United Nations (UN)

UN First Committee Bulletin, October 26, 2001

By Jenni Rissanen

Committee Begins Discussion on Resolutions and Decisions

The UN First Committee on Disarmament and International Security is now in its third week of deliberations. After the general debate concluded on October 17, the Committee entered the second phase of its work: thematic discussion, including the introduction of draft resolutions and decisions. Work has been proceeding in a calm and business-like manner, largely unaffected, curiously, by events unfolding in the world since September 11. Committee Chair Ambassador André Erdös of Hungary told delegates on Tuesday (October 23) that 46 draft resolutions and 5 draft decisions had been tabled this year. There are three new resolutions, on the role of disarmament and non-proliferation efforts in the fight against terrorism, on depleted uranium (DU), and on the UN Secretary-General's proposal to hold a conference on eliminating nuclear dangers.

Tabled by Ambassador Erdös himself, the resolution entitled "Global Efforts Against Terrorism in the Area of Disarmament and Non-Proliferation" (A/C.1/56/L.49) reaffirms multilateralism "as an enduring principle" in disarmament and non-proliferation negotiations and emphasises that progress in these areas "is urgently essential to the maintenance of international peace and security and contributed to global efforts against terrorism". The draft calls on UN member states to "renew their individual and collective commitments to multilateral cooperation". Introducing the resolution, Erdös said the September 11 attacks had been "a dramatic wake-up call" and that the "time has become to take a second look at how disarmament diplomacy has been working". The Chair is keen that the Committee adopt the resolution by consensus, arguing on October 23 that anything less would send "a very wrong signal" and warning delegates that if unanimity proved elusive he would withdraw the text.

Mexico introduced a draft resolution on the UN Secretary-General's proposal to hold a UN conference on eliminating nuclear dangers, a proposal endorsed in the Millennium Declaration. The draft (A/C.1/56/L.16) underlines that a need exists to address nuclear disarmament in a way that complements and complement efforts at the Conference on Disarmament (CD) and in the review process of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Mexico wants the UN to 'decide' to hold a UN conference "to identify ways of eliminating nuclear dangers in the context of nuclear disarmament" no later than 2006, and to establish a preparatory committee (PrepCom) that would meet at least three times for this purpose. The PrepCom would "make recommendations to the conference on all relevant matters". The draft also stresses the importance of ensuring the conference enjoys "the widest possible and effective participation and support" by non-governmental organizations and civil society. The resolution has met some resistance, particularly from the nuclear-weapon states (NWS) who argue that the conference would establish an 'inappropriate' avenue for discussing nuclear disarmament, detracting from rather than supporting the NPT. A number of primarily western non-nuclear-weapon states (NNWS) are said to have similar concerns, worrying that the conference might 'take away' impetus and from the 2005 NPT Review Conference and its preparatory process.

Mexico had also planned to table a new resolution on tactical (sub-strategic) nuclear weapons (TNW). This year marks the tenth anniversary of the unilateral initiatives on TNW by the United States and Russia. (The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) recently arranged a seminar to commemorate these initiatives as well as to discuss the need for further steps) However, Mexico reportedly came under pressure from the United States and Russia not to introduce the draft. Although some other delegations had also interest in the topic and possibly a resolution as well, Mexico decided after consultations with the interested parties not to proceed but to speak on TNW instead. Delivering a joint statement on behalf of the New Agenda initiative (Brazil, Egypt, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa and Sweden) on Wednesday, October 24, Mexico expressed deep "concern that the total number of [tactical] nuclear weapons…still amounts to thousands" and argued that it was "essential to preserve and to build upon the 1991/1992" initiatives. The New Agenda specifically called for further reductions, confidence-building measures (CBM) and "concrete agreed measures" to reduce the operational status on TNW. A joint statement from Finland and Sweden had addressed the issue on the previous day. Testifying to the growing interest in TNW, the Netherlands was also expected to address the subject, joined by Norway and Canada and possibly other NATO countries. However, it is understood that these states came under pressure from the United States and decided to withdraw their statement.

Iraq wants to turn the First Committee's attention to the use of depleted uranium (DU) in armaments. Its resolution, "Sub-item on the effects of the use of depleted uranium in armaments" (A/C.1/56/L.8), refers to "the facts that have come to light on the use of [DU] shells in military operations during recent years" and requests the Secretary-General to seek views on "all aspects of the effects of the use of depleted uranium in armaments and to submit a report" on the findings to the next session of the UN General Assembly.

In other developments, the New Agenda Initiative countries have decided not to table a resolution this year. Instead, they have stressed the need to implement the nuclear disarmament undertakings agreed at the 2000 NPT Review Conference. The Foreign Ministers of the New Agenda Initiative countries issues a joint Ministerial Communiqué on October 8 in which they "reaffirmed their determination to pursue the New Agenda initiative with continued vigour" and "agreed that priority would be to pursue their initiative in the context of the forthcoming NPT review process beginning in 2002." The seven countries held that the "2000 NPT undertaking on nuclear disarmament had been given. Implementation of them was now the imperative". The New Agenda's decision means there are only two nuclear disarmament resolutions at this First Committee, by Myanmar (Burma) and Japan. The Japanese resolution, entitled "A path to the total elimination of nuclear weapons", is said to be stuck between the interests of the NWS and NNWS. It is understood that the major sticking points are mention of the NWS' 'unequivocal undertaking' to accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals, provided at the 2000 NPT Review Conference, and the reference to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which some delegations consider as too weak. Several NNWS, including the New Agenda countries, are unhappy about the placement of the 'unequivocal undertaking' because they say the draft implies that it is a step yet to be taken, and not already given - a distinction that many regard as crucial.

The "Preservation of and Compliance with the Treaty on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems" - the ABM resolution - has again been tabled by Belarus, China and Russia. The resolution's essential contents are the same as before. However, it is said that France would like to the resolution to contain a positive reference to the ongoing consultations on the ABM Treaty between the Americans and the Russians; otherwise, it might abstain.

The negotiations on the drafts are ongoing and will need to be finalized before the First Committee begins taking action on the texts on Tuesday afternoon, October 30. The Committee is scheduled to complete its work on November 9.

Jenni Rissanen is the Acronym Institute's Analyst attending the UN First Committee in New York.