CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT MEETS UNDER PRESIDENCY OF MOROCCO

The Conference on Disarmament held a plenary meeting this morning in which it heard an address by its incoming President, and the Secretary-General of the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean. Several States also took the floor.

Mohamed Auajjar of Morocco, President of the Conference on Disarmament, said in a globalized world the security of one country or one region was increasingly intimately connected to the security of the rest of the world, which was why it was imperative that the Conference rapidly resumed negotiations. He informed the Conference that he would continue the informal consultations on the three draft texts circulated during the Presidency of Mongolia, and would submit them to the Conference once he believed they were sufficiently well supported.

Luiz Filipe De Macedo Soares, Secretary-General of the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL) said his Agency was an intergovernmental organization devoted to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, and therefore very much a party to the issues concerning the Conference on Disarmament. He highlighted recent activity and declarations in the field of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation by both OPANAL and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and spoke in-depth about nuclear-weapons-free zones, such as the zone established in Latin America and the Caribbean by the Treaty of Tlatelolco.

The Secretary of the Conference highlighted the first Civil Society Forum on the Conference on Disarmament, organized by the Acting Secretary-General of the Conference Michael Møller, which would take place on Thursday, 19 March from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Palais des Nations. He also noted that all Member States of the United Nations were invited to a briefing by Angela Kane, United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, at 3 p.m. today in the Council Chamber on the United Nations enquiry into the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

The following States took the floor in today’s plenary: Morocco, United States, Brazil and India.

The next public plenary of the Conference on Disarmament will take place at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 24 March 2015.

Statement by the Secretary-General of the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean

Ambassador LUIZ FILIPE DE MACEDO SOARES, Secretary-General of the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL) said the list of issues addressed in international relations was constantly growing, but nuclear disarmament had remained at the top of the international community’s concerns for the past seven decades. However, in spite of its pre-eminence and its life-or-death nature, the matter had little effect in international institution building. For the first half of its existence the Conference on Disarmament had achieved important results. During the second half of its history, to the current day, it had taken no decision that led to actual negotiations. To blame the Conference on Disarmament led nowhere and diverted the real debate. Member States and the General Assembly could break the stalemate.

The Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean, known by its initials in Spanish “OPANAL” was an intergovernmental organization devoted to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, and therefore very much a party to the debate. However, of the 33 Member States of OPANAL only nine were Members of the Conference on Disarmament, a percentage significantly inferior to other regions. Mr. Soares highlighted recent activity and declarations in the field of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation by both OPANAL and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). Latin America and the Caribbean was the sole great regional ensemble that had never possessed nuclear weapons. None of the countries in the region had concluded security agreements in order to be protected by nuclear arsenals. Their positions bore no ambiguity.

Mr. Soares spoke in depth about nuclear-weapons-free zones, such as the zone established in Latin America and the Caribbean by the Treaty of Tlatelolco, and the broad understanding of what such zones entailed. He referred to the Third Conference of Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zones and Mongolia, coordinated by Indonesia, which was scheduled to take place on 24 April 2015 at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The establishment of a Zone Free of Weapons of Mass Destruction in the Middle East was an issue of great importance, for which the consensus reached in 2010 at the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference remained unfulfilled. He said that no progress had been done on the issue of cooperation among nuclear-weapons-free-zones. The ingenious legal and political measure of participation through Protocols by States not belonging to the nuclear-weapon-free zones remained limited by declarations, interpretations and reservations. It was high time those imperfections were eliminated, he concluded.

Statement by the President of the Conference on Disarmament

MOHAMED AUAJJAR (Morocco), Incoming President of the Conference on Disarmament, said Morocco attached great importance to the Conference as the only multilateral negotiating body on disarmament, but in recent years it had fallen short of the international community’s expectations. There were no magical solutions: good political will and a demonstration of flexibility from all Member States was required. In a globalized world the security of one country or one region was increasingly intimately connected to the security of the rest of the world, which was why it was imperative that the Conference rapidly resumed negotiations.

Morocco had signed and ratified all multilateral instruments concerning weapons of mass destruction, noted the President, and was convinced that disarmament was the only guarantee for lasting and stable peace and security. Nuclear weapons must not be used because of their indiscriminate effects, their impact on the environment and their profound implications for regional and global security. It was time that the Conference adapted to the new realities and challenges in the world, such as the proliferation of terrorists who may have access to weapons of mass destruction.

The President referred to three draft texts which were circulated during the Presidency of Mongolia, and said he would continue the work of his predecessor. The subjects of the draft texts were: the renewal of the mandate of the informal working group on a programme of work; a schedule of activities for the Conference; and the establishment of an informal working group on the methods of work of the Conference. The President said he would continue informal consultations on the three draft texts in a bid to find common understanding, and would submit the draft texts to the Conference only once he believed they were well supported. Morocco was committed to work with all Member States to overcome differences and to breathe new life into the Conference.

Statements by Delegations

United States regretted the decision of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom to cease its coverage of the Conference on Disarmament’s proceedings, announced in its address on 10 March 2015. The United States said was also frustrated by the Conference’s ability to get back to work, and hoped that the Women’s League would at some point decide to return. The United States recognized the many important contributions that civil society made to its work, and firmly believed that the strength and success of nations depended on allowing civil society to function without interference, and on robust engagement between Governments and civil society to advance shared goals. In that regard the United States said it welcomed the Acting Secretary-General’s initiative to hold a Civil Society Forum on the Conference on Disarmament this week and looked forward to discussing ways the Conference could enhance its engagement with civil society.

Brazil referred to the statement made today by the Secretary-General of the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL). Noting that the organization was a permanent mechanism for the Treaty of Tlatelolco, Brazil said it prompted reflection upon the fact that the Non-Proliferation Treaty did not have such a permanent mechanism which could act to verify and account for the implementation of decisions made with respect to the Treaty. Brazil thanked the Secretary-General for his address and requested that the statement be registered as an official document of the Conference on Disarmament.

India welcomed the attendance of students from the University of Geneva in the public gallery and said their attention offered hope that a new generation, with fresh blood and less cynicism, could in future take forward the work of the Conference on Disarmament. India welcomed the statement by the Secretary-General of the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL), saying although it represented the views of a region located a long way from India it raised important matters. The Conference was poised to take a break of several weeks before reconvening at the end of May, noted the delegate, adding that it was important to take stock. India said it was one of the few States prepared to negotiate on the four core issues of the Conference, but the silence of those States that questioned the utility of the Conference during the discussions on the four core issues of its agenda was notable. India suggested that a public plenary be convened next week on the best ways to move forward with the three draft texts.

Civil Society Forum on the Conference on Disarmament

The Secretary of the Conference provided an update on the Civil Society Forum on the Conference on Disarmament which would take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, 19 March 2015 in Room XII of the Palais des Nations. The event had been convened by Acting Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva and Acting Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament Michael Møller, who would chair the Forum and present opening remarks, followed by a video message from United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The Forum would then consist of five panel discussions, consisting of an equal balance of Member State and civil society representatives. Four would focus on the core issues of the Conference, and the fifth would be on “The Way Forward”.

Interpretation would unfortunately only be provided in the two working languages of the United Nations, English and French due to the informal nature of the event and the lack of resources. A sandwich lunch would be provided at 1 p.m., thanks to sponsorship by Japan, and a networking reception, sponsored by Finland and Sweden, would take place in the Delegate’s Restaurant on the Eight Floor of from 5.15 to 6.15 p.m. The Secretary also thanked India, Netherlands and Switzerland for their further support and assistance for the event.

Civil society representatives were invited to confirm their attendance beforehand by email to the Secretariat, in order to compile a list of participants. To date some 30 civil society organizations had confirmed their participation. More information and the programme were available on the http://www.unog.ch website.


For use of the information media; not an official record

DC15/022E