STATES EMPHASIZES EQUITABLE REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION IN APPOINTMENT OF SUBSIDIARY BODY COORDINATORS IN CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT

The Conference on Disarmament this afternoon heard from two States and its President who informed States about her consultations on the appointment of coordinators of the five subsidiary bodies established by the decision of 16 February.

Ambassador Veronika Bard of Sweden, President of the Conference on Disarmament, said the main thrust of the consultations was the list of coordinators of the subsidiary bodies and the issue of equitable regional distribution. There was a strong wish of Member States that the subsidiary bodies be coordinated by two coordinators from G21, two from the West European and Other Groups, and one from the Eastern European Group. Several candidates had been identified, but not for all five subsidiary bodies. The Ambassador noted that she would continue the consultations with the view to presenting the list to the Conference by Thursday, 1 March. Another issue was the even allocation of time to the subsidiary bodies. Ms. Bard assured that all five of them would be treated equally in that respect, adding that she would present a timetable for the subsidiary bodies once she had consulted with the five coordinators. In conclusion, the Ambassador said that consultations, which she aimed to conclude during next week, were on going in a very positive and constructive spirit.

Pakistan said that, given the lack of consensus on the commencement of negotiations on any issue in the Conference, the decision on the subsidiary bodies provided the next best alternative that was both practical and pragmatic. It would allow for a substantive consideration of all agenda items, without any preconditions, to develop a better understanding of the various perspectives to build convergences and narrow down the differences. The appointment of the five coordinators on the basis of equitable geographic distribution and an agreed timetable of meetings allocating equal time to each one of the five subsidiary bodies should be formally agreed by the Conference in order to have clarity and predictability for the whole year and to avoid any possible confusion at a later stage.

Algeria stressed that nuclear weapons represented threats not only for international peace and security, but for humanity as a whole, and that nuclear disarmament should be at the heart of the Conference’s work. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons of July 2017 was the cornerstone of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime and all States should join the Treaty without conditions and as quickly as possible. Algeria was deeply disappointed by the deferral of the holding of a conference on the creation of a zone free of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East. The outer space was a particular challenge for international security, said Algeria and noted that the draft treaty on non-disposal of weapons in outer space or threatening to use force against objects in outer space proposed by Russia and China, and the draft rules of conduct proposed by the European Union, were important steps forward.

The Conference decided to accept the request of Kyrgyzstan to participate in its work during the 2018 session as observer State.


The next plenary session of the Conference will take place on Monday, 26 February, at 10 a.m. when it will hold a high-level segment.


For use of the information media; not an official record

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