Weapons of Mass Destruction/Diasrmament-No Progress

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DISARMAMENT DEADLOCK “OMINOUS”-SG

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon characterized the on-going deadlock of the Conference on Disarmament as having ominous implications for international security. The world’s only multilateral disarmament negotiating forum has been responsible for treaties banning nuclear testing and outlawing the use of chemical and biological weapons, but for the last ten years has been unable to agree on which arms issue to tackle next. The Secretary General said that the longer the deadlock persists, the graver the nuclear threat from existing arsenals and possible acquisition by terrorists, adding that, “One or two countries must not be able to block the process indefinitely.”

Transcripts / Production notes / Scripts

N Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said the continued deadlock in the Conference on Disarmament has ominous implications for international security.

Addressing the conference in Geneva on Wednesday, , the Secretary-General said the longer the deadlock persists, the graver the nuclear threat from existing arsenals, from their spread and from possible acquisition by terrorists.

The 65- member conference is the world's only multilateral disarmament negotiating forum. It has negotiated treaties including those banning nuclear testing and outlawing the use of chemical and biological weapons.

For more than a decade, however, it hasn't been able to agree on which arms issue to tackle next. The Secretary-General said the Conference's achievements have been overshadowed by its years of inertia.

Its credibility is at risk, he warned, adding that continued inaction will only endanger its future as a multilateral negotiating forum.

Pointing to last year's successful Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty review conference and the new START treaty, the Secretary-General said there appears to be a disconnect between the Conference on Disarmament and recent positive developments in other areas.

"One or two countries must not be able to block the process indefinitely," the Secretary-General Ban stressed.

He urged the Conference to agree on a programme of work, noting that the consensus programme adopted in 2009 remains the most common denominator.

In that context, he welcomed last week's statements by the Presidents of the United States and China reaffirming their support for an early start to negotiations on a fissile material cut.-off treaty in the Conference on Disarmament.

Ban spoke of the risk of pushing states to alternative arrangements outside the Conference.

The Secretary- General said members should decide whether the Conference on Disarmament would live up to the expectations of the international community or face the consequences.

Tags

• nuclear weapons
• disarmament
• non-proliferations talks
• chemical weapons

Directors:

• Tom Osborne, UNTV

Producers:

• Muhamed Sacirbey