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The Nuclear Non-Proliferation TreatyNPT PrepCom 2007NPT Day 6 (Monday May 7): CAN THE MEETING DECIDE TO UNDERSTAND (AND ADOPT) ITS AGENDA?Rebecca Johnson Back to the main page on the NPT The first week of the NPT PrepCom closed in deadlock on Friday, with Iran continuing to insist that the agenda proposed by the Chair, Ambassador Yukiya Amano of Japan, could not be adopted without amending the text to include "compliance with all the provisions of the Treaty". However, South Africa has offered a glimmer of hope for a possible compromise on Monday. If this initiative is successful, I will do my best to post the decision on email and Acronym's website during Monday. When the NPT PrepCom reconvenes on Monday, it is expected to consider a proposal by South Africa's Ambassador Abdul Minty that would put Iran's requested understanding on record in a "decision" of the meeting that would be adopted together with the Chair's proposed agenda. South Africa formally proposed the following text, which was circulated on paper by the Secretariat late Friday: "The meeting decides that it understands the reference in the agenda to 'reaffirming the need for full compliance with the Treaty' to mean that it will consider compliance with all the provisions of the Treaty". This text was proposed late on Friday after Iran's ambassador Ali Soltanieh again raised objections to the Chair's proposed agenda. Soltanieh again made his counterproposal that the Chair should instead put the 2002 agenda to the Conference and see if there were any objections to that. However, the Chair had previously stated that his consultations had shown that it was not viable to open the agenda for amendments. Several delegations, including Germany (on behalf of the EU), Australia and Canada expressed full confidence in the Chair's judgment on this, though they also expressed their immense disappointment that the work of the PrepCom was being frustrated by failure to agree an agenda. Others, including Syria, Cuba (in its national capacity) and Venezuela, supported Iran's other request for "all the provisions of the Treaty" to be inserted into the current Chair's agenda. Germany's Ambassador Ruediger Luedeking referred to there being "186 states in favour and only 1 against" the proposed agenda and said that the EU hoped it would be possible to adop the agenda as Amano had tabled it, together with his assurance, given on Friday morning, that "compliance in the Treaty means compliance with all the provisions of the Treaty". Canada and Australia, agreed, but also pushed for substantive work to begin, with Australia saying it was "untenable" for the PrepCom to spend no time on discussing the important issues relating to the Treaty's work. Australia supported Canada's Ambassador Paul Meyer, who proposed that if there is no agenda by Monday, Amano should appoint a Vice Chair to preside over substantive deliberations while he continues negotiations on the agenda. This, however, led Cuba on behalf of the NAM, to reiterate the Non-Aligned position that substantive debate should not begin without agreement on the agenda. After South Africa insisted on having its proposal circulated on Friday, it is expected to push for a decision on Monday. Watch this space. © 2007 The Acronym Institute. |