GENEVA, 30 May (UN Information Service) -- The outgoing President of the Conference on Disarmament, Sergey Martynov of Belarus, this morning said that the most important factor that had transpired from his consultations was that many delegations had come back to the resumed session of the Conference with a sense of a new window of opportunity. That was an important change in the mood and perception of perspective.
Mr. Martynov said the consultations had, however, revealed that delegations needed more time to analyse in depth the new opportunities and to explore specific ways of their application. It had also become clear that the time-frame for the analysis and exploration went well beyond the remaining days of his presidency.
Agreement on nuclear disarmament and prevention of an arms race in outer space continued to block a programme of work and any stand-alone decisions were beyond the reach or consideration of the Conference, he added.
Mr. Martynov said the Conference was already in the middle of the year 2000 with not even a programme of work agreed, not to speak of any agreement on substance of issues before the Conference. And after important progress had been scored at a different major disarmament-related event, the Conference could even less afford to be perceived as a far niente body.
He said he had circulated an informal proposal on the advancement of work of the Conference which suggested that it might engage in a focused plenary consideration of each of the issues from a comprehensive list before it. However, his consultations had showed that while there was support in principle to this idea, before committing itself to that option, the Conference should, with urgency, fully and intensively explore the possibility to come to agreement on major issues and a programme of work.
Ambassador Munir Akram of Pakistan encouraged the President to put forward his proposal because for the Conference to wait on agreement on a mandate and machinery which had escaped its members for a year and a half would be an act of optimism bordering on unrealism.
Mr. Martynov said the proposal continued to be at the disposal of the Conference.
When the Conference on Disarmament next meets in plenary at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 8 June, Jean Lint of Belgium will be the new President.
- 2 - Press Release DCF/395 31 May 2000
Statements
SERGEY MARTYNOV (Belarus), President of the Conference on Disarmament, said he wished to inform the Conference on the status of his consultations. The Conference had parted before the recess with anticipation of a possible new, reinvigorated effort at the Conference, which could become feasible as a collateral to events unfolding outside the Conference but having a bearing on its work. The most important factor that had transpired from his consultations was that many delegations had come back to the resumed session of the Conference with a sense of a new window of opportunity. That was an important change in the mood and perception of perspective. The consultations had, however, revealed that delegations needed more time to analyse in depth the new opportunities and to explore specific ways of their application. It had also become clear that the time-frame for the analysis and exploration went well beyond the remaining days of his presidency.
Mr. Martynov said that the important meeting of minds within the Conference on priority issues and issues upon which the consensual establishment of the programme of work hinged had yet to occur. Such issues were prevention of an arms race in outer space and nuclear disarmament. Without an agreement on the format and mandate of their consideration, a programme of work was not possible. It had become abundantly clear that any stand-alone decisions were now obviously beyond the reach or consideration of the Conference. The Conference was already in the middle of the year 2000 with not even a programme of work agreed upon, not to speak of any agreement on substance of issues before the Conference. And after important progress had been scored at a different major disarmament-related event, the Conference could even less afford to be perceived as a far niente body.
He said that he had circulated an informal proposal on the advancement of work of the Conference which suggested that the Conference might engage in a focused plenary consideration of each of the issues from a comprehensive list before it. In his consultations with regional groups, it was indicated that there was support in principle to that idea, but that before committing itself to that option, the Conference should with urgency, fully and intensively explore the possibility to come to agreement on major issues and a programme of work.
In his concluding remarks, Mr. Martynov said that he would propose to extend the mandate of the President of the Conference to eight working weeks instead of four working weeks as it was now. The current brief term did not give the President the opportunity to consistently pursue a proposal. He wished his successor, Jean Lint of Belgium, the best of luck.
MUNIR AKRAM (Pakistan) said there could be no disagreement with the objective analysis of the President of the situation confronting the Conference. On the core issues of prevention of an arms race in outer space and nuclear disarmament, where disagreement had bedevilled the work of the Conference, Pakistan did not see an early possibility of agreement. That was because whatever had been discussed so far on those issues had not envisaged a mandate which would involve negotiations in the Conference.
Mr. Akram said the idea of holding focused plenary meetings devoted to the issues before the Conference was a useful way of enabling the body to commence substantive work on those issues. According to the rules of procedure, the absence of agreement on subsidiary bodies and their mandates could not stop the
Conference from engaging in work on substantive issues. If the President was to propose now that a plenary meeting would be held on a substantive issue, the Conference would have to consent to hold it, but for any country to oppose would be contrary to the rules of procedure. Pakistan encouraged the President to put forward his proposal, because for the Conference to wait on agreement on a mandate and machinery which had escaped members for a year and a half would be an act of optimism bordering on unrealism.
President MARTYNOV said the proposal continued to be at the disposal of the Conference.
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