Statement by
Mr.Yuri O. Thamrin Counsellor of the
Permanent Mission of the Republic of Indonesia to the United Nations,
On behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement
at the Plenary Meeting of the United Nations Disarmament Commission

 

New York, 31 March 2003

Mr Chairman,

I should like to speak on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, in the Coordinator of its Working Group on Disarmament. The Movement wishes to congratulate you on your unanimous election to preside over this year's session of the United Nations Commission (UNDC) and remains confident that under your able guidance, the 2003 succeed in fulfilling the mandate entrusted to us by the General Assembly. The Movement also like to extend its felicitations to the other members of the Bureau on their election.

Let me avail of this opportunity to express our gratitude to the Under-Secretary General for Disarmament Affairs, Mr. Jayantha Dhanapala, for his lucid statement on various disarmament international security issues.

Mr. Chairman,

The Movement reaffirms the importance of the UNDC as the sole specialized, deliberative body within the United Nations multilateral disarmament machinery that allows for in-depth deliberations on specific disarmament issues, leading to the submission of concrete recommendations on those issues, and also underlines the importance of successful conclusion of its 2003 session.

We further underline the importance for all States Members of the United Nations to reaffirm their full commitment to the purposes of the Charter of the United Nations and their obligation strictly to observe its principles as well as other relevant and generally accepted principles of international law relating to the maintenance of international peace and security . We stress the special importance of refraining from the threat or use of force against thr sovereignty, territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or against peoples under colonial or foreign domination seeking to exercise their right to self-determination and to achieve independence; non-intervention and non-interference in the internal affairs of other State; the inviolability of international frontiers; and the peaceful settlement of disputes, having regard to the inherent right of States to individual and collective self -defense in accordance with the Charter.

With regard to agenda item 4 entitled "ways and means to achieve nuclear disarmaments “ The Movement reiterates its principled positions on nuclear disarmament and the related issue nuclear non-proliferation. We also reiterate our deep concern over the slow pace of progress towards nuclear disarmament which remains the NAM’s highest priority; the lack of progress by the Nuclear Weapon States to accomplish the elimination of their arsenals leading disarmament; and the threat to humanity derived from the continued existence of nuclear and of their possible use or threat of use. We underscore the need to accomplish the total elimination of nuclear weapons and emphasis, in this regard, the urgent need to commence negotiations without delay.

The Movement also remains deeply concerned at strategic defense doctrines that set out rationales for the use of nuclear weapons and the " Alliance Strategic Concept" adopted by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Apri11999, which not only maintain unjustifiable concepts on international security based on promoting and developing military alliances an nuclear deterrence, but also includes new elements aimed at opening even more the scope possible use or threat of use of force by NATO.

In the context of the Nuclear Posture Review that has been undertaken by the United States of America, the Movement expresses serious misgivings about the development of new types of nuclear weapons that are being considered and reiterate that the provision for the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons against Non-Nuclear Weapon States is in contravention of the negative security assurances that have been provided by the Nuclear Weapons States. We reiterate that these developments are incompatible with the assurances provided by the Nuclear Weapons States at the time of the conclusion of the Comprehensive Nuclear- Test-Ban Treaty that it would prevent the improvement of existing nuclear weapons and development of new types of nuclear weapons. In this regard, the Movement reiterates its long-standing and principled position for the total elimination of all nuclear testing and universal adherence to the Treaty especially by the Nuclear Weapon States which should contribute to the process of nuclear disarmament.

The Movement continues to consider the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free-zones created by the Treaties of Tlatelolco, Rarotonga, Bangkok and Pelindaba as positive steps towards attaining the objective of nuclear disarmament. We welcome the efforts aimed at establishing new nuclear-weapon-free-zones in all regions of the world. The Movement also welcomes Mongolia's nuclear-weapon-free status, Cuba's ratification of the Tlatelolco Treaty and the on-going consultations between ASEAN and the Nuclear- Weapon-States on the Protocol of Southeast Asian Nuclear- Weapon- Free-Zone.

The Movement, while noting the signing of the Treaty on Strategic Offensive Reduction between the Russian Federation and the United States on 24 May 2002, stresses that reductions in deployments and in operational status cannot substitute for irreversible cuts in, and the total elimination of, nuclear weapons.
The Movement reaffirms that in efforts towards the objective of nuclear disarmament, global and regional approaches and confidence building measures complement each other and should, wherever possible, be pursued simultaneously to promote regional and international peace and security.

Mr. Chairman,

The Movement reiterates the importance of the Conference on Disarmament as the sole multilateral negotiating body on disarmament. We regret that the continued inflexible postures of some of the Nuclear Weapon States continue to prevent this forum from establishing an Ad Hoc Committee on Nuclear Disarmament. We emphasis the necessity to start negotiations on a phased programme for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons with a specified framework of time, including a Nuclear Weapons Convention. We reiterate our call for its establishment as soon as possible and as the highest priority. We underline once again the unanimous conclusion of the International Court of Justice that there exists an obligation to pursue in good faith and to bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control. In this regard, we regret that no progress has been made in the fulfillment of this obligation despite the lapse of six years.

The Movement expresses its strong concern at the growing resort to unilateralism and unilaterally imposed prescriptions and in this context strongly underline and affirm that multilateralism and multilaterally agreed solutions, in accordance with the United Nations Charter, provide the only sustainable method of addressing disarmament and international security issues.In this regard, we welcome the adoption of Resolution 57/63 by the General Assembly on the "Promotion of Multilateralism in the Area of Disarmament and Non-proliferation".

The Movement again calls for an international conference, at the earliest possible date, with the objective of arriving at an agreement on a phased programme for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons with a specified framework of time to eliminate all nuclear weapons, to prohibit their development, production, acquisition, testing, stockpiling, transfer, use or threat of use, and to provide for their destruction. In this context, we reiterate the resolve at the Millennium Summit by the Heads of State or Government as contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration to strive for the elimination of weapons of mass destruction, in particular nuclear weapons, and to keep all options open for achieving this aim, including the possibility of convening an international conference to identify ways and means of eliminating nuclear dangers.

Members of the Movement reaffirm that the total elimination of nuclear weapons is the only absolute guarantee against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons. They reiterate their conviction that, pending the total elimination of nuclear weapons, efforts for the conclusion of a universal, unconditional and legally binding instrument on security assurances to Non-Nuclear-Weapon States should be pursued as a matter of priority by the Members of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Mr. Chairman,

As regards agenda item 5, the Movement supports practical confidence-building measures in the field of Conventional Arms as a way to strengthen international peace and security. However, because of the nuclear threat to human civilization, nuclear disarmament must continue to be accorded priority. But we recognize that since World War II, millions have lost their lives in numerous conflicts fought with conventional weapons and current trends do not give any reason to believe that there will be a decrease in the incidents and severity of these conflicts. Hence, the situation concerning conventional arms is a source of increasing concern.

We believe that confidence-building is neither a substitute nor a pre-condition for disarmament measures. Yet their potential for creating an atmosphere conducive to arms control and disarmament has been demonstrated in various parts of the world. We further believe that an unbalanced and incomplete approach, especially in some regions of the world, could not attain the desired results of building confidence.

We also believe that confidence-building measures, especially when applied in a comprehensive manner, can be conducive to achieving structures of security based on cooperation and openness and thus contribute to the wider objective of the renunciation of the threat or use of force. The implementation of the guidelines for appropriate types of confidence-building measures to all States is of significance, taking fully into account the specific political, military and other conditions prevailing in a region.

We stress the need for the development and implementation of confidence-building measures as a concrete means to facilitate the disarmament and arms limitation process and to improve the prospects for the peaceful settlement of disputes, thus contributing to maintaining and enhancing regional and international peace and security. In this regard, we underline the importance of the reduction of military expenditures, in accordance with the principle of undiminished security at the lowest level of armaments, and urge all States to devote resources made available from such savings to economic and social development, in particular in the fight against poverty.

We express our firm support for unilateral, bilateral and multilateral measures adopted by some governments aimed at reducing military expenditures, thereby contributing to strengthening regional and international peace and security. We recognize that confidence-building measures (CBMs) assist in this regard.

In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, the Movement wishes to reiterate its readiness to cooperate with you and the Bureau for the success of the 2003 UNDC session.
I thank you.