CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT HOLDS FIRST MEETING UNDER THE PRESIDENCY OF PAKISTAN

The Conference on Disarmament this morning held its first plenary meeting under the Presidency of Pakistan.

Ambassador Tehmina Janjua of Pakistan, incoming President of the Conference, stated that the state of play in the Conference was a reflection of the prevailing strategic realities. The differing priorities of the Conference members had prevented the adoption of a programme of work. Pakistan would continue consultations in that regard.

The Republic of Korea said that the series of missile launches by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was a serious provocation against the united determination of the international community, which threatened peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond. Japan urged the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to comply with the relevant Security Council resolutions and not to take any further provocative actions. The United States stressed that it remained steadfast in the defence of its allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan.

Poland believed that, at the current stage, it would be most practical to work separately on a proposed convention on chemical terrorism and a programme of work. Norway welcomed the Presidency of Pakistan and wished Ambassador Janjua the best of luck. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea stated that the military exercises by the United States and “South Korea” were hostile in nature and, as long as they continued, there was no path forward towards peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was ready to talk, but the exercises had to stop. The Russian Federation said that it would soon introduce main elements of an international convention on the suppression of acts of chemical terrorism, along with a detailed explanatory note.

The Conference will hold its next public plenary on Tuesday, 29 March at 10 a.m.

Statements

AMBASSADOR TEHMINA JANJUA of Pakistan, incoming President of the Conference, said that it was a great honour for Pakistan to assume the Presidency, and expressed appreciation of her predecessors – the Ambassadors of Nigeria and Norway. Pakistan had joined the Conference in 1979, at its inception. Pakistan had also participated in the negotiations on a number of conventions and treaties, and viewed the Conference as an indispensable part of the United Nations disarmament machinery, which ought to be strengthened. The Conference had very important issues on its agenda, including nuclear disarmament and negative nuclear assurances. The state of play in the Conference was a reflection of the prevailing strategic realities. The differing priorities of the Conference members had prevented the adoption of a programme of work. At the same time, the Conference had not remained idle, but had held various discussions over the previous years, and its members appreciated the security concerns of each other. The Conference had recently been the target of some misguided criticism, said Ms. Janjua, but it was important to note that the Conference did not operate in a vacuum, separate from the outside world. There was no shortcut to building a consensus which would lead to wholesome and undiminished security for all.

Since the beginning of 2016, four proposals for a programme of work had been put forward. There was no consensus on any of the proposals, but Pakistan would continue consultations, with the view of assessing chances for progress. Pakistan would hold open-ended consultations as well as consultations with regional groups on a programme of work. Such consultations could, nonetheless, not be an endless affair. The Conference should decide on how it would organize its work for the rest of the year, especially if the consensus on the programme of work remained elusive.

Republic of Korea stated that, among multiple geopolitical tensions and global challenges, the Republic of Korea believed that the Conference had an important role to play in promoting international peace and security by fulfilling its mandate. It was a vital moment that the Conference agree on a programme of work, and each of the current four proposals had its own merits. The Republic of Korea was looking closely into those drafts and was open to any constructive suggestions. The Republic of Korea would make every effort to develop a comprehensive and substantive annual report based on agreed work and consensus. The series of missile launches by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was a serious provocation against the united determination of the international community and threatened peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond. Full implementation of the Security Council resolution 2270 in an exhaustive and thorough manner by the international community was needed more than ever.

Japan commended the tireless efforts by the current and previous Presidents on a programme of work. That work needed to continue, so that negotiations could commence. On 18 March, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea had once again launched a missile, estimated to have flown a distance of 800 kilometres. The launch was strongly condemned and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was urged to comply with relevant Security Council resolutions and not to take any further provocative actions.

United States had seen reports that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea had launched missiles into the Sea of Japan, and called on it again to refrain from actions raising tensions in the region. The United States remained steadfast in the defence of its allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan.

Poland expressed gratitude to the previous President for his tireless efforts. Poland also expressed condolences to the Russian Federation, Turkey, Spain and Belgium over a number of terrorist acts and accidents in those countries. It was vital to look at the issues at stake in a more pragmatic way. The Russian proposal was followed by further explanations, which were helpful, but there were still elements to be addressed, including where such a convention should be negotiated. Poland believed that the process of consultations would be rather lengthy. In the meantime, the Conference needed to get back to work. At the current stage, it would be most practical to separate the two issues: convention on chemical terrorism and programme of work.

Norway welcomed the Presidency of Pakistan and wished Ambassador Janjua the best of luck.

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea commended the former Presidents of Nigeria and Norway for their outstanding contributions. Pakistan had taken over a very responsible task at a critical juncture. Several proposals had been submitted with the view of breaking a long-standing deadlock and moving the Conference forward. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea supported the holding of informal open-ended consultations and was ready to endorse any comprehensive and well-balanced programme of work. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea stressed that the previous year, the Supreme Leader had given a signal to the United States that if they and “South Korea” were to stop their military exercises against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, then Pyongyang would reciprocate with good will. The United States was then offered to come to the table to conclude a peace treaty, which it had refused. The intention of the United States was not stability in the Korean Peninsula, but rather continuing hostile pressure on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. “South Korea” had no say in deciding whether or not to hold military exercises against its northern neighbour. If a peace treaty was concluded, the United States would need to withdraw its military equipment and soldiers from “South Korea”. With the ongoing military exercise in “South Korea”, should the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea stand still and do nothing? If such exercises were to stop and the two sides came to a peace treaty, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was ready to talk. There would be no peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula if the current practices continued.

Russian Federation expressed gratitude to the Norwegian Presidency, which had made a maximum effort to help the Conference reach a much-needed compromise. Significant progress had been achieved, with the basis laid for a way forward. The Russian Federation believed that the remaining work could be completed under the Presidency of Pakistan, and was ready to work constructively. The Russian Federation would, by the end of the first part of the session, introduce main elements of an international convention on the suppression of acts of chemical terrorism and an explanatory note. Russian Federation expressed sympathy to those countries which had recently suffered from the acts of terrorism.

United States said that the military exercises had been long scheduled and posed no threat to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which was required to halt its missile activities and had to live up to its international obligations. The peace treaty proposal by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea had been studied by the United States, but denuclearization would have to be part of any deal. “The North” had to show with actions, not words, that it was ready to honour its obligations. Over the week, there had been numerous condemnations of the launches “the North” had undertaken.

Republic of Korea stated that the joint military exercises had always been transparent and defensive in nature, and all relevant parties, including Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, were informed of them. No pretext could justify the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s violations of Security Council resolutions.

Japan reminded that it was the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea which continued to violate relevant Security Council resolutions and other international obligations. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea should take steps towards complete denuclearization.

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea said that if it simply stood still and did nothing, it was certain that the United States and “South Korea” would take advantage of the situation. If, instead, they listened to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and agreed to come to the table to discuss a peace agreement, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea would think it over. “South Korea” did not have commanding rights of its own army; it was a modern colony of the United States and had to follow the latter’s instructions. Once the United States had changed its hostile policy towards the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, there would be room for progress.

AMBASSADOR TEHMINA JANJUA of Pakistan, incoming President of the Conference, informed that the Conference will hold its next public plenary on Tuesday, 29 March at 10 a.m.