unitex@rubbs.fidonet.org (unitex) (10/25/89)
FIRST COMMITTEE HEARS SIX SPEAKERS: DEBATE ON DISARMAMENT Posting Date: 10/20/89 Copyright UNITEX Communications, 1989 UNITEX Network, USA ISSN: 1043-7932 The First Committee (Political and Security) continued its disarmament debate this morning, hearing six speakers. Statements were made by the representatives of Canada, India, Hungary, Ukraine, China and Japan. Issues addressed included nuclear and conventional disarmament, the need for a chemical-weapons ban, the forthcoming review of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the strengthening of multilateral disarmament machinery. When the Committee meets again today at 3 p.m., it will hear statements by the representatives of the Federal Republic of Germany, Spain, Turkey, Oman and Malaysia. Committee Programme The First Committee (Political and Security) met this morning to continue its two-week debate on 22 disarmament agenda items. The Committee began the debate on Monday, 16 October. Statements The first speaker, PEGGY MASON (Canada), said that progress had taken place in resolving regional conflicts in southern Africa, Indo-China and Central America, and in improving East-West relations, particularly with regard to arms control and disarmament. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Warsaw Pact States were working to reduce conventional force levels in Europe. The United States and the Soviet Union continued to make progress in their talks on nuclear arms control and chemical weapons. Agreement on the "open skies" concept would open the territory of North America, Europe and the Soviet Union to "virtually unrestricted aerial surveillance", and it would mark unprecedented openness in military relations. Progress in international relations resulted from pragmatic approaches and a willingness to be flexible. She was disappointed at the Disarmament Commission's failure to agree on its agenda items, and at the Conference on Disarmament's inability to agree on the basis for a mandate to establish an Ad Hoc Committee on a nuclear-test ban. The work of the First Committee should proceed, as far as possible, on a consensus basis, to create a positive momentum for the work of those disarmament bodies. In particular, she said there was an urgent need for conclusion of a treaty banning chemical weapons and of a verifiable comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty. Such agreements should provide for effective verification, which was the means by which confidence was generated. The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was "the linch-pin of the nuclear non-proliferation regime", she continued, and if it was damaged the entire arms control process could be undermined. Therefore, the outcome of the forthcoming NPT Review Conference was of the utmost importance in shaping the role of the Treaty beyond 1995. At this session, Canada would propose a ban on production of fissionable material for weapons purposes. Regarding outer space, she said that while more States were developing the capacity for space research and activity, it was important to ensure that outer space was used for exclusively peaceful purposes. KAMALESH SHARMA (India) said even if the United States and the Soviet Union halved their nuclear arsenals, as envisioned under the strategic arms reduction talks (START), they would still possess a total of 20,000 warheads, enough to destroy the planet 25 times over. His country had presented an Action Plan for general and complete disarmament to the Conference on Disarmament and the special Assembly session on disarmament. The objective of the Plan was a world free of nuclear and chemical weapons, reduced levels of conventional weapons commensurate with defence needs, and the harnessing of science and technology for the benefit of mankind. Bilateral progress in disarmament had to be complemented by multilateral efforts which meant allowing the Conference on Disarmament to discharge its mandate. The concept of nuclear parity must be dispensed with, and nuclear-weapon States should proceed with a freeze on the production of fissionable materials. Safeguards should be elaborated to ensure that such materials were not recycled into other weapons. Nuclear-weapon States had refused to heed international calls for a comprehensive nuclear-test ban and had continually modernized their nuclear weapons. Claims that a nuclear-test ban could not be verified were false. Seismic monitoring and other techniques were more than equal to the task. Furthermore, the 1963 partial test ban should be amended into a comprehensive ban on testing. In 1965, India was a co-sponsor of a nuclear non-proliferation resolution adopted by the Assembly providing for a loophole-free ban on the spread of nuclear weapons and a balancing of responsibilties between nuclear and non-nuclear Powers. Because the 1968 NPT failed to adhere to those principles India had not become a party to it. The NPT had allowed horizontal and vertical proliferation of such weapons. He hoped that at the NPT review conference next year, a more broad-based, comprehensive regime would be elaborated. His Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, had called for an improved NPT which would obligate * Origin: UNITEX --> Toward a United Species (1:107/501) --- Patt Haring | United Nations | Screen Gems in patth@sci.ccny.cuny.edu | Information | misc.headlines.unitex patth@ccnysci.BITNET | Transfer Exchange | -=- Every child smiles in the same language. -=-