CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT OPENS ITS 2020 SESSION UNDER THE PRESIDENCY OF ALGERIA

The President of the Conference, Ambassador Rachid Belbaki of Algeria, said he hoped to help build a climate of responsible and constructive participation to enable Member States to restore the traditional role of the Conference as the sole negotiating multilateral forum on disarmament. This had become an urgent request at this critical juncture. A lifetime ago, Algeria had been the President of the Conference in 2009 when the Conference last adopted a programme of work. Algeria would work with other Presidents of the Conference and with all stakeholders to set a new building stone for the Conference to achieve a convergence of opinion, and to work on existing consensus with the aim of achieving tangible results, reviving the Conference and breaking the deadlock.

Reading out a statement of behalf of the six 2020 Presidents of the Conference – Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh and Belarus – Ambassador Belbaki reaffirmed their steadfast commitment to the Conference. They were committed, open and ready to consult with all Member States and hoped the Conference could make an early decision on its programme of work in 2020.

The Conference then heard statements by Lazhar Soualem, Director General for Multilateral Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Algeria, who read out a statement on behalf of the Foreign Minister of Algeria, Sabri Boukadoum, Cuba on behalf of the Group of 21, Japan, Canada, Chile, Croatia on behalf of the European Union, Netherlands, Australia, Belarus, Argentina, Germany, India, Zimbabwe, Saudi Arabia, Republic of Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, China, Austria, Italy, Norway, Iraq, Peru, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Venezuela, Iran, Ecuador, United Kingdom, Spain and Syria.

Speaking in right of reply were the United States, Turkey, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Iran.

At the beginning of the meeting, the President of the Conference welcomed the new representatives of Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Spain and Switzerland. The agenda of the Conference was adopted. The Conference then approved requests by Albania, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, Holy See, Honduras, Jordan, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Panama, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Moldova, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, Sudan, Thailand and Trinidad and Tobago to attend the 2020 session of the Conference as observers.

Following the objection of Turkey to the request of Cyprus to participate as an observer, the President said that since there was no consensus on the request, it was therefore rejected. The United States said this was unfortunate and asked Turkey to reconsider its objection. The European Union also regretted Turkey’s position against Cyprus, a Member State of the European Union, as did Austria, Belgium and Spain.

The next public plenary of the Conference on Disarmament will be held on Tuesday, 28 January at 10 a.m.

Statements

Ambassador RACHID BELBAKI of Algeria, the President of the Conference, said he hoped to help build a climate of responsible and constructive participation to enable Member States to restore the traditional role of the Conference as the sole negotiating multilateral forum on disarmament. This had become an urgent request at this critical juncture. A lifetime ago, Algeria had been the President of the Conference in 2009 when the Conference last adopted a programme of work. Algeria would work with other Presidents of the Conference and with all stakeholders to set a new building stone for the Conference to achieve a convergence of opinion, and to work on existing consensus with the aim of achieving tangible results, reviving the Conference and breaking the deadlock. This depended on the collective will and the capacity to work consensually, while taking into account national interests. Algeria was determined to deploy all efforts with the 2020 Presidents of the Conference and all Member States in order to adopt a draft programme of work. The President said he had already held consultations with the Ambassador of Zimbabwe, the previous President of the Conference, and with 40 representatives of Member States and regional groups. There was a common awareness of the essential need to break the deadlock in the Conference.

Reading out a statement of behalf of the six 2020 Presidents of the Conference – Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh and Belarus – Ambassador Belbaki reaffirmed their steadfast commitment to the Conference. They were committed, open and ready to consult with all Member States and hoped the Conference could make an early decision on its programme of work in 2020.

LAZHAR SOUALEM, Director General for Multilateral Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Algeria, reading out a statement on behalf of the Foreign Minister of Algeria, SABRI BOUKADOUM, stressed the importance of the Conference on Disarmament sending positive signals to the international community to carry out its mandate. The Conference must mobilise efforts to maintain peace and international security, while respecting the principle of national sovereignty and renouncing the use of force. Algeria hope that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference this year would be crowned with success.

Cuba, speaking on behalf of the Group of 21, reiterated the urgency for the Conference to execute its mandate and adopt and implement a balanced and comprehensive programme of work on the basis of its agenda, while taking into account the security interests of all States, and dealing with the core issues, including nuclear disarmament, in accordance with the rules of procedure, including the rule of consensus.

Japan said it would be appropriate for the Conference to discuss new issues in addition to the traditional ones. Japan would value discussions on nuclear deterrence as well as transparency. It was also crucial that the Conference agreed on a programme of work.

Canada said that as commencing negotiations on any agenda item may again be impossible this year, Canada supported and organized discussion in the Conference touching on all of its agenda iteMs. While the negotiation of legally binding mechanisms should remain its goal, the Conference could also contribute to international peace and security by achieving consensus on other measures, such as norms or codes of conduct, related to specific agenda iteMs.

Chile regretted that the Conference had been unable to fulfil its mandate and asked Member States to be generous, while keeping into consideration their national interests, and also taking into account the common good and the well-being of all humans. Chile stressed the importance of accompanying initiatives against the proliferation of nuclear weapons with actions with a view of eliminating these weapons.

Croatia, speaking on behalf of the European Union, said the central aim of the European Union for this year’s session of the Conference on Disarmament was to reinvigorate substantive work towards concrete negotiations. While ready to launch substantive work on all core items, the European Union’s longstanding priority in the Conference was to immediately commence negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty. The European Union supported enlarging the membership of the Conference. The European Union strongly supported all three pillars of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and contributed actively to the treaty’s review process. It also attached the highest importance to the New START Treaty. The European Union called for urgent de-escalation and maximum restraint in the Middle East to maintain regional stability and global security. It called on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to return to meaningful negotiations and stick to a moratorium on nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches. Until that country took concrete actions, the European Union would continue to strictly enforce existing sanctions.

Netherlands said the geopolitical situation in the world remained tense and effective multilateralism was under pressure with repeated missile tests by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and with regard to the nuclear deal with Iran. In the Conference on Disarmament, the negotiation and conclusion of a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons remained the key priority. The Netherlands continued to argue for a pragmatic approach towards the programme of work, in which it served merely as a planning tool for the plenary meetings of the session ahead.

Australia welcomed the President’s statement on behalf of this year’s P6 which sent a clear signal about the Presidents’ expectations as facilitators of the work of the Conference. Australia’s priority was to agree on a framework for the work of the Conference as early as possible in the 2020 session. More could be done to integrate gender perspectives in the work of the Conference and to foster a more inclusive institutional culture.

Belarus regretted the progressive erosion of the international security system, notably the dismantling of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which may result in the return to Europe of vectors that had been banned so far. Belarus called for immediate negotiations to remedy the discrepancies in international security and fill the legal vacuum left by the disappearance of this treaty. As for the Conference on Disarmament, Belarus hoped that a technical programme of work could be adopted quickly at the beginning of the session.

Argentina said that the Conference on Disarmament was in a good position to resume its work this year. Argentina also recommended that the Conference give women their full place, and that it finally listen to the global call to come out of its impasse.

Germany said the Conference could not afford to lose another year as the world was expecting it to act decisively. The Conference should depart from previous approaches that had deadlocked it and should be able to structure its work in a way that was consistent with its objectives. By creating positive momentum in the Conference, they had the chance to also create new momentum for effective multilateralism, which was so urgently needed elsewhere.

India welcomed the adoption by consensus of the 2019 report of the Conference by the General Assembly, which had raised hope and optimism about the possibility of overcoming differences and divergences. India stressed the importance for the Conference to preserve its mandate, which was to negotiate legally binding instruments intended to safeguard international peace and security.

Zimbabwe commended the early agreement on the Conference’s 2019 Annual Report and its consensual adoption by the General Assembly, as they signalled the collective goodwill and effort from every Member State. Zimbabwe recalled that it had been under the presidency of Algeria in May 2009 that the last programme of work had been agreed in the Conference on Disarmament; that was why it held high hopes that the return of the Algerian presidency could be a harbinger of positive things to come for the 2020 session.

Saudi Arabia said it fully supported the President’s efforts to adopt a balanced programme of work, which would allow the Conference to once again play its central and unique role. Saudi Arabia highlighted the role of multilateral mechanisms in the establishment in the Middle East of a zone free of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction. Saudi Arabia condemned attacks on its oil installations by Iranian drones and deplored the fact that Iran had broken its commitments under the nuclear deal.

Republic of Korea observed that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea had maintained its moratorium on nuclear and ballistic missile testing and that the cessation of hostile acts along the border between the two Koreas had held since the historic agreement in 2018. However, to continue this momentum, the return to negotiations by the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, was essential. The 2020 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in April would set the tone for the global security environment for the next decades.

Democratic People's Republic of Korea reaffirmed that for two years, the country had abstained from carrying out nuclear and ballistic tests. Unfortunately, the United States had ignored this positive attitude and continued to impose sanctions and to conduct aggressive military exercises with the Republic of Korea. The United States clearly had the ambition to paralyze the development and the political system of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. If this attitude were to continue, it would be impossible to denuclearize the Korean peninsula. The delegation also rejected statements of a political nature made by the European Union, among others.

China cautioned against the disintegration of the multilateral architecture and political interference, noting as an example the inability of the Conference to adopt its programme of work. The international community should instead focus on collaboration, dialogue, respect and trust. The Conference should take advantage of the plenary sessions and use them for frank and in-depth exchanges on the current security situation and on its major challenges. China was a strong supporter and contributor to disarmament processes and it stood ready to participate in the dialogue between the permanent members of the Security Council on nuclear disarmament.

Austria stressed that on the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations, every State had a responsibility to demonstrate that multilateralism mattered. The contribution of disarmament to international security must not be underestimated, particularly in times of international tensions. Disarmament would continue to be a top priority of the Austrian foreign policy, a fact clearly stated in the programme of the new Government.

Italy asked the Conference not to forget what its responsibilities were in the current context marked by aggravated regional and international tensions. Italy stressed the centrality of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in the international disarmament regime. Recalling the obligation of nuclear weapon States to apply article VI of that Treaty, Italy asked the United States and Russia to further reduce their arsenals and to extend the New START Treaty to reduce nuclear weapons beyond 2021.

Norway said that in 2020, which would be an important year for the international community and disarmament, the Conference on Disarmament must engage with the substance of its agenda. Getting the Conference back to work was a joint responsibility of all Member States, which required dialogue, willingness, compromise and thinking outside of the box. Stressing the importance of good coordination between successive presidencies, Norway also hoped that the Conference would mainstream gender into all policy areas this year.

Iraq said that nuclear disarmament must be at the forefront of the activities, a programme of work was not the aim but a means to strengthen the framework on which multilateralism was based. It was also conducive to building confidence among States. Member States must shoulder their historic responsibility and not squander away the opportunity to resume the work of the Conference. They should go beyond their preconceived positions and meet the needs of all humanity.

Peru said it was a peace-loving country with a long tradition in promoting disarmament and arms control. Peru was concerned about the escalation of tensions in the Persian Gulf and called for restraint to avoid any escalation of the situation. The resumption of the work of the Conference was a priority in today’s context. A frank dialogue would provide a possibility to bring the positions closer, starting with the adoption of a programme of work, which was a planning instrument.

Belgium regretted the Turkish opposition to the participation of Cyprus in the work of the Conference as an observer. It was vital for the Conference to resume without delay its function as a driving force in the field of disarmament and to redouble its efforts to adopt a programme of work. Belgium would preside over the work of the Conference in January 2021 and would start preparing for this presidency in 2020, in collaboration with the six 2020 Presidents of the Conference.

Bulgaria was encouraged by the new approach of the six Presidents of the Conference on Disarmament for 2020, as it was high time for new approaches in the work of the Conference on Disarmament. Bulgaria hoped that this new approach would boost the work of the Conference in tackling all the topics discussed in 2019, including methods of work and the expansion of membership, as well as the work done in subsidiary bodies in 2018. Dialogue was the best tool towards understanding and building shared approaches, Bulgaria stressed.

France said it was actively promoting the negotiation without delay of a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty. This very mature subject would contribute to progress in nuclear disarmament by limiting the number of nuclear weapons. The climate of trust and constructive dialogue would make it possible to move forward, taking into account the progress achieved over the past several years. France raised concern that Iran was not meeting its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and reiterated the commitment of Germany, United Kingdom and France to preserve the Agreement and find a solution through constructive dialogue while remaining in the framework of the Agreement.

Venezuela said that the Conference had a golden opportunity to establish a constructive and cooperative atmosphere that would enable the overcoming of the logjam. Venezuela called for the adoption of a programme of work for 2020, which would be wide-ranging, balanced and comprehensive, taking into account all disarmament priorities. The future of the Conference and its relevance depended on a genuine demonstration of political will, thus Venezuela stood ready to immediately begin negotiations on all items of the agenda.

Iran said that the declining security climate should not be invoked as an excuse to further exacerbate an arms race or unravel existing arms treaties. It should rather serve as an urgent motivator to expedite disarmament, in particular nuclear disarmament. The Conference on Disarmament was best placed to move the international community forward in its long quest for a world free from nuclear weapons. Iran reiterated the importance of a balanced programme of work that appropriately addressed the Conference’s core mandate.

Ecuador was concerned about the lack of political will to reach a minimum concession that would make it possible to start substantive discussions on disarmament issues, and about the breakdown of existing commitments that raised the risk of an uncontrollable spiral of an arms race, with terrible consequences for humanity. Today, there was a latent threat of nuclear war, in which everyone would be a loser. As a defender and promoter of international law, Ecuador supported all actions to prevent an outbreak of conflict.

United Kingdom stressed that there was no impediment to immediate negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty and that all outstanding issues could be resolved in the course of negotiations. This could also contribute to efforts to reduce risks and threats and operations in outer space. The aim should be to establish a clear and common understanding of what constituted responsible behaviour in space, including a set of norms that would allow for better communication around space operations. The United Kingdom supported the creation of subsidiary bodies to work towards negotiating mandates on the core issues.

United States, in a right of reply, reiterated its will to “come to the table” and speak with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on how to implement the denuclearization. The sanctions against Iran were meant to cut off the revenues that the Iranian regime used to fund terror around the world, foment global instability, fund its nuclear programme and line its corrupt leaders’ pockets rather than those of Iranian people, the regime’s longest suffering victims.

Spain expressed hope that the Conference on Disarmament would be able to overcome the logjam and adopt a programme of work that focused on substantive issues. Spain called upon Turkey to revisit its decision to exclude Cyprus from the work of the Conference. The work of the Conference was to negotiate, Spain stressed. It was urgent, and the world was watching.

Syria said that the failure of the Conference on Disarmament lay in the lack of political will and excessive politicization. The challenges facing the world today and the increase in the unilateral use of force or threat of use of force in international relations, combined with the disregard for international law, meant that the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations must rehabilitate multilateralism in accordance with the United Nations Charter.

Turkey, in a right of reply, recalled the procedure for the establishment of the status of observer State and its position concerning the Cyprus issue. Turkey stood ready to provide additional clarifications to interested delegations.

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, in a right of reply, said that since the adoption of the Joint Statement two years ago, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea had seen nothing but betrayal from the United States. Instead of taking corresponding measures to the initial steps of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the United States had increased pressure, sanctions and military structures.

Iran, in the right of reply, said that Iran was not new to the absurd allegations and pathetic lies of the United States. That sadistic rhetoric could not bring back credibility to an Administration that was famous for its lies, bullying and inhumane coercive measures against other countries across the four corners of the world.

United States, in a second right of reply, said that the United States was restoring deterrence in the region, after having shown great restraint concerning the attack on American citizens in the Middle East.

The next plenary meeting will take place on Tuesday, 28 January at 10 a.m.


For use of the information media; not an official record


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