ACRONYM NPT Update No. 2A service during the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference of the ACRONYM Consortium and Disarmament Times The Conference Opens18 April 1995 Despite continued
disagreement on whether the extension vote should be
taken by secret ballot or open roll call, the 1995
Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons (NPT) opened on time on April 17, at the United
Nations in New York. Ambassador Pasi Patokallio of
Finland, Chair of the fourth PrepCom, presided over the
unanimous election of Ambassador Jayantha Dhanapala of
Sri Lanka as President of the Conference. The opening
session was addressed by Dhanapala, US Secretary of State
Warren Christopher, representatives from each of the
groupings (the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), Western Group
and Eastern Europeans), UN Secretary General Boutros
Boutros Ghali and Director General of the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Hans Blix. To pave the way
for starting work in earnest, the Conference
provisionally adopted its rules of procedure, following
which it adopted the agenda and elected its officers, as
agreed at the fourth PrepCom. Rules provisionally adopted without agreement on ballot Since there was still disagreement over rule 28 (3) on the extension decision, the Conference provisionally adopted the rules of procedure, with the exception of rule 28 (3). Russia wanted to prevent the rules being adopted until all had been agreed, but was persuaded to accept this compromise in order to allow the Conference to begin work. Dhanapala, as President, will oversee continuing negotiations to try to reach agreement no later than 10.00 am Wednesday 26 April. The only outstanding issue now is whether the ballot should be secret or open. Most of the non-aligned states argue that a secret ballot would be more 'fair' and less subject to 'strong-arm tactics', while delegates from the other states argue that the vote must be open, recorded and accountable. The deadlock is in part due to resentment from several non- aligned states over the pressure applied by the US and others and the linking of aid and trade support with votes for indefinite extension. Compromise from Western
delegates enabled agreement to be reached on eliminating
the proposal with fewest votes after the first ballot and
on when voting will begin on the extension proposals if
consensus is not achieved. Proposals will have to be
submitted by 1800 hours Monday May 8, with voting
beginning on May 10 if no consensus has been reached. Election of officers The following appointments were made:
SPEECHES On taking the Chair, Dhanapala read a statement from Sri Lankan President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga which affirmed the importance of the NPT and criticised the doctrine of nuclear deterrence. Emphasising that 'the ideal final outcome' would be a consensus, Dhanapala called on the states to harmonise their differences and be prepared to consult and compromise as well as discuss and debate. He referred to all the objectives of the NPT but with heaviest emphasis on nuclear disarmament, linking the necessity to outlaw nuclear weapons with recent agreements outlawing chemical and biological weapons, arguing that 'The INF Treaty, START I and START II are important milestones in a journey that must end with total nuclear disarmament.' In his short welcome speech, Christopher referred to the history and aims of the NPT and averred: 'the NPT has worked.' He reiterated that 'the nuclear weapon states have committed themselves to pursue negotiations for nuclear disarmament, which remains our ultimate goal' and concluded 'For all nations and all peoples, the future of the NPT will be even more important than its past.' The three group leaders made short speeches acknowledging the work of the PrepComs and various officers. Blix gave a long speech on the role of the IAEA, development of safeguards, learning from the situations in Iraq and North Korea, and the need for more resources and access to be able to confirm the absence of clandestine activities. In an attempt to de-emphasize the role of nuclear power in its activities, Blix also referred to its research and projects in water purification, medical and food irradiation techniques. Boutros Ghali welcomed the accession of 178 states to the NPT, the objectives of which he characterised as i) to enhance security for non-nuclear-weapon states; ii) to advance nuclear disarmament; iii) to provide access to nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. He welcomed progress on reducing nuclear arsenals and urged an early conclusion of a CTBT. Arguing that the 'most safe, sure and swift way to deal with the threat of nuclear arms is to do away with them in every regard', Boutros Ghali closed with the rallying cry: 'No more testing. No more production. No more sales or transfers.' He concluded '[R]eduction and destruction of all nuclear weapons and the means to make them should be humanity's great common cause.' Author's note: The names are the nearest approximation I could get in the difficult hearing conditions of the observers' gallery, and I will confirm as soon as I can. This update was written by Rebecca Johnson.
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