NPT/CONF.2000/PC.II/36 9 June 1998

ORIGINAL: ENGLISH

Second session

Geneva, 27 April-8 May 1998

Report of the Preparatory Committee on its second session

I. INTRODUCTION

1. The Preparatory Committee for the 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons held its second session at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from 27 April to 8 May 1998. The session was opened by Mr. Abdelkader Bensmail, Chief, Geneva Branch of the Department for Disarmament Affairs.

2. At its opening meeting, on 27 April, the Committee unanimously elected Mr. Eugeniusz Wyzner (Poland), the representative of the Group of Eastern European States, as Chairman of the second session.

3. The following 97 States parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons participated in the work of the Preparatory Committee at its second session: Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Holy See, Hungary, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United Republic of Tanzania, United States of America, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

4. Pursuant to the Committee's decision taken at its first session, the following States non-parties attended the meeting as observers: Brazil and Israel. Furthermore, representatives of the Organization for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL), the South Pacific Forum, the League of Arab States, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization attended the meetings of the Committee as observers.

5. Pursuant to the Committee's decision, representatives from 76 non-governmental organizations attended the open meetings of the Committee. The Committee also set aside time for presentations by representatives of non-governmental organizations to delegations.

6. The list of the delegations to the Preparatory Committee, including States parties, observer States, specialized agencies and regional intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, is contained in document NPT/CONF.2000/PC.II/INF.3.

7. The Preparatory Committee held 16 meetings, of which summary records were provided for the opening meeting, the general exchange of views and the closing meeting (NPT/CONF.2000/PC.II/SR.1-4 and SR.16). The summary records are issued separately as an annex to the present report.

8. Mrs. Hannelore Hoppe, Senior Political Affairs Officer of the Department for Disarmament Affairs, served as Secretary of the Committee. Ms. Merle Opelz, Head, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Office in Geneva; Ms. Jan Priest, Head, Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Policy Section, External Relations Division, IAEA, Vienna; and Mr. Vilmos Cserveny, Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Policy Section, External Relations Division, IAEA, Vienna, represented the Agency.

II. PROCEDURAL ISSUES

A. Organization of work of the Preparatory Committee

9. The Committee continued to conduct its work on the basis of the agenda adopted at the first session of the Committee (document NPT/CONF.2000/PC.I/32, para. 8).

10. At its 1st meeting, on 27 April, the Committee was informed that the Group of Non-Aligned and other States parties to the Non-Proliferation Treaty had nominated Mr. Andelfo Garcia Gonzalez (Colombia), to serve as Chairman of the third session. The Committee decided to elect Mr. Garcia as Chairman of the third session. Recalling its decision that the persons elected, when not serving as chairmen, would serve as vice-chairmen, Mr. Garcia was also elected Vice-Chairman of the second session. Furthermore, Mr. Markku Reimaa (Finland) was also elected Vice-Chairman of the Committee.

11. At its 1st meeting, the Committee reaffirmed its decision to hold the third session from 12 to 23 April 1999 in New York.

12. The Committee held four meetings on a general exchange of views on issues related to all aspects of the work of the Preparatory Committee, in the course of which 33 statements were made. The statements are reflected in the summary records of those meetings (NPT/CONF.2000/PC.II/SR.1-4).

13. During the session, the Committee had before it the following documents:

B. Organization of the 2000 Review Conference

14. The Preparatory Committee, in conformity with its task of preparing for the 2000 Review Conference, considered issues contained in agenda item 7. It took the following actions:

(a) Dates and venue of the Conference. At its 1st meeting, on 27 April, the Committee reaffirmed its agreement to convene the 2000 Review Conference from 24 April to 19 May 2000 in New York;

(b) Draft rules of procedure of the Review Conference. The Committee considered the draft rules of procedure for the 2000 Review Conference (NPT/CONF.2000/PC.II/CRP.1), and decided to defer a decision on the draft rules of procedure to the third session;

(c) Financing of the Review Conference, including its Preparatory Committee. In accordance with the Committee's request made at its first session, the Secretariat provided an estimate of the costs of the 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, including its Preparatory Committee (NPT/CONF.2000/PC.II/1). The Committee took note of the cost estimates. It also agreed to the schedule of division of costs contained in document NPT/CONF.2000/PC.II/CRP.1/Add.1;

(d) Other procedural matters. During the second session of the Preparatory Committee, discussions were held with regard to procedural preparations for the next Review Conference, pursuant to paragraph 4 of the 1995 Decision on "Strengthening the review process for the Treaty". In that context certain recommendations were put forward concerning such procedural preparations, in particular, proposals pursuant to paragraph 6 of the 1995 Decision. At the current stage no decision was taken with regard to those proposals, which the Committee decided to refer to the third session of the Preparatory Committee for further consideration.

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