A/40/PV.113 General Assembly

48.  , 65 (£9ntinued), 66-69 and 145 EOONOMIC AND SOCIAL OONSE(,pENCES OF THE ARMNomNTS RACE AND ITS EXTREMELY HARMFUL EFFEcrS ON WORLD PEACE AND SEaJRITY: REPORT OF THE FIRST CDMMITTEE (A/40/9l5) IMPLEMENTATION OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOWTION 39/51 <DNCERNING THE SIGNATURE AND RATIFICATION OF ADDITIONAL PRO'lOCDL I OF THE TREATY FOR THE PROHIBITION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN LATIN AMERICA (mEATY OF TLATEIDLOO): REPORT OF THE FIRST OOMMITTEE (A/40/919) CESSATION OF ALL TEST EXPLOSIONS OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS: REPORT OF THE FIRST CDMMITTEE (A/40/941) URGENT NEED FOR A OOMPREHENS lVE NUCLEAR-TEST-BAN TREATY: REPORT OF THE FIRST OOMMITTEE (A/40/942) ESTABLISfMENT OF A NUCLEAR-WEAPON-FREE ZONE IN THE REGION OF THE MIDDLE EAST: REPORT OF THE FIRST OOMMITTEE (A/40/905) ESTABLISEMENT OF A NUCLEAR-WEAPON-FREE ZONE IN SOUTH ASIA: REPORT OF THE FIRST COMMITTEE (A/40/9l6) OONVENTION ON PROHIBITIONS OR RESTRIcrIONS ON THE USE OF a:lRTAIN CDNVENTIONAL WEAPONS WHICH MAY BE DEEMED 'ID BE EXCESSIVELY INJURIOUS OR 'ID HAVE INDISCRIMINATE EFFEcrS: REPORT OF THE FIRST OOMMITTEE (A/40/943) CDNCLUSION OF AN INTERNATIONAL OONVENTION ON THE STRENGTHENING OF THE SECURITY OF NON-NUCLEAR-WEAPON STATES AGAINST THE USE OR THREAT OF USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS: REPORT OF THE FIRST OOMMI'L'TEE (A/40/929) OONCLUSION OF EFFEcrlVE INTERNATIONAL ARRANGEMENTS 'ID ASSURE NON-NUCLEAR-WEAPON STATES AGAINST THE USE OR TBREA'l' OF USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS: REPORT OF THE FIRST OOMMITTEE (A/40/930) PREVENTION OF AN ARMS RACE IN OUTER SPACE: REPORT OF THE FIRST CDMMITTEE (A/40/964) IMPLEMENTATION OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOWTION 39/60 ON THE IMMEDIATE CESSATION AND PROHIBITION OF NUCLEAR-WEAPON TESTS: REPORT OF THE FIRST CDMMITTEE (A/40/944) IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECLARATION ON THE DENUCLEARIZATION OF AFRICA: REPORT OF THE FIRST OOMMITTEE (A/40/93l) PROHIBITION OF THE DEVELO:EMENT AND MANUFACl'URE OF NEW TYPES OF WEAR>NS OF MASS DES'lRUcrION AND NE1i SYSTEMS OF SUCH WEAPONS: REFORT OF THE FIRST CDr-MITTEE (A/40/945) REVIEW AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE OONCLUDING DOCUMalT OF THE TWELFTH SPECIAL SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY: REPORT OF THE FIRST CDloMITTEE (A/40/946) REDUCTION OF MILITARY BUDGETS: REPORT OF THE FIRST COMMITTEE (A/40/950) CHEMICAL AND BACTERIOLOGICAL (BIOLOGICAL) WEAPONS: RI!:PORT OF THE FIRST COMMITTEE . (A/40/932) ISRAEL! NUCLEAR ARMAMENT: REPORT OF THE FIRST COMMITTEE (A/40/933) REVIEW OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND DECISIONS ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY AT ITS TENTH SPECIAL SESSION: REPORT OF THE FIRST COMMITTEE (A/40/877 and Add.l) IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECLARATION OF THE INDIAN OCEAN AS A ZONY!: OF PEACE: REPORT OF THE FIRST COMMITTEE (A/40/l0l8) WORLD DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE: REPORT OF THE FIRST COMMITTEE (A/40/947) GENERAL AND COMPLETE DISARMAMENT: REPORT OF THE FIRST COMMITTEE (A/40/976) RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DISARMAMENT AND DEVELOPMENT: REPORT OF THE FIRST COMMITTEE (A/40/896) INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION IN THE PEACEFUL EXPLOITATION OF OUTER SPACE UNDER CONDITIONS OF ITS NON-MILITARIZATION: REPORT OF THE FIRST COMMITTEE (A/40/965) Mr. SouIiotis (Greece), Rapporteur of the First Committee, presented the reports of that Committee (A/40/9I5, A/40/9l9, A/40/941, "A/40/942, A/40/905, A/40/9l6, A/40/943, A/40/929, A/40/930, A/40/964, A/40/944, A/40/93l, A/40/945, A/40/946, A/40/950, A/40/932, A/40/933, A/40/877 and Add.l, A/40/l0l8, A/40/947, A/40/976, A/40/896 and A/40/965) and then Spoke as follows: Mr. SOULIOTIS (Greece), Rapporteur of the First Committee (interpretation from French): I have the honour of presenting to the General Assembly the reports of the First Committee on its work on the disarmament agenda item Nos. 48 to 69 and 145. Except for item 145, all these disarmament items were included on the agenda of the fortieth session of the General Assembly in accordance with General Assembly resolutions, although a certain number of new proposals in connection with these items were introduced during the session. The General Assembly will take up next week the reports on agenda items with budgetary implications, that is, items 48, 61, 65, 66, 67 and 69, as well as item 70, "Question of the Antarctica", and items 71, 72 and 73, concerning international security. (M~. Souliotis, Greece) The substantial nuJ'li)er of agenaa items. and the record nuJ'li)er of draft resolutions adopted by the First Committee at this session highlight the fact that delegations are constantly evincing their concern about peace throughout the world and international security and that they are dedicated to making progress towards general and complete disarmament under effective international control. As in previous years, the Committee organized its discussions and debates in such a way to make possible harmonious, effective and efficient progress in its work. To do so, initially it divided its work on disarmament into three phases: first, it held a general debate on the disarmament agenda items~ next, it held a general discussion in which it heard statements on various items~ and, thirdly, it considered the draft resolutions on disarmament and adopted decisions. The discussions took place in a climate of co-operation and goodwill. The summit meeting between the leaders of the united states and the Sovip.t Union gave rise to hope that the two major Powers would work more resolutely with a . greater will to succeed in concluding withOUt delay effective agreements on halting the nuclear arms race, nuclear disarmament and preventing an arms race in outer space. The international community ex~resses the hope that that felicitous evolution will in turn have beneficial ~ffects in the area of multilateral negOtiations. As in previous years. a major portion of the discussion this year was on the following issues: halting the nuclear arms race and bringing about nuclear disarmamentJ bilateral negotiations between the United states and the SOviet Union on nuclear space weapons) preventing nuclear war, including all ancillary issues, freezing nuclear weapons, halting nuclear arms t~sting, preventing an arms race in outer space, and chemical weapons. (Mr. Souliotis, Greece) Again this year, 'lOSt of those who spoke expressed their very serious concern at the acceleration of the arms race, especially the nuclear-are race. Moreover, a nuDlber of delegations saw in the risk of the lIilitarization of outer space a very clear dangerous signal and felt that no p.ffort should be spared to prevent the arms race frora spreading to outer space. In the course of our work delegations subllitted 74 draft resolutions and a draft decision on a variety of disarmament issues. During the period allocated to disarmament agenda items, the Committee, following what has become customary practice in recent years, examined draft resolutions in clusters. The reason for so doing was to speed up th~ Coomittee's work, notably with regard to the explanation of positions or votes. That method once again facilitated due completion of the Committee's work programme. Having before it 74 draft resolutions and one draft decision, the Committ~e, on the request of their sponsOf:S, did not take a position on eight draft resolutions; it adopted 21 of them without a vote - somewhat more than at th~ previous session; and toOk recorded votes on 46 of them. It thus adopted a total of 66 draft resolutions and one draft decision on the subject of disarmament. It should be noted that the number of deaft resolutions adopted by the Fir st Commi ttee over the past seve~al years has constantly increased. While this year the Committee adopted a total of 67 drafts, it adopted 41 in 1978 when for the first time it was entrusted with dealing solely with disarmament and related issues of international secur ity, in accordance with the Final Document of the first special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament. we have thus wit."lessed a Substantial increase in the volume of work assigned to the First Committee. That doubtless is due to the active interest that Merrber States (Mr. Souliotis, Greece) are continuing to take in issues of great concern to them, on the one hand, and in many C&ses results from the faUut',* to i!lplement resolutions, 'on the other. A good null'ber of the 67 drafts adopted deal wi th nuclear issues, notably the pre;~ention of nuclear war, the prohibition of nuclear-weapon tests, bilateral negotiations o~ nuclear weapons, freezing nuclear weapons, security assurances for ncn-nuclear-weapon States, and nuclear-weapon-free zones. Such a nuntler of draft resolutions on nuclear subjects bears witness to the gravity with which delegations continue to view nuclear disarmament issues. Wi th regard to other disarmament matters, three draft resolutions were adopted on chemical weapons, a number of them on conventional disarmament, and one on preventing an arms race in outer SpaC2 following intensive negotiations that made possible the working out of a single draft resolution on this matter. The other draft resolutions involved a variety of different issues, notably the international conference on the relationship between disarmament and development, the world Disarmamenil: Campaign, rewctiou of military budgets, question of verification and compliance with obligations assumed, the Disarmament Conference, the Disarmament Commission, the Ad Hoc Committee on the WOrld Disarmament Conference, the Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace, as well as expert studies. The reports of the First Committee which is now before the Assembly recapitulate decisions taken on each agenda item, setting forth in particular ~~e outcome of votes on draft resolutions. With reference to the ~eports on agenda items 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 58, 59, 60, 62, 63, 64, 65, 67, 68 and 69, respectively bearing the following symbols A/40/915, 919, 941, 942, 905, 916, 943, 929, 930, 944, 931, 945, 950, 932, 933, 877, 947, 976 and 986, I should like to say the following. (Mr. Souliotis, Greece) Document A/40/854 and Corr.l, which cmtains a letter dated 5 Novenber 1985 from the Permanent Representative of Angola to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General, forwarding a copy of the Final Political Declaration and Economic Declaration adopted by the Conference of Foreign Ministes of the Non-Aligned Countries held at Luanda from 4 to 7 Septenber 1985, is not mentioned in paragraph 4 of those reports, the reason being that that document was published only after preparation of the reports. It is therefore appropriate for me to mention this document in paragraph 4 of the reports that I have just listed. Moreover, in respect of oocuments A/40/946 and A/C.l/40/L.54/Rev.l, SUdan should be included in the list of sponsors. In conclusion, I should like to make a point of saying that we ,c-an all agree that the Committee discussed constructively a vast range of disarmament issues. The members of the First COIlltlittee voiced their concern in the face of the continuing threat of total annihilation of humanity and in view of the lack of progress to date in so far as disarmament was concerned. They have e~hl:O~ized the international community's strong desire for continuation of the quest for practical measures and effecthe steps to preserve and perpetuate world security. In this connection, it is encouraging to note that the international comMunity is of the unanimous opinion that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. (Mr. Souliotis, Greece) We all know that in a nuclear war there would be neither victocs nor vanquished, and that the only result would be the extinction of the human race. I now have the honour of placing before \:he Assenbly for its consideration and adoption the recolllllendations put forward by the First Committee in its reports.