CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT: RUSSIAN FEDERATION ASSUMES PRESIDENCY, PRESENTS ITS PLAN OF ACTIVITIES FOR JUNE
Ambassador Valery Loshchinin of the Russian Federation, the incoming President of the Conference on Disarmament, this morning presented to the Conference the work plan that he intended to follow for the month of June which will mainly be devoted to the prevention of an arms race in outer space.
Mr. Loshchinin also read out a letter from Sergei Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, addressed to the Conference, in which he reaffirmed Russia’s advocacy of the fullest possible involvement of the Conference in efforts to make the world more stable and secure. The Foreign Minister regretted attempts to dilute the integrity of multilateral agreements and undermine their viability. Russia was determined to overcome those trends, and was encouraged that the Conference showed no complacency and was searching for new approaches to the task of achieving consensus on its programme of work.
Mr. Loshchinin said that he intended to structure the work under the Russian Presidency in as businesslike a manner as possible. He recalled that on 29 March, Russia had circulated an outline of proposed activities under the Russian Presidency, which focused on the prevention of an arms race in outer space; an international legal agreement on the prevention of the placement of weapons in outer space, and the threat or use of force against outer space objects; new types of weapons of mass destruction and new systems of such weapons; and radiological weapons.
At the beginning of the meeting, the President extended condolences on behalf of the Conference to the Government of Indonesia, and to the families of the many victims of the very destructive earthquake that that country had recently suffered.
The next plenary of the Conference will be held on Thursday, 8 June, at 10 a.m., at which time members will take up the issue of the prevention of an arms race in outer space and the scope and basic definitions of a future legal agreement on the prevention of an arms race in outer space, and the threat or use of force against outer space objects.
The letter addressed to the Conference by SERGEI LAVROV, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, said that the Conference on Disarmament was a unique and indispensable international forum with an unparalleled intellectual and professional potential. It had made a serious contribution to strengthening peace, security and disarmament by elaborating the most significant legal instruments that had laid the foundation for the present-day global system of security and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Russia stood for the fullest possible involvement of the Conference in efforts to make the world more stable and secure.
On 10 May 2006, President Putin had emphasized that the arms race had entered a new spiral with the achievement of new levels of technology that raised the danger of the emergence of a whole arsenal of so-called destabilizing weapons, Mr. Lavrov recalled. He regretted attempts to dilute the integrity of multilateral agreements and undermine their viability. Despite the recent changes in the world, prejudices and bloc-based stereotypes persisted in the minds of many, seriously hampering efforts to find appropriate agreed solutions to common problems. Russia was determined to overcome those trends, and was encouraged that the Conference showed no complacency and was searching for new approaches to the task of achieving consensus on its programme of work.
As it assumed important responsibilities of the Presidency of the Conference on Disarmament, Russia was committed to contributing in every way to progress in its activities aimed at strengthening peace and security.
Plan of Activities
VALERY LOSHCHININ (Russian Federation), President of the Conference on Disarmament, regretted that for a long time members had not been able to resume substantive activities in the Conference. At the same time, he was encouraged by the intensified Conference activities this year as a result of the implementation of the Six Presidents initiative, which he was hopeful would contribute to reaching a compromise on the programme of work of the Conference.
Mr. Loshchinin said that he intended to structure the work under the Russian Presidency in as businesslike a manner as possible. In that regard, he recalled that on 29 March Russia had circulated an outline of proposed activities under the Russian Presidency, which focused on the prevention of an arms race in outer space and an international legal agreement on the prevention of the placement of weapons in outer space, and the threat or use of force against outer space objects, new types of weapons of mass destruction and new systems of such weapons, and radiological weapons.
The Conference would hold formal plenary meetings in June on the following issues:
– Thursday, 8 June: the prevention of an arms race in outer space and the scope and basic definitions of a future legal agreement on the prevention of an arms race in outer space, and the threat or use of force against outer space objects;
– Tuesday, 13 June: transparency and confidence-building measures in outer space;
– Tuesday, 20 June: new types of weapons of mass destruction and new systems of such weapons, and radiological weapons;
– Thursday, 22 June: continuation of the previous discussion and conclusions of the Russian Presidency.