All states urged to prevent arms race in outer space and to promote international co-operation.

All States urged to prevent arms race in outer space and to promote international co-operation

All States, in particular those with major space capabilities, have been urged by the General Assembly to "contribute actively to the goal of preventing an arms race in outer space as an essential condition for the promotion of international co-operation in the exploration and uses of outer space for peaceful purposes."

The approval of resolution 40/162, sponsored by Austria, was recommended by the Special Political Committee. The plenary adopted the text on 16 December without a vote.

Under other provisions, the Assembly: asked the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space to continue to consider, as a matter of priority, ways to maintain outer space for peaceful purposes; called on that body and its two Sub-Committees--one on legal matters, the other on scientific and technical topics--to continue their tasks. States not yet party to international treaties governing the uses of outer space were invited to consider ratifying or acceding to those treaties.

The Assembly endorsed the Outer Space Committee recommendation that it Legal Sub-Committee should continue considering the legal implications of remote sensing of the Earth from space, with the aim of finalizing the draft set of principles relating to remote sensing. That subsidiary body was also to elaborate draft principles relevant to the use of nuclear power sources in outer space, and to consider the definition and delimitation of outer space and the character and use of the geostationary orbit.

In connection with the Scientific and Technical Sub-Committee's consideration of the implementation of the recommendation of the Second United Nations Conference on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNISPACE 82), the urgent implementation of certain recommendations of that Conference was called for, namely that:

--All countries should have the opportunity to use the techniques resulting from medical studies in space;

--Data banks at the national and regional levels should be strengthened and expanded and an international space information service should be established to function as a centre of coordination; and

--The United Nations should support the creation of adequate space training centres at the regional level and necessary funding for the development of such centres should be made available through financial institutions and the organization of a fellowship programme for candidates from developing countries for "in-depth, longterm exposure" to space technology or applications. (For details of UNISPACE 82 recommendations, see UN Chronicle 1982, No.9.)

The Space Committee's Scientific and Technical Sub-Committee was also to give priority consideration to the United Nations Programme on Space Applications and the coordination of space activities within the United Nations system, questions relating to remote sensing of the Earth by satellite and use of nuclear power sensing in outer space. The Sub-Committee was also to continue consideration of space transportation systems, the geostationary orbit and life sciences, including space medicine, and give special attention to the theme "Remote sensing for developing countries."

The Assembly also endorsed the granting of permanent observe status in the Outer Space Committee to the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization and the International System and Organization of Space Communications. It affirmed that the interference new satellite systems might cause to systems already registered with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) should not exceed the limits specified in relevant provisions of the ITU Radio Regulations applicable to space services.

Reports: The Special Political Committee reviewed a number of documents relating to outer space activities, including the report of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (A/40/20) on its twenty-eighth session (17-28 June 1985); a report of the Secretary-General on implementation of UNISPACE 82 recommendations (A/40/621); and a 13 November 1985 letter from the USSR to the Secretary-General (A/SPC/40/3) containing proposals "concerning main lines and principles of international cooperation in the peaceful exploitation of outer space under conditions of its non-militarization".

The USSR suggested convening a representative international conference, with participation by States with major space capabilities, among others, to consider in all aspects "international co-operation in the peaceful exploitation of outer space under conditions of its non-militarization and the harmonization of the main lines and principles of such co-operation".

Also to be considered was the establishment of a world space organization dealing with international co-operation in the peaceful exploration and use of outer space, "bearing in mind that the practical establishment of such an organization will be possible only when agreements effectively ensuring the non-militarization of space have been reached", the USSR said.

The space organization would carry out international projects related to the scientific investigation of outer space and the use of space technology. It would seek to ensure--under conditions of mutual advantage--access of all States on a non-discriminatory basis to the results of scientific and technical achievements connected with the study and peaceful exploitation of outer space.

The organization would assist developing countries in gaining access to the benefits of outer space activity and in using the practical results of such activity to speed their development without any conditions limiting their sovereignty. It would also co-ordinate activities internationally in connection with the peaceful utilization of outer space, and help monitor agreements related to preventing an arms race in outer space.

Debate

In the debate on outer space in the Special Political Committee, a number of countries belonging to the Group of 77 expressed their views. Among them was Chile, which said outer space should be used to benefit all mankind, and the benefits of space activities should be used to help the developing world achieve decent living conditions and to contribute to sustained economic and social development. One specific area concerning remote sensing involved such issues as non-discriminatory access to the data obtained and international responsibility for the abusive manipulation of such data.

If people did not have access to information regarding what belonged to them, they would hardly be in a position to insist on equal treatment regarding its potential. Countries over whose territory data had been obtained should be entitled to set the price for such data. A mechanism to provide compensation in the event of the abusive use of such data should be established.

Support was expressed for the Swedish proposal for a moratorium on the use of nuclear power sources in outer space and for a legal framework for delimiting outer space. A world authority to control products and services produced by States in and from outer space could ensure that the exploration of outer space would be for exclusively peaceful purposes.

Many States felt a great threat to the survival of mankind lay in the growing militarization of outer space, which made imperative the creation of legal and political instruments to prevent devastating conflicts. A French proposal to create an international satellite control agency was recalled.

Indonesia said the international community must promote effective and practical negotiations and agreements to prevent the militarization of outer space. The Conference on Disarmanent, as the single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum, had the primary responsibility in that field. Without a substantial increase in United Nations funding of space activities, the ever-growing needs of developing countries in that area would not be met. Developed countries with advanced space programmes should make a greater contribution to ongoing programmes and consideration should be given to funding such activities through means other than voluntary contributions.

Madagascar said developing countries wished to play a part in establishing a legal framework for space activities. Those nations would not be able to take advantage of the potential of remote sensing activities unless they had national personnel capable of data interpretation. Training in that area was therefore a priority.

The 1971 Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects could be supplemented by legal rules concerning damage caused by nuclear-powered space objects. The responsibility of a launching State should extend to immediate and future damage caused by a nuclear-powered space object. The orbit of geostationary satellites should be used to benefit all States.

Eastern European view: The viewpoint of the Eastern European States was reflected in the statement of the USSR, which said that the maintenance of peace was directly linked to solving the problem of how to use outer space. The Soviet Union had proposed a specific programme to develop international co-operation in the peaceful exploitation of outer space. The future of mankind was at stake: Either outer space would be used to improve living conditions on Earth, or it would be turned into a "source of mortal danger."

It was still not too late to formulate and undertake political and legal obligations to exclude the arms race from outer space. Positive co-operation in using the achievements of outer space science to benefit all countries was a further reason to prevent the militarization of outer space. The Soviet proposals should be discussed in the Outer Space Committee, which should lay the groundwork to establish a world space organization to prevent the spread of the arms race to outer space.

Instead of creating space weapons, States should jointly undertake the task of using outer space for peaceful purposes within the framework of that organization. States should jointly exploit the unlimited expanses of outer space. The world space organization would co-ordinate such efforts.

Continued co-operation within the Scientific and Technicial Sub-Committee was needed for the speedy adoption of principles to govern remote sensing. The legal question of delimitation of air space and outer space should also be settled speedily to maintain the validity of the principles of full and exclusive sovereignty of States over their air space and of freedom to use outer space. The Soviet Union supported a proposal to elaborate a legally binding document on principles relating to the use by States of artificial earth satellites for direct television broadcasting.

Western views: Luxembourg spoke on behalf of the European Community, Spain and Portugal. The development of outer space would not take place without najor legal, scientific and technical challenges to the international community, it said. In the scientific and technical fields, the current high level of international co-operation on peaceful uses of outer space must be extended to promote the economic and social well-being of manking. The results and follow-up activities of UNISPACE 82 provided a good illustration of the positive contribution such activities could provide, particularly to developing countries. With regard to legal matters, new solutions were required for numerous problems posed by space exploration. The progressive formulation of laws governing the peaceful uses of outer space depended on full and constructive international co-operation.

It was to be hoped that agreement would still be reached on principles concerning remote sensing of the Earth by satellites and on norms of international law relating to the use of nuclear power sources in outer space. Progress would be possible only if the Outer Space Committee concentrated on questions within its mandate and left consideration of other matters to appropriate bilateral or multilateral bodies. That Committee should address itself to other areas of international co-operation on the peaceful uses of outer space, with the aim of reaching agreements which might be of practical advantage to all States, and particularly to developing countries.

The Outer Space Committee had managed to achieve substantial results with regard to co-ordinating international co-operation in outer space, and had made considerable progress in formulating legal principles governing the peaceful uses of outer space. The same spirit of co-operation and desire for consensus which had enabled the Committee to obtain such results must guide its work in the future if it wished to achieve comparable success.

The United States rejected claims to sovereignty over the geostationary orbit and upheld relevant provisions of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, because of its strong belief that international co-operation in the peaceful uses of outer space should be expanded by all appropriate means. To promote international co-operation in the peaceful uses of outer space, effective agreements should be reached to limit and reduce nuclear arms, to strengthen strategic stability, to prevent an arms race in space and to halt it on Earth.

The Special Political Committee and the Outer Space Committee could play an important role in promoting practical international co-operation in the peaceful uses of outer space. The United States was disappointed that the Outer Space Committee had not completed work on a set of draft principles on remote sensing in spite of the general acceptability of a proposal by Austria. The continued functioning of the Outer Space Committee depended on observance of the principle of consensus.

The recent Soviet proposals on non-militarization of outer space were "feckless" and their underlying assumptions "specious". The concept of "non-militarization" was meaningless and had been put forward solely for propaganda purposes. The USSR wanted to be portrayed as "beneficent", and to gain support for its disarmament initiatives. The United States would not be prepared to finance those proposals.

The United States was continuing to expand, without any pre-conditions, its extensive programme of co-operation with other States in the peaceful uses of outer space. It supported the long-standing United Nations role in encouraging peaceful space activities through the Outer Space Committee, and invited the Soviet Union to join with it in that effort.