Statement by H.E. Mr. Akio Suda
Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Japan
to the Conference on Disarmament
Geneva, 10 August 2010
Mr. President,
At the beginning of the third session of the Conference on Disarmament, I would like to take this opportunity to state that this year marks the 65th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In Japan, August 6 for Hiroshima and August 9 for Nagasaki are days for remembering the tragedies that befell these two cities and for renewing our determination to realize a world free of nuclear weapons.
It should be highlighted that this year the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban-ki Moon, attended the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony and visited Nagasaki, which is the first trip of this kind by a UN Secretary General. My country was honored by his presence and heartened by his visible commitment to nuclear disarmament.
High-level support is important, but we should not forget grassroots support. I recall well that a hundred or so atomic bomb survivors came to New York in May to observe the NPT Review Conference. They had come to follow closely the proceedings of that meeting and to see if its outcomes would meet their aspirations for nuclear disarmament.
Mr. President,
The 6th and 9th of August should not, however, only be for remembrance, but also for taking stock – what progress has been made in our endeavor to bring about the total elimination of nuclear weapons.
Since last year, we have made significant steps forward. Beginning with US President Obama’s Prague speech in April last year, the Treaty of Pelindaba entered into force, the UN Security Council held a special session on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, the United States hosted the Nuclear Security Summit and the US and the Russian Federation signed the New START Treaty. Moreover, in May, the 2010 NPT Review Conference ended with the significant accomplishment of adopting a final document that contains important action plans covering all three pillars of the NPT. In this respect, the CD should take serious note of actions 6, 7 and 15 of the document.
These are all positive developments, but in taking stock we must also look at the great deal of work yet to be done – approximately 25,000 nuclear weapons are reportedly still in existence, a number of countries still remain outside the NPT, nuclear weapons still play a prominent role in national security strategies of possessor states, a number of states still present grave proliferation challenges, the CTBT still has not entered into force and the much awaited negotiations on an FMCT have yet to start. We still have a long way to go.
Mr. President,
At this critical juncture for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, the CD bears a special responsibility for activating its substantive work on critical issues, including negotiations on an FMCT in particular, if it is to continue to be the single multilateral negotiating forum on disarmament. However, to our regret, the CD is currently in a state of serious stagnation which is betraying the great expectations of the people of the world including those who gathered in Hiroshima and Nagasaki last Friday and just yesterday.
The reason for the present deadlock seems to be obvious. It is the lack of a sound understanding of the rule of consensus. The consensus rule is, in my understanding, the wisdom for building well-balanced and feasible agreements through mutual respect and mutual cooperation. Under this rule, we try to build agreements that are widely acceptable to all the members, or at least not explicitly rejected by any member. The point is, it is the wisdom which enables an international body to carry out its assigned tasks. It cannot be a built-in device to allow a member state to paralyze the very function of an international body. While Japan appreciates and respects the important positive value of the consensus rule, we seriously wonder whether the CD is not trapped by the negative side effects of the rule. It is a rule for promoting cooperation, not for preventing or blocking such cooperation.
We should bring the CD’s consensus rule back to its real meaning and sound functioning. In order to do so, all of us need (1) to respect the vital interests of each member state and, at the same time, (2) to demonstrate the cooperative spirit and flexibility, particularly on purely procedural matters, so that the Conference can engage in substantive work. It may be also helpful if, with the help of the Secretariat, we could study and discuss the most appropriate interpretation and application of the Rules of Procedure that reflects the historical development of the CD and its present situation.
Mr. President,
We cannot stand still. We have to respond to the high expectations of the people and leaders of the world. For that, we must make greater efforts to explore a reasonable and constructive way to commence substantive work as soon as possible. My delegation stands ready to cooperate with you and other delegations in such an extraordinary effort.
Thank you Mr. President.