Disarmament Diplomacy
Issue No. 26, May 1998
CD Update
by Rebecca Johnson
The nuclear tests by India and Pakistan have dominated proceedings
at the CD, since it resumed its session on 11 May. The 14 May
plenary heard over 40 statements condemning India for testing and
calling on Pakistan to refrain from retaliating in kind. After
Pakistan conducted its nuclear explosions at the end of the month,
a special session of the CD was convened on 2 June at the request
of New Zealand and Australia. This session heard 45 statements
condemning both sets of tests and raising serious concerns about
the threats to regional and international security and the
non-proliferation regime. A statement read by New Zealand
Ambassador Clive Pearson on behalf of 47 delegations, including the
P-5, said that the tests undermined the process of disarmament and
the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons. The statement - reproduced
in full in this issue -called on India and Pakistan to cease
testing, renounce their weapons programmes and unconditionally sign
and ratify the CTBT.
On 14 May the CD, chaired by Ambassador Taher Al-Hussami of the
Syrian Arab Republic, agreed to appoint the following chairs and
special coordinators: Chair of the ad hoc committee on negative
security assurances (NSA) - Antonio de Icaza of Mexico; special
coordinator on landmines - John Campbell of Australia; special
coordinator on preventing an arms race in outer space (PAROS) -
H.M.G.S. Palihakkara; special coordinator on transparency in
armaments - Pavel Grecu of Romania; special coordinator on improved
and effective functioning of the CD - Javier Illanes of Chile;
special coordinator on review of the CD agenda - Peter Naray of
Hungary; special coordinator on expansion of the CD - Erwin Hofer
of Switzerland.
This part of the CD session runs to 26 June. A fuller analysis
of CD activities and statements will be provided in the next
edition of Disarmament Diplomacy.
© 1998 The Acronym Institute.
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