CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT OPENS HIGH-LEVEL SEGMENT

The Conference on Disarmament opened its High-Level Segment today, hearing statements by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Jordan and the Netherlands.

Ayman Safadi, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Jordan, stated that
Jordan was pursuing its objective of achieving security of all. Weapons of mass destruction and nuclear weapons in the Middle East needed to be eliminated. Jordan was looking forward to the revival of the Conference’s work, including through enlargement which would make it more representative.

Bert Koenders, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, stressed that the benefits of multilateralism were clear and international cooperation was at the heart of progress. No country could address various mounting challenges alone. In 2017, nuclear ban treaty negotiations would begin, and multilateralism would be the foundation of its efforts there too.

The Conference will next meet in public on Tuesday, 28 February at 10 a.m., to continue with the high-level segment.

High-Level Segment

AYMAN SAFADI, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Jordan, stated that the Conference had played a very important role in the disarmament sector, but over two decades now it had not been able to implement its mandate. Despite that rather gloomy outlook, there was a feeling that there was room for progress, through a global dialogue with the engagement of all stakeholders, which would build the trust of the international community. There was hope that a new impetus in the work of the Conference was possible. Jordan was looking forward to the revival of the Conference’s work, including through an enlargement which would make it more representative. The Conference could not remain a closed, private club anymore.

Jordan was pursuing its objective of achieving security of all. Weapons of mass destruction and nuclear weapons in the Middle East needed to be eliminated. Jordan’s commitment could be seen through all disarmament and non-proliferation instruments. Jordan was very active multilaterally and would carry on with its role to promote peace and security in the region. A two-state solution was needed for Palestine and Israel, stressed Mr. Safadi. A solution had to be found for the Syrian problem, so that their aspirations could be fully realized. Jordan was grateful to the international community for its support in assisting refugees. If conditions did not improve, refugee children would be more prone to terrorist indoctrination; Jordan was promoting and celebrating a fair and just version of Islam. The non-proliferation system allowed countries to acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. It was regrettable that no conference had been held on the Middle East as a nuclear weapon-free zone, which was seen as a failure. Countries which were still hesitant to participate in such a conference were called upon to reconsider their positions. A sustainable solution for the Palestinian State would allow the arms race in the Middle East to come to an end.

BERT KOENDERS, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, reminded that 110 years ago, the participants of The Hague Conference recognized the importance of dialogue and cooperation. In today’s globalized world, that understanding was as much needed now as it had been then. No country could address various mounting challenges alone. The Netherlands sought and promoted international cooperation on all matters of interest, and disarmament had been in the common interest in 1907 as it was today.

As a new review conference cycle for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was starting, the Netherlands aimed to revive the process and get things moving again. To that goal, the Netherlands was concluding extensive worldwide consultations because the Treaty benefited all States, not just a few. At the same time, the hard work done on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was paying off, and the Netherlands would continue to support the verification role of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Multilateralism was not exclusively the domain of States, and today’s coalitions for disarmament were broader; non-governmental organizations, for example, were carrying out many of the actual mine clearance operations. Common efforts to eliminate cluster munitions were paying off, said Mr. Koenders. Ending the production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons would cap nuclear arsenals and help prevent nuclear arms races, which was an important step towards nuclear disarmament. In 2017, nuclear ban treaty negotiations would begin, and multilateralism would be the foundation of its efforts there too. The purpose of a ban should be to strengthen international security and, by extension, the Netherlands’ national security. With regard to conventional weapons, multilateralism was also needed if many global challenges were to be tackled. Lethal autonomous weapons systems needed to be discussed even before they had been fully developed. The benefits of multilateralism were clear and international cooperation was at the heart of progress, concluded Mr. Koenders.




For use of the information media; not an official record

DC17/008E