Commission recommends guidelines on regional approaches.

New guidelines for regional approaches to disarmament within the context of global security were recommended for approval to the General Assembly by the Disarmament Commission at the conclusion of its 1993 session (19 April-10 May, New York).

In its report to the Assembly (A/48/42) containing the guidelines, the commission stated that regional and global approaches to disarmament should be pursued simultaneously and that regional arrangements, while conforming with the UN Charter and international law, must give priority to the elimination of the most destabilizing military capabilities and imbalances. They should also provide for confidence- and security-building measures, which could defuse tensions and promote friendly relations among States.

The guidelines contain an illustrative list of those measures, such as the UN Register of Conventional Arms and guidelines and recommendations for objective information on military matters.

The UN could also contribute to regional disarmament and arms limitation, particularly by promoting greater openness in military matters through both its Register and standardized system of reporting on military expenditures, the report stated.

Having completed its work on regional approaches, the Commission could not, however, reach agreement on certain aspects of the role of science and

technology for disarmament. That item would be carried over to the 1994 session of the Commission, when it is also expected to complete work on nuclear disarmament in the framework of international peace and security.

In a concluding statement, Commission Chairman Luiz Augusto de Araujo Castro of Brazil said it was highly significant that consensus on regional disarmament measures had been achieved. Although the guidelines were not legally binding, the fact that they had been agreed upon indicated the willingness of the international community to promote and security-building measures through regional arrangements.

The Commission - a subsidiary organ of the Assembly with universal membership - was set up in 1978 to make recommendations on specific disarmament issues and to follow up on the decisions of the Assembly's special sessions on disarmament.

The Commission's current agenda represents a new, phased approach by which it considers items in three-year cycles. in principle, it is to take up one item in the first year, another in the next year and a third in the concluding year so that one item is added and one is concluded at each substantive session.

A fresh look

In debate, delegates stressed that the changing international situation required a fresh and unprejudiced look at disarmament issues. The substantive items before the Commission, as well as those for future consideration - non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and international arms transfers - called for multilateral attention, understanding and cooperation.

It was noted that despite significant progress in disarmament, the world had not become a safe place. New uncertainties and challenges, such as growing militant nationalism, increased danger of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and excessive accumulation of conventional weapons, called for a comprehensive approach to ensure the achievement of general and complete disarmament.

Such an approach should recognize economic, ethnic, social, humanitarian, ecological and other sources of instability and conflict as threats to international peace and security. The changes in the global security architecture which might encourage regional Power,s to expand spheres of influence to the detriment of smaller nations should also be taken into account.

The Commission was seen as the universal forum that gave all UN member States the opportunity to participate in the consideration of matters related to their legitimate interests.

Concerns and proposals

Serious concern was expressed over the withdrawal of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. According to the United States, that decision created a "threat to regional peace and security". Denmark, speaking on behalf of the European Community, said that that move could be detrimental to the nonproliferation regime and to international peace and stability.

Costa Rica believed that regional disarmament was one of the key elements that strengthened world efforts for peace. The 1991 Tegucigalpa Protocol was a "model of regional security" which provided for the establishment of security commissions, one of which was responsible for regional disarmament guidelines.

The Russian Federation called for the adoption of a code of conduct for parties to conflicts, which would prohibit the use of certain kinds of weapons, such as combat planes, rocket artillery and even armoured vehicles. A moratorium on the transfer of such weapons to conflicting parties should also be considered.