CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT HEARS STATEMENTS BY FRANCE, CANADA, CHILE ON BEHALF OF 10 LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES, RUSSIA, IRAN AND CHINA

The Conference on Disarmament this morning heard a statement from France, tabling a recent speech by President Nicolas Sarkozy in which he set out France's non-proliferation and disarmament policies, announced new reductions in nuclear weapons and delivery systems, and outlined an eight-point disarmament action plan, primarily aimed at the eight nuclear States that had declared they had conducted nuclear tests. Also speaking this morning were Canada, Chile - on behalf of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, the Russian Federation, Iran, and China.

At the end of the meeting, Ambassador Yevhen Bersheda of Ukraine, President of the Conference, invited the Conference Secretariat to distribute a presidential report he had prepared, which he said was an objective reflection of the work accomplished by the Conference in the first part of its 2008 session, including the informal meetings under the guidance by the Coordinators appointed by the Presidents.

France recalled that, in his address delivered on 21 March in Cherbourg, President Sarkozy had set out France's exemplary record in nuclear disarmament, including its status as the only State to have transparently dismantled its nuclear testing site; and that it was the only State to have dismantled its underground launched nuclear missiles. President Sarkozy had also stressed France's commitment to continue actively and concretely to contribute to disarmament. In that regard, he had announced a reduction by one third of the number of nuclear weapons, missiles and aircraft of the airborne component, following which reduction France's arsenal would include fewer than 300 nuclear warheads – which was half of the maximum that the country had during the Cold War. Finally, President Sarkozy had presented an innovative proposal in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation, based on the principle of reciprocity – an action plan calling on the eight States that had declared they had conducted nuclear tests to firmly commit to eight points by the next NPT Review Conference in 2010, including transparent dismantling of nuclear testing sites; and the opening without delay of negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty within the Conference on Disarmament.

Iran noted that the full statement by the French President contained some claims and allegations against other members of the Conference, and said it would study the statement carefully and present its position on it in due course.

Canada and Chile, speaking also on behalf of 10 Latin American Countries, supported the new proposal by the six Presidents for a programme of work (CD/1840). The Russian Federation also supported proposal CD/1840, saying it reflected a compromise. China said Members had not achieved consensus yet on the draft work programme. While China felt that the differences on that programme of work were not daunting, what was disturbing was the lack of sincerity and will to overcome those differences.

In 2007, the Conference was not able to reach agreement on a programme of work. A Presidential Draft Decision (CD/2007/L.1, and associated documents CRP.5 and CRP.6) was submitted as a basis for an agreement to begin substantive work in the Conference. Draft decision CD/1840, submitted by the 2008 Presidents of the Conference at the present session, replaces CD/2007/L.1. By CD/1840 the Conference on Disarmament decides to appoint Chile as Coordinator to preside over substantive discussions on nuclear disarmament and the prevention of nuclear war; to appoint Japan as Coordinator to preside over negotiations, without any preconditions, on a non-discriminatory and multilateral treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, thus providing all delegations with the opportunity to actively pursue their respective positions and priorities, and to submit proposals on any issue they deem relevant in the course of negotiations; to appoint Canada as Coordinator to preside over substantive discussions dealing with issues related to prevention of an arms race in outer space; to appoint Senegal as Coordinator to preside over substantive discussions dealing with appropriate arrangements to assure non-nuclear weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons; and to request those Coordinators to present a report to the Conference on the progress of work before the conclusion of the session. The Conference also decides to request the Coordinators for the agenda items previously appointed by the 2008 Presidents (i.e., new types of weapons of mass destruction and new systems for such weapons, radiological weapons; comprehensive programme of disarmament; and transparency in armament) to continue their work during the current session.

Today was the last plenary in the first part of the 2008 session of the Conference. The second part of the session will be held from 12 May to 27 June and the next plenary of the Conference will be held at 10 a.m., on Thursday, 15 May.

Statements

JEAN-FRANÇOIS DOBELLE (France) said he had the honour of tabling, as an official document of the Conference on Disarmament, the text of the speech delivered by the President of France on 21 March in Cherbourg, which treated questions of non-proliferation and disarmament that were of direct relevance to this body. In his speech, the French President had spelled out the serious threats that continued to weigh on France's security, including the continued growth of certain nuclear arsenals, and continuing nuclear, chemical and biological proliferation, as well as that of ballistic and cruise missiles. The President had also confirmed that the fundamental policies of nuclear deterrence had not changed. Deterrence had a strictly defensive purpose. One essential and innovative dimension of the speech was that the President had emphasized the question of disarmament, especially nuclear disarmament. As recalled by President Sarkozy, France fully complies with its Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) commitments, in particular with regard to Article VI. He set out France's exemplary record in nuclear disarmament: it had been the first nuclear weapon State, along with the United Kingdom, to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty; it had been the first State to decide to shut down and dismantle its facilities for the production of fissile material for explosive purposes; it was the only State to have transparently dismantled its nuclear testing site; and it was the only State to have dismantled its underground launched nuclear missiles. France had never engaged in the arms race and maintained its arsenal at the lowest possible level with regard to the strategic context.

President Sarkozy had also stressed France's commitment to continue actively and concretely to contribute to disarmament. In that regard, he had announced a reduction by one third of the number of nuclear weapons, missiles and aircraft of the airborne component, following which reduction France's arsenal would include fewer than 300 nuclear warheads – which was half of the maximum that the country had during the Cold War. The President had also announced that France had no other weapons besides those in its operational stockpile, marking a difference from those nuclear weapon States that remained confidential about their reserves; that France's nuclear weapons were not targeted against anyone; and had invited experts to acknowledge the dismantlement of France's fissile material production facilities in Pierrelatte and Marcoule. Those were unprecedented gestures on the part of a nuclear weapon State. Finally, President Sarkozy had presented an innovative proposal in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation, based on the principle of reciprocity – an action plan calling on the eight States that had declared they had conducted nuclear tests to firmly commit to eight points by the next NPT Review Conference in 2010. The eight points were: universal ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, starting with the two nuclear weapon State recognized by the NPT that had signed but not ratified; transparent dismantling of nuclear testing sites; the opening without delay of negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty within the Conference on Disarmament; an immediate moratorium on fissile material production; elaboration of transparency measures by the five NPT nuclear weapon States; opening of the negotiation of a treaty banning short and intermediate range surface-to-surface missiles; adherence to and implementation of the Hague Code of Conduct Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation; and, in parallel, mobilization in other fields of disarmament.

MARIUS GRINIUS (Canada) said Canada highly appreciated the statement made today by France. Canada strongly backed the efforts of the six Presidents of the Conference to get the Conference on Disarmament back to work as soon as possible. Canada had therefore carefully considered the new proposal by the six Presidents for a programme of work (CD/1840), and gave it its full support. Canada hoped that other delegations would give the same consideration to the proposal, so that the Conference on Disarmament could soon arrive at consensus on a programme of work.

ALEJANDRO ROGERS (Chile), speaking also on behalf of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela, and the observer countries Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, said that, as had been repeatedly stated, they wished to resume as soon as possible the work of this important forum. They therefore wished to adopt a substantive programme of work as soon as possible. On that premise they had supported a number of initiatives directed at achieving consensus so that the Conference could get back to the work for which it was created: the negotiation of disarmament and non-proliferation instruments that would contribute to international peace and security.

The Latin American countries for which Chile spoke therefore supported the proposal presented by the six Presidents of 2008 contained in document CD/1840. That proposal reflected the great majority of the diverse positions expressed by a number of Member States in informal and formal discussions, as well as the recommendations of the United Nations Secretary-General. In that same constructive and flexible spirit as had been stated in relation to draft decision CD/2007/L.1, draft decision CD/1840 represented a positive advance in the search for consensus and they therefore supported it.

VICTOR VASILIEV (Russian Federation) said the Russian Federation believed that during the first stage of the Conference this year a lot of important work had been done: the agenda had been adopted; informal consultations had been begun on all the agenda items; the Coordinators had undertaken important work and consultations; and they had heard the Secretary-General address the Conference, as well as a large number dignitaries, including, on 12 February 2008, the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, who had submitted an official proposal on the Prevention of Placement of Weapons in Outer Space, as well as elements for an eventual agreement to give global status to the treaty between Russia and the United States on medium and short-range missiles.

Regarding the draft decision for a programme of work put forward by the six Presidents of 2008 contained in document CD/1840, that proposal was the result of a considerable amount of work, and a large number of consultations, and was the logical outcome of the work taken in recent years to normalize the situation in the Conference. Of course, not everything in the proposal was fully acceptable to Russia, as was true for other delegation. The Russian Federation would be interested in a more active mandate with respect to areas of priority concern to it – for example, prevention of an arms race in outer space. Nevertheless, CD/1840 defined an area where they could come together, and reflected a compromise. The Russian Federation would refrain from rejecting the proposal therefore. The main thrust of the proposal was that, after a 10-year hiatus, the Conference on Disarmament should be able to return to normal work. Regarding the President's proposals on the organization of the work of the session, and the preparation of the President's report, Russia said that unfortunately the Member States had not been able to study the proposals for the Coordinators reports (incorporated therein) and had not had the opportunity to comment on them. It was hoped that a return to a procedure of such consultations could be taken up again during the second part of the session.

MOHAMMED TAGHI HOSSEINI (Iran) said that France today had presented a statement by the French President to be circulated as an official document of the Conference which contained some claims and allegations against other members of the Conference. Iran would study the statement carefully and present its position on it in due course. Iran was concerned by some States who were doing everything in their power to escape their Article VI duties under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to pursue the total elimination of nuclear weapons.


WANG QUN (China) said that China aligned itself with the statement by the Russian Federation on the reports of the Coordinators. For example, regarding the report on prevention of an arms race in outer space, China believed that, if broader consultations had been conducted, the report could have been more balanced, more objective, and could have presented a more faithful a reflection of reality, as well as be more factual. Secondly, today was the last day of the first part of the Conference. China appreciated the work of the successive Presidents in their positive and constructive efforts and hoped that the Conference would make positive achievements. From China's perspective, it was also considering how to push forward the work in the Conference, because without a doubt, Members had not achieved consensus yet on the draft work programme. However, it was China's view that the differences on that programme of work were not daunting. What was disturbing was the lack of sincerity and will to overcome those differences. China therefore believed that greater sincerity was needed and a fresh perspective in their thinking so that, through joint efforts by all parties and constructive consultations among all parties to narrow the differences, they could achieve a work programme acceptable to all as early as possible. For its part, China would give that process every effort.


For use of the information media; not an official record

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