that is equally "responsive" to all four core issues identified by CD/1840.

-Iran called for an FMCT that is comprehensive, verifiable, and covers existing stocks.

-Poland expressed its support for CD/1840 "as it stands".

CD/1840
Pledging his delegation's unequivocal support for CD/1840, Ambassdor Zdzislaw Rapacki of Poland called on all CD member states to show flexibility, as the adoption of the draft decision "will have a tremendous impact" on the global security environment and "bring us closer to a safer world." He argued that the "extensive discussions" conducted during the second session of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Preparatory Committee "demonstrate that there is room for maneuver in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation and ultimately, the stalemate in the UN system in this regard can be overcome." Ms. Paterson said CD/1840 "represents the culmination of over two years of discussion, work and refinement" and "commands almost complete consensus" at the CD. She argued that its adoption will not only allow the commencement of negotiations on FMCT but "substantive discussions on three other Agenda Items."

Ambassador Ali Reza Moaiyeri of Iran, however, argued that a "balanced and comprehensive program of work needs to be responsive to those priorities equally and not give weight to one priority at the cost of the others." He stated that his delegation is "ready to work on the four core issues identified earlier by the CD on an equal basis."

Fissile materials cut-off treaty (FMCT)
Acknowledging that there will be difficulties in negotiating an FMCT, Ms. Paterson emphasized, "The process of negotiations, the starting of which would in no way prejudice the outcome, is the very platform for designing an outcome acceptable to all." However, Amb. Moaiyeri of Iran insisted that delegations need to be clear in their objectives from the outset, arguing, "Lack of clarity is the most dangerous virus in any collective activity." Reminding the Conference that it has already agreed to the Shannon Mandate, which was reaffirmed in the 1995 NPT Review Conference, Amb. Moaiyeri argued, "If we do not resolve the issues now, there would not be any guarantee that in the course of negotiations we would be able to solve them."

Nuclear disarmament
Arguing that nuclear weapons are "as illegal as chemical and biological weapons," Amb. Moaiyeri called for the negotiation of a legally-binding Nuclear Weapons Convention. He said his delegation is concerned "over recent efforts by some Nuclear Weapon states to reinterpret Article VI of the NPT in order to make the obligations therein conditional," adding that the NPT "does not provide the right for [nuclear weapon states] to keep their nuclear arsenals indefinitely" and called on nuclear weapon states to fulfill their obligations under Article VI "without delay and without conditions".

In other matters, Ms. Paterson announced that under the presidency of United Kingdom, formal plenary meetings will convene every Tuesday in the Council Chamber, with the other days committed to intensive consultations.

The next plenary session is scheduled for Tuesday, 3 June at 10am.

- Ray Acheson, Reaching Critical Will and Sandra Fong, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom