More delays and rotting fruit
In a repeat of Friday, the Conference on Disarmament (CD) convened a plenary meeting on Monday morning in the hopes of adoptingCD/1870/Rev.1, the combined schedule of activities and appointment of working group chairs and special coordinators for the programme of work. Once again, the plenary was unable to adopt the document. At the start of the meeting,Ambassador Millar of Australia, the current CD president, informed the Conference that she had been notified by the Pakistani delegation this morning that the instructions from its government were to reopen the text. Ambassador Millar expressed puzzlement with this request, as thought all of the issues had been worked out during the extensive consultations. Delegates from the European Union, Japan, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, and Brazil took the floor to comment on this situation.
Brief highlight
The decision on CD/1870/Rev.1 is again postponed. The Pakistani delegation is not satisfied with the document's introductory language though it does not seem to oppose any of the appointments of special coordinators or working group chairs. It has also requested that the time devoted to consideration of the CD's report be deleted from the schedule.
Reactions
On behalf of the European Union, Sweden’s Ambassador Magnus Hellgren took the floor to express the EU’s “profound disappointment” with the lack of development in the CD. He noted that it is very hard to understand—and “even harder to explain to our political leaders”—why substantive work has not yet begun even though a programme of work was adopted on 29 May.
Japan’s Ambassador Suda likewise lamented the signal this stalemate is sending to the world—especially following so closely the anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He argued that the CD, which is supposed to work by consensus, is facing the unusual situation of being unable to implement its own consensus document. He described this situation as endangering the Conference’s principle of consensus by acting against the principle’s true meaning. Returning to the metaphor introduced by the Chinese delegation before the break, Ambassador Suda noted that the melon the CD bought—which needed to “ripen” over July—is now rotting.
Clarification and concerns
Ambassador Akram of Pakistan took the floor to clarify his delegation’s position, saying that he had always made it clear that the decisions related to the CD would be taken by Pakistan’s Ministry. He expressed regret that other delegations see only Pakistan’s delegation as having a position that is obstructing process, which is not how his delegation sees the situation. The Pakistani government believes that every delegation has to work on behalf of its own national security interests but that it is not its intention to hold up work in the CD until the end of the session.
However, Ambassador Duncan of the United Kingdom argued that this case is not one of obstructing progress on a policy issue but on a practical issue. Agreeing that policy issues are important, Ambassador Duncan noted that all CD member states had supported the start of negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty and discussions on the other three core issues. Thus it is disappointing that this consensus policy decision cannot be implemented because the Conference cannot implement the necessary practical modalities.
Details
The Brazilian delegate, Ambassador Soares, sought clarification on the details of Pakistan’s position. Ambassador Millar explained that the concerns raised by the Pakistani delegation related primarily to the language of the chapeau in CD/1870/Rev.1, not to the appointment of office holders. She also reported that the delegation has suggested deleting from the timetable the weeks allocated to the consideration of the CD’s report to the General Assembly. However, she also noted that the rules of procedure require the inclusion of all agenda items in the programme of work, which includes consideration of the report. Thus, Ambassador Millar plans to hold consultations with the Pakistani delegation about these issues and hopes for their quick resolve.
Schedule
The next plenary meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, 12 August at 10:00 AM, when the Chinese Minister for Foreign Affairs, Yang Jiechi, will address the Conference.
Notes from the gallery
As the positive momentum towards real work in the Conference on Disarmament declines—or rots, to keep with the melon metaphor—it is not only political leaders to whom difficult explanations need to be made but also the people, especially those who are represented by governments in the CD. As argued by several ambassadors today, the policy decision to negotiate a fissile material treaty has already been made by all CD member states. All of these states decided, on 29 May, that it was in their national security interest to negotiate this treaty and to begin substantive discussions on the other three core issues. The people are waiting for this decision to be implemented.
- Ray Acheson, Reaching Critical Will of WILPF