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Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:40:12 +0100

Statement by H.E. Mr. Akio Suda

Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Japan

to the Conference on Disarmament

Geneva, 11 March 2010

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to you, Mr. President, for officially submitting the working paper CD/WP.559 on Tuesday.

This working paper is based on the basic concept of CD/1864, which was agreed to by consensus last year, identifying four core issues and three other issues with appropriate mandates respectively.

The CD Member States have reached this basic formula after many years of deliberations.  Therefore, Japan supports the approach the President has taken as it builds upon what has been discussed and achieved in this august chamber.  My delegation believes that this working paper is a balanced and comprehensive proposal.  As such, it should serve as an effective basis to our discussions hereafter on a program of work for the 2010 Session of the Conference on Disarmament.

Mr. President,

Japan has been standing firm for many years in its call for the total elimination of nuclear weapons, which is, I believe, the goal of all delegations present here.  It is also a widely shared conviction that the total elimination of nuclear weapons cannot be achieved overnight with a single piece of paper or a declaration.  It requires a cumulative process of practical steps and effective disarmament measures.  In this context, it is quite obvious, as the Preamble of the NPT clearly indicates, that the first step we have to make is the cessation of the manufacture of nuclear weapons.  To this end, quality capping by comprehensively banning nuclear testing and quantity capping by banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons are both indispensable.  An FMCT is thus by its own nature the next logical, practical nuclear disarmament step.  An FMCT is an indispensable and practical step in front of us towards nuclear disarmament.  As to the content of the negotiations, my delegation believes that we will have to make every effort to maximize the extent of the disarmament aspect of an FMCT by serious deliberations during the negotiations on the issues of fissile material stocks, as it is already clearly set out in the Shannon report (CD/1299).  However, I am hastened to add here that this does not justify any arguments demanding guarantees on particular results of future negotiations as conditions for their commencement.

Moreover, the issue of an FMCT has reached a level of sufficient maturity for us to embark on formal negotiations.  In fact, this was the conclusion all CD Member States reached after focused and thematic debates on all the agenda items from 2006 to 2009.  During those years, the positions of many delegations were revealed to the extent possible, and we reached the point where delegations struggled to say anything more specific or anything different outside of actual negotiations.  This, coupled with the heightened global expectations towards nuclear disarmament, led to last year’s historic consensus decision on CD/1864, which included the commencement of negotiations on an FMCT.

At the same time, the Member States recognized the importance of the three other core issues, namely nuclear disarmament, negative security assurances, and the prevention of an arms race in outer space.  These are all very important subjects and, for practical reasons, we agreed to discuss them with the possibility of future negotiations.  We also recognized the necessity to maintain the three other issues to allow delegations to address any other issues relevant to the work of the CD.

All this clearly shows that the current working paper is a balanced and constructive proposal that takes into account the achievements the CD Member States have collectively reached over the course of many years.  We cannot just simply discard our accomplishments, but we have to build upon them.  This is why my delegation is of the view that the President’s working paper is a very good basis for our consideration of a program of work for 2010 and Japan can support the working paper.

Thank you Mr. President.