Conference on Disarmament Discusses Draft Programme of Work
The Conference on Disarmament today discussed a draft programme of work as proposed by the P-6.
Ambassador Li Song of China (Disarmament), President of the Conference on Disarmament, said this week was the last week of China’s Presidency of the Conference. Determination was key to achieving breakthrough. The work of the Conference on Disarmament was influenced by the international political environment. For its ultimate goal to be achieved, the divergence of goals, views, positions and concerns, which were complex and impacted each other, had to be reconciled. With the evolution of the international political situation, new elements had come to the attention of the Conference. It was because of this that the Bureau’s efforts to promote the draft programme of work had come to recognise that all points of view could not be taken into account. Steps needed to be taken, one at a time, to promote work on the agenda items from all aspects. The divergence of views was a topic that could not be avoided, circumvented or transcended. Only by recognising this could progress be made.
Speaking in the plenary were Viet Nam, India, Malaysia, Turkey, Pakistan, Cuba, Russian Federation, France, South Africa and Venezuela.
The Conference met in informal plenary after hearing the statements.
The next plenary of the Conference on Disarmament will be announced at a later time.
Statements
Viet Nam said disarmament and non-proliferation issues continued to be among the most important issues and the Conference on Disarmament was still the multilateral forum that could help bridge differences and find substantive solutions for global security challenges. Disarmament and non-proliferation were among Viet Nam’s priorities and there was a consistent policy to support all efforts towards general and complete disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, especially nuclear weapons. Viet Nam was ready to engage actively and meaningfully with the Presidents of the Conference in 2022 with the main objective of moving the discussions forward and contributing towards a sustainable peace and a sustainable future for all nations.
India attached the highest importance to the Conference, and hoped for the early commencement of substantive work. India had taken note of the proposal on a programme of work and was studying it. India was committed to the goal of universal non-discriminatory disarmament and would continue to work towards enhancing global peace and security.
Malaysia said the Conference was the single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum. Like many other States, it was Malaysia’s fervent hope that this Conference could break the decades-long impasse, and immediately commence negotiations on all Conference agenda items. Malaysia was committed to the common goal of a world free of nuclear weapons, which underpinned its membership to this Conference. Nuclear disarmament remained the top priority, and progress could be made on issues such as fissile materials, prevention of an arms race in outer space, and negative security assurances. All Member States needed to demonstrate strong political will, build trust amongst one another, as well as exercise utmost flexibility and compromise. The establishment of the subsidiary bodies did not mean that the Conference had resumed its mandate as the single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum. The subsidiary bodies were initiatives that could provide opportunities for States to start substantive work and find common ground on all Conference agenda items. At the moment, it was the only feasible initiative that could pave the way for negotiations.
Turkey said the adoption of the draft programme of work and the establishment of the subsidiary bodies could eventually lead to commencing substantive negotiations at the Conference. This represented an opportunity for the Conference to overcome the current stalemate. Such a step forward would also give to the international community much-needed hope in the face of many pressing international security challenges. Building on past experiences and being concise as much as possible could be an instrumental approach to reaching consensus. Further detailing the subsidiary bodies’ basis of work would also be a useful option for their future smooth work.
Ambassador LI SONG of China (Disarmament), President of the Conference on Disarmament, speaking on the draft programme of work, said over the past week members of the Conference had held discussions on the document, which had won support on all sides. The Conference had seen a constructive environment take shape, which was positive, pragmatic and cooperative. Confidence and determination had taken shape over the work to establish subsidiary bodies and the commencement of substantive work this year. This was to be treasured by all. The conscientious and responsible attitude to work was to be commended. On the basis of past discussions, the draft programme took account of the opinions of all sides, and strove to formulate the work planned for the year in a clear and concise manner. The text was concise, whilst maintaining a delicate balance.
The work of the Conference on Disarmament was influenced by the international political environment. For its ultimate goal to be achieved, the divergence of goals, views, positions and concerns, which were complex and impacted each other, had to be reconciled. With the evolution of the international political situation, new elements had come to the attention of the Conference. It was because of this that the Bureau’s efforts to promote the draft programme of work had come to recognise that all points of view could not be taken into account. Steps needed to be taken, one at a time, to promote work on the agenda items from all aspects. The divergence of views was a topic that could not be avoided, circumvented or transcended. Only by recognising this could progress be made.
Pakistan said the draft P-6 proposal took on board several suggestions made by Conference members, and the proposal had gained broad-based support. Pakistan supported the endeavour and urged other delegations to do so. The proposal was fully responsive to calls made by many for a pragmatic and realistic approach, and thus had a potential to unlock the decades-long impasse. It offered a road map - it was not ideal, and may not meet the national priorities of delegations, but it was a pathway for the Conference to eventually fulfil its mandate, and was the embodiment of a core tenant of diplomacy - the art of the possible.
This proposal did not undermine the principal position or the core national concerns of any country. An assertion that national priorities were or should be the concern of the Conference was what had deadlocked the Conference for more than two decades. The document had the potential to break the logjam and put the body back to work. It created the conditions necessary for commencing substantive work. All delegations should show flexibility and political will to support the P-6 document. In the interest of allowing the body to move forward, Pakistan supported it, and urged others to do likewise. With regard to the subsidiary bodies, Pakistan was not opposed to this approach in principle, but the subsidiary bodies should align their work with the agenda of the Conference, which had already been agreed.
Cuba said Cuba supported the proposal. It did not cover the Cuban national position across the board, but it was pragmatic. It was important to shake off the vision that the Conference on Disarmament worked without a work programme, and the work needed to be scheduled. Cuba thought the proposal was ready for adoption, if the President thought that this would be appropriate.
Russian Federation said work aimed at preparing the document was appreciated. The Chinese delegation had demonstrated a balanced, constructive and thoughtful approach, and all of those efforts should be praised. The Russian Federation supported this approach, and found that the document presented was a very good foundation for consideration, review and possible adoption during one of the next sessions of the Conference. At the same time, there were a few comments relating to the text of the document to be made. The programme of work should be fully in line with the mandate of the Conference, and should include the provisions relating to the launching of negotiations for work in the Conference.
With regard to the establishment of subsidiary bodies, the Russian Federation supported the work of these, but at the same time believed that the document that would lay the ground for their work could not be entitled the programme of work of the Conference, so the title of the document should be changed to reflect better the substance of the document, which was not in line with the mandate of the Conference. With regard to paragraph four of the document, the Russian Federation fully agreed with the urgent need to start substantive work as soon as possible, and in principle fully supported the efforts of the Chinese delegation. However, certain changes should be made to the paragraph. It was much more important to have an idea about the objectives of the work of the Conference, rather than reflecting the current situation in the body. Changes should also be made to operative paragraph 3. The Russian Federation was ready to discuss all proposals.
France said as other delegations had said, this proposal could be improved, and France still had some questions, in particular with regard to the work of the subsidiary bodies. The revised version of the draft programme of work did not provide any details on their mandates, which needed to be established clearly. The proposal could enjoy consensus, but had to contain language that clarified the approach, in particular in operative paragraph 2 of the document, which should be amended to clarify further the functioning of the subsidiary bodies in a simple and clear manner, opening the way to negotiations in a balanced way. Some time was needed to further examine the proposal.
South Africa said South Africa supported the proposal of the Russian Federation on the title of the document that created the subsidiary bodies. South Africa had raised the issue of conducting some of the work of those bodies in an informal setting, and this had been discussed, but there had been no outcome. Would therefore, some of the work of the subsidiary bodies be conducted in an informal setting?
Venezuela said Venezuela fully supported the work of the President and his guidance towards consensus. There was a need to be pragmatic. All knew about the rules of procedure that should be followed. Rule 28 invited towards continuing the work. Venezuela supported the text, but understood the concerns raised by some delegations. The working paper that had been circulated required the deletion of PP4.
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CD22.008E