GA/DIS/3181

TEXTS ON CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION, NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY INTRODUCED IN DISARMAMENT COMMITTEE

The General Assembly would urge all States parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction (Chemical Weapons Convention) to meet in full and on time their obligations under the Convention and to support the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in its implementation activities, according to one of two draft resolutions introduced this afternoon in the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security).

Further terms of the text would have the Assembly stress the importance to the Convention that all possessors of chemical weapons, chemical weapons production facilities or chemical weapons facilities, including previously declared possessor States, should be among the States parties. Introducing the draft, the representative of Poland said its purpose was to confirm the determination of the world community to achieve the effective prohibition of the development, production, acquisition, transfer, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons and their destruction. The text would also support the ongoing work of the OPCW in The Hague.

The representative of Algeria introduced a draft resolution on the 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), by which the Assembly would welcome the consensus adoption on 19 May of the Final Document of the 2000 NPT Review Conference. He said the outcome, which included agreements on practical steps to advance nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, was a hard-won success that had exceeded everyone�s expectations. Having presided over the Conference, he thought that the Assembly should welcome the results at the current session.

The representative of the Republic of Korea commented on the Chemical Weapons Convention Text. China�s representative spoke as part of the Committee�s continuing thematic discussion on disarmament issues.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Tuesday, 17 October, to continue the second stage of its work; a thematic discussion and the introduction and consideration of all draft resolutions.

First Committee - 2 - Press Release GA/DIS/3181 15th Meeting (PM) 16 October 2000

Committee Work Programme

The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) met this afternoon to continue the second stage of its work, a thematic discussion on all items related to disarmament and security, as well as the introduction and consideration of all draft resolutions. The discussion, which began on Friday, 16 October, will conclude on 23 October.

The subjects to be covered in the thematic discussion are as follows: nuclear weapons; other weapons of mass destruction; the disarmament aspects of outer space; conventional weapons; regional disarmament and security; confidence-building measures, including transparency in armaments; disarmament machinery; other disarmament measures; and related matters of disarmament and international security. The deadline for submission of draft resolutions was Friday, 13 October. The Committee has received 50 texts.

According to a draft sponsored by Canada and Poland on implementation of the Convention of the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction (Chemical Weapons Convention) (document A/C.1/55/L.18), the Assembly would urge all States parties to the Convention to meet in full and on time their obligations under the Convention and to support the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in its implementation activities. The Assembly would stress the importance to the Convention that all possessors of chemical weapons, chemical weapons production facilities or chemical weapons facilities, including previously declared possessor States, should be among the States parties to the Convention, and would welcome progress to that end.

By further terms, the Assembly would stress the importance of the OPCW in verifying compliance with the Convention�s provisions, as well as in promoting the timely and efficient accomplishment of all its objectives. It would also stress the vital importance of full and effective implementation of and compliance with all provisions of the Convention.

A draft resolution sponsored by Algeria on the 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) (document A/C.1/55/L.7) would have the General Assembly welcome the adoption by consensus on 19 May 2000 of the Final Document of the 2000 NPT Review Conference, including in particular the documents entitled "Review of the operation of the Treaty, taking into account the decisions and the resolution adopted by the 1995 Review and Extension Conference" and "Improving the effectiveness of the strengthened review process for the Treaty".

Introduction of Texts

K. PATUREJ (Poland) introduced the draft resolution on Implementation of the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction (document A/C.1/55/L.18) on behalf of Poland and Canada. He said that, as in previous years, the main purpose of the draft resolution was to confirm the determination of the international community to achieve effective prohibition of the development, production, acquisition, transfer, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons and their destruction. It was also intended to support the ongoing work of the OPCW in The Hague and to implement the Chemical Weapons Convention.

He said that the draft resolution emphasized the necessity of universal adherence to the Convention and called upon all States that had not yet done so to become parties to the Convention without delay. It did not raise, consider or assess issues concerning the implementation of the provisions of the Convention. There had been broad consensus among delegations that the implementation of the Convention should be discussed in its entirety in The Hague at the headquarters of the OPCW.

The businesslike atmosphere of the consultations on the draft resolution and the positive attitude of all delegations had created a sound basis for its adoption without a vote, he went on. The desire for cooperation, mutual understanding and search for a consensus had been the main purpose of Canada and Poland in the process of the work on the draft resolution.

Mr. LEE (Republic of Korea) said that the draft resolution just introduced on the Chemical Weapons Convention was well focused in its emphasis on the role of the OPCW in achieving the purpose of the Convention. At the same time, achieving universality was presented in the text in a balanced and forward- looking way. Indeed, the Convention�s success would totally eliminate chemical weapons worldwide, thereby eliminating a total class of weapons. He supported the draft and hoped it would be adopted by consensus.

ABDALLAH BAALI (Algeria) introduced the draft resolution on the 2000 Review Conference of the NPT (document AIC.1/55/L.7). The Review Conference was the first since the Treaty was indefinitely extended in 1995. It had followed a preparatory process, which began in April 1997. Some 158 States parties met in April and May to review the Treaty�s operation, taking into account the package of decisions and resolutions adopted in 1995. The outcome of the 2000 Review Conference was widely known. States parties reached consensus on a final document for the first time in 15 years and the third time in the history of the NPT review process.

He said that the parties had managed to evaluate the results since 1995, including implementation of the obligations of States parties under Treaty, and to identify the ways and means by which further progress could be sought, including strengthening the Treaty and achieving universality. Given the prevailing environment and the absence of any meaningful nuclear disarmament since 1995, some of the achievements had been remarkable, including the balanced review, the agreements on realistic and practical steps to further advance nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, the strengthened transfer of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and the strengthened review process.

The outcome represented a hard-won success, which had exceeded everyone�s expectations, he said. Having presided over the Conference, he thought that the General Assembly should welcome the results at the current session. His intent was to present a procedural text which would allow the Assembly to welcome the final document. In tabling the text, following past practice, his delegation

had consulted widely on the text and thanked all delegations for their cooperation. Many had expressed their desire to join in sponsoring text, but had graciously stood aside to permit his delegation to hold consultations and to finalize the text.

The draft was short, he said, containing just one operative paragraph. He hoped it would be adopted without a vote. If a vote was requested, he hoped that States parties would vote in favour of it.

HU XIAODI (China) said that the Treaty on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems (ABM Treaty) faced the danger of being undermined. If that happened, the sense of insecurity would be increased and the course of disarmament would stagnate or even be reversed, leading to a nuclear arms race.

To attain the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world, it was of vital importance for all States to observe certain principles, he said. Countries in possession of the largest nuclear weapons arsenals should irreversibly reduce them by large margins and withdraw their deployed nuclear weapons back to their own territories. Nuclear-weapon States should undertake not be the first to use such weapons, and not to use or threaten to use them against non-nuclear-weapon States or nuclear-weapon-free zones.

The ABM Treaty should be strictly observed, he went on. The countries concerned should comply by refraining from research and development of nuclear defence systems and also from helping other States to develop nuclear weapons. In addition, legal regimes should be concluded prohibiting an arms race in outer space or the �weaponization� of outer space. The Conference on Disarmament should also start early negotiation for a treaty on the prohibition of fissile materials used in nuclear weapons.

China supported all proposals that were conducive to the attainment of a nuclear-weapon-free world, he said.

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