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Determination, political will can revitalize stalled disarmament forum – Annan

Determination, political will can revitalize stalled disarmament forum – Annan

Secretary-General Kofi Annan
Escalating debate on serious international peace and security issues has made it crucial for the world’s sole multilateral forum for disarmament negotiations to overcome years of stalled talks and resume its substantive work, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today in a message to the opening of the Conference on Disarmament.

Escalating debate on serious international peace and security issues has made it crucial for the world’s sole multilateral forum for disarmament negotiations to overcome years of stalled talks and resume its substantive work, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today in a message to the opening of the Conference on Disarmament.

“International peace and security continue to face profound challenges in the form of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery vehicles, rising military expenditures, and the prospect of an arms race in outer space,” Mr. Annan said in a message delivered by Sergei Ordzhonikidze, Secretary-General of the Conference, which began its 2003 – and twenty-fifth annual – session in Geneva today.

The Secretary-General said that active and open debate on such key issues has underlined the need for the Conference to “revitalize itself” and develop a capacity to address new challenges. He hoped that the Conference’s twenty-fifth anniversary would mark a turning point in its history, “a time to reinvigorate the sense of purpose in arms limitation and disarmament efforts that were shaped 25 years ago.”

New arms control agreements were needed “not only to enhance strategic stability in the world,” the Secretary-General said, but also “to halt and eventually reverse a disturbing increase in global military expenditures, and to re-direct such funds into much-needed development projects.”

Mr. Annan also expressed concern over recent challenges to the existing non-proliferation regime, particularly the announcement by the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea of its withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. “I regret this development and strongly urge the DPRK to reconsider its decision,” he said. “The only viable solution to this latest setback for disarmament and non-proliferation is through peaceful means, dialogue and a spirit of mutual interest.”

The 66 Member States of the Conference work by consensus, and during 2002 were unable to reach agreement on a programme of work for a fourth consecutive year, the principal stumbling block being the issue of prevention of an arms race in outer space.

Addressing that impasse, the Secretary-General said revitalizing the Conference required renewed political will and determination among its members. He welcomed any proposals aimed at fostering consensus, calling for “imaginative concepts developed and endorsed at high political levels, with the participation of the main players in the international political arena.”

The Conference this year will have three parts, the first running through 28 March; the second from 12 May to 27 June; and the third from 28 July to 10 September.