1/8/2003
Conference On Disarmament Starts Third And Final Part Of 2003 Session

The Conference on Disarmament on 31 July started the third and final part of its 2003 session, by hearing statements from China and the Russian Federation on prevention of an arms race in outer space; Japan on small arms; Serbia and Montenegro on the Ottawa Convention; Italy on the Thessaloniki European Council, and from Algeria and the incoming President of the Conference on the stalemate affecting the work of the body.

In an opening statement, Ambassador Carlo Trezza of Italy, the incoming President of the Conference, said that there was a certain amount of legitimate frustration resulting from a lack of progress in the work of the Conference. The representatives accredited to the Conference were not responsible for the present stalemate, which was to be attributed rather to the existing international circumstances. He would try his best, in consultations with all, to reduce the gap between the different positions and to revitalize the Conference.

Speaking about the joint Chinese and Russian initiative on prevention of an arms race in outer space, Ambassador Hu Xiaodi of China said that to prevent the weaponisation of and an arms race in outer space, one should not wait until outer space weapons had been put in place and were causing damage. The key was to take preventive measures. To conclude an international legal agreement to prevent the deployment of weapons in outer space without further delay stood out as the best way and the Conference could and should take up that task.

Ambassador Leonid Skotnikov of the Russian Federation said that at the fifty-sixth session of the United Nations General Assembly, Russia had suggested that, pending a relevant agreement, a moratorium on deploying weapons in outer space should be introduced. Russia was ready to take such an obligation immediately, if the leading space powers joined that moratorium. Russia called for other countries that had space-launching capabilities to join it and undertake all the necessary measures for building confidence in the outer space activities.

Informing the Conference on the outcome of the United Nations First Biennial Meeting of States to Consider the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, Ambassador Kuniko Inoguchi of Japan said that the meeting had gone beyond its primary objective and had become a forum for strengthening existing partnerships and building new ones among States, international and regional organizations and civil society bodies. It was her fervent wish that all States made full use of this opportunity to reinforce their commitment to the Programme of Action and built on the results of the meeting by taking concrete steps to strengthen national, regional and global efforts to eradicate the illicit trade in small arms.

Ambassador Dusanka Divjak-Tomic of Serbia and Montenegro said that on 20 June, the Parliament of Serbia and Montenegro had passed the law on ratification of the mine ban treaty, better known as the Ottawa Convention. By passing this act, Serbia and Montenegro had made a final step on the way to its full integration into the international family of Member States.

Speaking in his national capacity to report on the Thessaloniki European Council, Ambassador Trezza read out the Declaration on the Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, which was adopted in June 2003. Among other things, it said that the European Union was committed to
further elaborate before the end of the year a coherent European Union strategy to address the threat of proliferation, and to continue to develop and implement the European Union Action Plan as a matter of priority.

Ambassador Mohamed Salah Dembri of Algeria said that in consultations yesterday, he had noticed that there was movement forward on the "Five Ambassadors" initiative. However, it was obvious that there was still some room for compromise. He counted on the President to continue to reconcile views. He hoped that in the weeks to come, it would be possible for the Conference to make a clean break and progress on some of its issues.

The next plenary of the Conference will take place at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 7 August 2003.