Disarmament Conference concludes first part of 1985 session.

Disarmament Conference concludes first part of 1985 session

The 40-member Conference on Disarmament concluded the first part of its 1985 sessionon 23 April, continuing its work on a chemical weapons convention, radiological weapons and a comprehensive programme of disarmament. The second part of its annual sessionis to begin 11 June.

During the 12-week session, which began on 5 February, the Conference for the first time established a subsidiary body on prevention of an arms race in outer space. It took that action by consensus on 29 March.

Continuing efforts were made during the session to establish ad hoc committees on the agenda items dealing with a nuclear test ban, cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament and prevention of nuclear war, but agreement was not reached.

Conference President for April, Kazimir Vidas of Yugoslavia, said at the concluding meeting that the Conference had made "further efforts" during the month towards reaching results in negotiations on some issues on its agenda. It had been able to broaden areas of consensus which would enable it to proceed with more determination in the future, he said.

On assuming the Presidency on 2 April, he had noted that the Conference was continuing its work under "somewhat more favourable conditions." All participants in the general debate had invariably underscored the importance of the resumption of bilateral talks between the United States and the Soviet Union, in view of their possible contribution to halting the arms race, in particular the nuclear arms race.

The unanimous opinion had been expressed, he said, that bilateral and multilateral negotiations should facilitate and complement each other. Because of the unabated arms race, he said, an active role of the Conference was more imperative than ever. A spirit of confidence and mutual cooperation should prevail and be further promoted and no opportunity should be missed to initiate negotiations for which conditions were ripe.

No consensus: On 18 April, mandates for a group on cessation of the nuclear arms race put forward by a group of socialist countries (CD/523) and by the Group of 21 neutral or nonaligned countries (CD-526) were placed before the Conference for decisions.

The socialist proposal called for a body to begin negotiations on practical measures for cessation of the nuclear arms race and for nuclear disarmament, in accordance with Paragraph 50 of the Final Document of the 1978 special session of the General Assembly on disarmament. The Group of 21 proposal called for such a committee to elaborate on Paragraph 50 of the Final Document.

(Paragraph 50 calls for initiation as a matter of high priority multilateral negotiations on agreements, with adequate measures of verification, on: cessation of the qualitative improvement and development of nuclear weapons systems; cessation of production of all types of nuclear weapons and their means of delivery and production of fissionable material for weapons purpuses; and substantial reduction in existing nuclear weaons with a view to their ultimate elimination.)

The United States, speaking on behalf of the Western group, said those countries could not join in a consensus on either proposal because they were not convinced the establishment of such a body would contribute to the cause of cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament.

President Vidas also reported on 23 April that the work of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Comprehensive Programme of Disarmament was proceeding with determination to achieve progress. The body on radiological weapons had laid the groundwork for the beginning of substantial work at the second part of the 1985 session. The beginning of the work of the outer space group had been delayed, as a chairman had not yet been chosen.

On 21 March, proposals for a mandate for an ad hoc committee on a nuclear test ban had been put before the Conference for decision, but no consensus was reached and the group was not established. The Conference President said the question should remain open in the event of any new initiative on the item.

The Conference during April, he said, had not been able to consider further the question of re-establishing a subsidiary body on "effctive international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons". Consultations on that subject and on expansion of Conference membership should continue.

Consultations should also continue regarding establishing a new subsidiary body on prevention of nuclear war, including all related matters, said Mr. Vidas, who believed the "difficulties encountered at this stage . . . are not such that they cannot be overcome with a display of good will on the part of all concerned".

Chemican ban: Stanislaw Turbanski of Poland, Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on Chemical Weapons, reported that discussions in the Committee's working groups had focused on permitted activities regarding various categories of chemicals; laboratories, small-scale production facilities, industrial production facilities and their role in permitted activities; definitions; principles and methods of declarations; and verification with regard to small-scale production facility activities (Working Group A); declarations, plans and notifications regarding elimination of stocks and production facilities; order of destruction of stocks; practical implementation and verification of destruction (Working Group B); and institutional aspects of compliance; consultation and co-operation; principles and methods of fact-finding, including on-challenge verification; and interaction between national and international organs of verification and compliance (Working Group C). Prohibition of use of chemical weapons had also been dealt with in open-ended consultations.

Seismic Events Group: On 11 April, the Conference approved a recommendation of the Ad Hoc Group of Scientific Experts to Consider International Co-operative Measures to Detect and Identify Seismic Events to hold its next session from 15 to 19 July 1985.

The Ad Hoc Group is to continue its work towards compiling a comprehensive report to the Conference on a technical test, conducted from 1k October through 14 December 1984, on exchange of analysis of level I (raw) data using the Global Telecommunication System of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The test involved procedures for international data centres now being used.