Third special session on disarmament set for May-June in New York: Assembly adopts record number of texts by consensus.

Third special session on disarmament set for May/June in New York 

Assembly adopts record number of texts by consensus

The disarmament debate in the First Committee (Political and Security) took place against a diverse, even contradictory backdrop: encouraging developments in Soviet-American relations and disarmament negotiations, yet concern over the continuing arms race and the need to give a new impetus to the disarmament process.

During its five-week debate, the Committee had had a constructive dialogue on all disarmament questions ranging over a broad spectrum of international issues, reported Kazimierz Tomaszewski, First Committee Rapporteur. Particular focus was placed on issues relating to halting the nuclear arms race, nuclear-test ban, preventing an arms race in outer space, a ban on chemical weapons, conventional disarmament and verification.

At the conclusion of the Committee's work, Chairman Bagbeni Adeito Nzengeya (Zaire) declared that the United Nations, as a universal forum on international problems, had a central role to play in the sphere of disarmament. He also stressed the importance of the Soviet-United States bilateral negotiations on various priority disarmament issues, which should be carried out in parallel with multilateral disarmament negotiations and deliberations in the special framework of the United Nations.

Sixty-two resolutions were approved in plenary on 30 November following the First Committee debate, of which 26 -- a record number -- were adopted by consensus.

The lone decision -- on bilateral nuclear-arms negotiations -- approved by the world body on 21 October, urged the Soviet Union and the United States to conclude a treaty on elimination of their intermediate and shorter-range missiles. (Such a treaty was signed by United States President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev on 8 December at a summit meeting in Washington, D.C.) The two countries were also urged to make a "similarly intensive effort" to achieve a treaty on 50 per cent reductions in their strategic offensive arms within the framework of the Geneva Nuclear and Space Talks.

The Assembly decided to hold the third special session devoted to disarmament at United Nations Headquarters from 31 May to 25 June 1988. Two previous special sessions were held in 1978 and 1982. It decided to establish a Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia, with headquarters at Kathmandu.

The Assembly called for further work by the Conference on Disarmament, the "single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum of the international community", and the Disarmament Commission, "the specialized deliberative body within the United Nations multilateral disarmament machinery".

The Assembly asked the Ad Hoc Committee on the World Disarmament Conference to continue to explore the possibility of convening such a global meeting as proposed by the Soviet Union in 1971.

General disarmament

The Assembly called on Member States to increase efforts towards achieving agreements on balanced, mutually acceptable, comprehensively verifiable and effective arms limitation and disarmament measures. States with verification expertise were urged to consider how they could contribute to and promote inclusion of effective verification measures in disarmament agreements.

All States were invited to strive actively for meaningful disarmament negotiations on the basis of reciprocity, equality, undiminished security and the non-use of force in international relations to prevent the qualitative enhancement and quantitative accumulation of weapons, as well as the development of new types and systems of weaponry, especially weapons of mass destruction. The Assembly appealed to States members of military groupings to promote the gradual mutual limitation of their military activities as well as the reduction of their armed forces and armaments, thus creating conditions for their dissolution.

The Conference on Disarmament was urged to resume its work on elaboration of the comprehensive programme of disarmament for submission to the 1988 special Assembly on disarmament.

Nuclear issues

Of the 63 texts adopted, 23 dealt with questions on nuclear disarmament. All States were asked to take urgent measures to halt and reverse the arms race and launch a process of genuine disarmament.

Bilateral negotiations on nuclear and space arms in no way diminished the urgent need to initiate multilateral negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament on the cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament, the Assembly said.

The Conference on Disarmament also was asked to undertake as a priority negotiations on practical measures to prevent nuclear war. It was asked to consider international legal instruments relating to a ban on use or threat of use of nuclear weapons.

Bilateral nuclear talks

The two leading nuclear-weapon States were called on to intensify their negotiations to halt the arms race, to reduce substantially their nuclear arsenals, prevent the arms race in outer space and undertake effective measures of nuclear disarmament.

In a resolution, submitted by China, the Assembly urged the United States and the Soviet Union, "which possess the most important nuclear arsenals", further to discharge their special responsibility for nuclear disarmament, to take the lead in halting the nuclear arms race and to negotiate in earnest with a view to reaching early agreement on the drastic reduction of their nuclear arsenals.

A group of non-aligned nations proposed the text by which the Assembly welcomed the 7 December Soviet-US agreement and called on the two to intensify efforts to achieve agreements in other areas, in particular, the areas of strategic arms and a nuclear-test ban.

Western nations proposed a text by which the Assembly called on the United States and the Soviet Union to "spare no effort" to attain all agreed objectives, in accordance with the security interests of all States and the universal desire for progress towards disarmament, in particular early achievement of a treaty to reduce strategic offensive weapons by 50 per cent.

The Assembly adopted two texts calling for a freeze on nuclear weapons. The USSR and the United States were asked to proclaim an immediate nuclear-arms freeze as a first step towards a comprehensive programme of disarmament.

Nuclear test ban: The Assembly reiterated its grave concern that nuclear-weapon testing "continues unabated, against the wishes of the overwhelming majority of Member States" and reaffirmed that a nuclear-test ban was of the highest priority. The three depositary Powers -- USSR, United Kingdom, United States -- of the 1963 Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and Under Water and of the 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons were urged to "abide strictly by their undertakings to seek to achieve the early discontinuance of all test explosions of nuclear weapons for all time and to expedite negotiations to this end". Non-nuclear-weapon States parties to the 1963 Treaty were asked to submit an amendment proposal to depositary Governments to convene a conference to consider amendments to the Treaty to convert it into a comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty.

A treaty to achieve a ban on all nuclear-test explosions by all States in all environments for all time "is a matter of fundamental importance", the Assembly declared. Nuclear-weapon States were urged to agree to appropriate verifiable, interim measures with a view to realizing such a ban. States depositaries of the 1963 Treaty, as a provisional measure, were asked to end all nuclear-test explosions.

The Conference on Disarmament was urged to initiate in 1988 substantive work on all aspects of a nuclear-test-ban treaty and to take immediate steps to establish an international seismic monitoring network to further develop its potential to monitor and verify compliance with such a ban.

Finally, States conducting nuclear explosions were urged to provide to the Secretary-General within one week of each nuclear explosion its date, time, exact location, geological characteristics and estimated yield, information which would be immediately available to all Member States.

Other nuclear issues

The Assembly reaffirmed the urgent need to reach agreement on effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, appealed to all States, especially nuclear-weapon States, "to demonstrate the political will necessary to reach agreement on a common approach and, in particular, on a common formula" which could be included in an international instrument of a legally binding nature, and recommended further intensive efforts devoted to searching for such a common approach or common formula. The Conference on Disarmament was asked to continue active negotiations on the subject.

The Assembly reiterated its condemnation of Israel's refusal to renounce any possession of nuclear weapons, as well as the co-operation between Israel and South Africa. States and organizations that had not yet done so were asked to discontinue co-operation with Israel in the nuclear field. The IAEA was asked to suspend any scientific cooperation with Israel that could contribute to its nuclear capabilities.

The Assembly urged France to ratify the Additional Protocol I of the Treaty of Tlatelolco (on prohibition of nuclear weapons in Latin America). Steps to establish or consider nuclear-weapon-free zones in the Middle East and South Asia were asked. All States were urged to respect the continent of Africa and its surrounding areas as a nuclear-weapon-free zone. All forms of nuclear collaboration by any State, corporation, institution or individual with South Africa were condemned.

Outer space

On the prevention of an arms race in outer space, four draft resolutions were submitted in the First Committee reflecting the views of various political groups. Following consultations, these were merged into a single text. The Assembly recalled the obligation of all States to refrain from the threat or use of force in their space activities, and called on all States, in particular those with major space capabilities, to take immediate measures to prevent an arms race in outer space. The USSR and the United States were urged to pursue intensively bilateral negotiations in a constructive spirit aimed at reaching early agreement for preventing an arms race in outer race.

Chemical and other weapons

All States were called on to be guided in their national policies by the need to curb the spread of chemical weapons. The Secretary-General was asked to investigate reports of possible use of chemical and bacteriological (biological) or toxin weapons.

The Conference on Disarmament was urged, as a matter of high priority, to intensify in 1988 negotiations on a convention on the prohibition of the development, production, stockpiling and use of all chemical weapons and on their destruction.

The Assembly noted with satisfaction that an exchange of information and data had begun relating to bacteriological (biological) and toxin weapons.

The Assembly wanted the Conference on Disarmament to continue work on a ban on radiological weapons. It reaffirmed that armed attacks of any kind against nuclear facilities were "tantamount to the use of radiological weapons, owing to the dangerous radioactive forces that such attacks cause to be released". An agreement banning armed attacks against nuclear facilities should be sought.

All States were asked to renounce practical development and manufacture of new types of weapons of mass destruction and new systems of such weapons.

Conventional disarmament

The Assembly reaffirmed the importance of efforts aimed at limiting and gradually reducing armed forces and conventional weapons within the framework of progress towards general and complete disarmament. Countries with the largest military arsenals and member States of the two major military alliances were urged to continue negotiations on conventional disarmament, with a view to reaching early agreement on limitation and gradual and balanced reduction of armed forces and conventional weapons under effective international control in their respective regions, particularly in Europe.

The Disarmament Commission was to facilitate the identification of possible measures in the fields of conventional arms reduction and disarmament and to continue in 1988 substantive consideration of the question of the naval arms race and disarmament.

The Assembly supported all endeavours to strengthen mutual confidence and assure the security of all States involved, making possible regional agreements on arms limitations in the future. It commended regional measures that had already been adopted in the field of nuclear and conventional disarmament.

States that had not yet done so were urged to become parties to the 1981 Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects.

The Assembly declared international agreements on reduction of military budgets could be achieved "without prejudice to the right of all States to undiminished security, self-defence and sovereignty". All States, in particular those most heavily armed, pending conclusion of agreements on reduction of military expenditures, should exercise self-restraint in their military expenditures with a view to reallocating funds thus saved to economic and social development, particularly for the benefit of developing countries. The Disarmament Commission was asked to conclude in 1988 its work on the principles to govern actions of States in the field of freezing and reducing military budgets.

The Assembly welcomed the adoption of the Final Document of the 1987 International Conference on the Relationship between Disarmament and Development, which should be considered at the third special Assembly on Disarmament in 1988.

Noting that the concept of confidence-building, an important instrument to facilitate the attainment of disarmament measures, had met with growing acceptance among States, the Assembly asked the Disarmament Commission to consider draft guidelines in relation to such measures.

A better flow of objective information on military capabilities could relieve international tension and contribute to confidence building, the Assembly felt. All States should consider implementing additional measures based on the principles of openness and transparency, such as an international system for standardized reporting of military expenditures.

The Assembly renewed the mandate of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Indian Ocean and emphasized its decision to convene an international conference to implement the 1971 Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace. The Committee was asked to complete preparatory work to enable the convening of the conference at Colombo, Sri Lanka, no later than 1990.

PHOTO: Thousands attended a peace rally held during the second special session on disarmament in June 1982.

PHOTO: General-Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union and President Ronald Reagan of the United States signed the intermediate-range nuclear forces (INF) treaty at the White House on 8 December 1987. "Patience, dedication and

goodwill have prevailed over the difficulties and obstacles that were encountered in achieving this historic agreement," the Secretary-General said, calling the treaty a "truly remarkable development".

PHOTO: A small voice for peace