(Reissued as received.)
GENEVA, 20 January (UN Information Service) -- The Conference on Disarmament this morning heard new calls from Ireland and Argentina to break the stalemate affecting its work and agree on a programme of work.
Ambassador Anne Anderson of Ireland said the continuing stalemate within the Conference and the difficult international context within which it was seeking to operate gave cause for concern. If the Conference over a prolonged period proved itself incapable of offering a valid forum for the negotiation of real disarmament measures -- and it was nuclear disarmament which lay at the heart of the difficulties -- then those who wished to see progress could not be blamed for looking elsewhere. At the same time, those who did not wish to see progress would conclude that they were free of pressure to restrain development in the field of nuclear weapons.
Ambassador Guillermo Gonzalez of Argentina said the Conference members must feel some concern about the current situation. Members should not lose sight that external circumstances affected the Conference and that the paralysis within the Conference was a sign of the times. The Conference should know that there were already elements on which decisions could be taken and delegations should make supreme efforts so that they no longer continued to see frustration and loss of opportunity hold up the objectives of the Conference.
The President of the Conference, Ambassador Harald Kreid of Austria, said that it was impossible to draw any conclusions at this point on the chances of the Conference solving its problems. He only wanted to say that he believed that these problems had to be solved rapidly. If the Conference missed the chance within the first few weeks to adopt its work programme, he believed that there would be a lessening chance for it to work this session.
Ambassador Kreid said he was still carrying out some bilateral consultations. He would proceed to ask the regional groups to look at the proposals which were being made and to give him as soon as possible a feeling on how the members of the Conference felt about these proposals.
The Conference agreed to admit Costa Rica, Greece and Qatar as observers to its year 2000 session.
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The next plenary of the Conference will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, 27 January.
Statements
ANNE ANDERSON (Ireland) said the continuing stalemate within the Conference and the difficult international context within which it was seeking to operate gave cause for concern. The most important task of the Conference remained what it had been all along: the negotiation of significant multilateral instruments of disarmament with universal application. If the Conference over a prolonged period proved itself incapable of offering a valid forum for the negotiation of real disarmament measures -- and it was nuclear disarmament which lay at the heart of the difficulties -- then those who wished to see progress could not be blamed for looking elsewhere. At the same time, those who did not wish to see progress would conclude that they were free of pressure to restrain development in the field of nuclear weapons.
She said that the three elements around which the discourse circled repeatedly were nuclear disarmament, the prevention of an arms race in outer space, and a fissile material cut-off treaty. Concerning nuclear disarmament, Ireland believed that the Conference should without delay establish a subsidiary body to deal with this issue. Its mandate should permit the Conference to deal with issues which were relevant to the consideration of future multilateral efforts to achieve nuclear disarmament and to inform bilateral efforts in that direction. As for the non- weaponization of outer space, Ireland agreed that the Conference should embark on negotiations on this issue. Work must also begin towards the negotiation of a fissile material cut-off treaty which would form one of a nexus of instruments providing a basis for disarmament in the nuclear field.
Ambassador Anderson said the Conference had to find an accommodation between these three elements which would permit it to break the deadlock. Ireland attached very great importance to multilateral disarmament efforts and was unwilling to remain inactive in the face of stalemate. None could afford complacency in the face of the lack of progress between the nuclear-weapons States in nuclear arms reductions negotiations; when the legal underpinnings of fragile strategic stability were being undermined; when so little was proving possible in terms of multilateral negotiation. The efforts within the Conference on Disarmament remained a test of the will of the international community to re-establish momentum towards genuine nuclear disarmament. Realism could not be defined as the Conference resigning itself to going nowhere for another year. Realism was looking to what was happening in the world around the Conference while it procrastinated.
GUILLERMO GONZALEZ (Argentina) said he was bidding farewell to the Conference and Geneva after a 16-month-long stay. It had been short, but not without interest and intensity. It was during that period that he had had the good fortune to occupy the presidency of the Conference in the name of his country. He had carried out every effort so the Conference could agree on a programme of work.
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Mr. Gonzalez said the Conference members must feel some concern about the current situation. Informally, he often heard that the situation regarding disarmament and non-proliferation was even more complex now than last year. Members should not lose sight that external circumstances affected the Conference and that the paralysis within the Conference was a sign of the times. In August 1999, all regional groups had agreed to set up ad hoc committees on fissile material and on giving assurances to States which did not have nuclear weapons. There had also been agreement on special coordinators on landmines and the work of the Conference. However, no agreement had been reached on how to deal with nuclear disarmament and prevention of an arms race in outer space. Concerning these two issues, very important proposals were made. The Conference should know that there were already elements on which decisions could be taken and delegations should make supreme efforts so that they no longer continued to see frustration and loss of opportunity hold up the objectives of the Conference.
HARALD KREID (Austria), President of the Conference, said he wished to say a few words on the status of his efforts to come to an agreement which would permit the Conference to proceed to the adoption of its work programme. It was impossible to draw any conclusions at this point on the chances of the Conference to solve its problems. He only wanted to say that he believed that these problems had to be solved rapidly. If the Conference missed the chance within the first few weeks to adopt its work programme, he believed that there would be a lessening chance for it to work this session.
Ambassador Kreid said he was still carrying out some bilateral consultations. He would proceed to ask the regional groups to look at the proposals which were being made and to give him as soon as possible an indication on how the members of the Conference felt about these proposals. This was all he could indicate for the time being. As for the time framework, he believed that the Conference would have to continue consultations next week.
In conclusion, he said that Costa Rica, Greece and Qatar had requested to be observers to the year 2000 session of the Conference on Disarmament. Since there was no objection, it was so agreed.
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