CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT DISCUSES REVISED DRAFT DECISION ON SUBSIDIARY BODIES AND SPECIAL COORDINATORS

The Conference on Disarmament today discussed, in an informal setting, the revised draft decision on the establishment of subsidiary bodies and special coordinators.

The President of the Conference, Ambassador Aidan Liddle of the United Kingdom, thanked all the delegations for their contributions, and said that the revised draft decision CD/WP.619/Rev1, circulated to the delegations on 6 March, had taken in as many ideas as possible and tried to maintain the balance between them.

The Conference on Disarmament discussed the revised draft text in an informal setting.

At the end of the informal discussion, the President of the Conference on Disarmament thanked the delegation and noted that the mood in the room was to move back to work and resume substantive discussions on the agenda. The draft decision was procedural and it was important to get it right, but it was not a discussion on a treaty, therefore delegations should show flexibility and reach a consensus, said Mr. Liddle. A new revised version of the text, to be issued on 8 March, and, as many delegations had requested, would incorporate the names of special coordinators and the timetable. The President hoped that the Conference on Disarmament would take action on the decision the following week and use the remainder of its 2019 session to discuss the substantive issues on the agenda.

The next plenary meeting of the Conference on Disarmament will take place on Tuesday, 12 March at 10 a.m.


For use of the information media; not an official record

DC19.018E