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Statement by H. E. U Thaung Tun, Ambassador of the Union of Myanmar, in the General Debate of the First Committee, 61st Session of the United Nations General Assembly,
New York,
October 2006
Madam Chair,
The
delegation of Myanmar congratulates you on your election as the Chairperson of
the First Committee and looks forward to working closely with you to advance
the cause of disarmament and arms control.
Please rest assured of my delegation's full support and cooperation in
the discharge of your important task.
My delegation joins others in welcoming the new Under-Secretary-General
for Disarmament, Mr. Nobuaki Tanaka and wish him every success.
Myanmar
associates itself with the statement of the representative of Indonesia,
speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement in this Committee on 2 October.
Madam Chair,
In
the past year, concerns regarding weapons of mass destruction, particularly
nuclear weapons, continue to receive considerable attention by the
international community. Notwithstanding this attention, there is a glaring
lack of tangible results. This
casts an ominous shadow over our work.
My delegation is deeply concerned by the failure of the 2005 Non
Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference to conclude a substantive final
document. The NPT has been the
cornerstone of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime for the past
35 years and lack of progress on implementation of Article VI, particularly in
light of the 2000 agreement on the 13 practical steps is disappointing. The
inability of the 2005 World Summit to agree on text related to nuclear
disarmament and non-proliferation is another setback. It is also regrettable
that the Conference on Disarmament this year again failed to adopt a programme
of work and that efforts to establish a subsidiary body to deal with nuclear
disarmament were not fruitful. The
Disarmament Commission too was unable to agree on a substantive agenda to
address the two preliminary agenda items pertaining to nuclear and
conventional weapons.
Madam Chair,
The
continued existence of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), particularly nuclear
weapons, pose the greatest threat to mankind. In the circumstance, reports
that new nuclear weapon systems were being developed and strategic doctrines
which lowered the threshold for the use of those weapons were being considered
is disturbing. Myanmar believes
that the total elimination of nuclear weapons is the only absolute guarantee
against the threat or use of those weapons. Accordingly, for the past decade,
Myanmar has been tabling a comprehensive draft resolution calling upon the
nuclear-weapon states to undertake the step-by-step reduction of the nuclear
threat with a view to achieving the total elimination of those weapons.
The disarmament measures undertaken should essentially be irreversible,
verifiable and transparent in order to gain the confidence of the
international community.
Myanmar
will again table a draft resolution on nuclear disarmament at this session. It
is my earnest hope that it will continue to receive the valuable support of
the member states as in previous years.
Madam Chair,
We
consider that pending the total elimination of nuclear weapons we should
pursue efforts towards the conclusion of a universal, unconditional and
legally binding instrument on security assurances to non-nuclear-weapon
states.
We
also believe that nuclear weapon-free zones established in various regions of
the world contribute to strengthening global nuclear disarmament and
non-proliferation efforts. Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone has been established
since 1995 in our region. We
welcome the recent signing of the nuclear-weapon-free zone treaty by five
Central Asian countries in Semipalatinsk.
Madam Chair,
The
entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) is vital
for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the treaty’s
opening for signature. The treaty now enjoys near universal support as 176 countries
have signed the treaty and 135 have ratified it.
In this connection the Declaration adopted at the 2005 Conference on
Facilitating the Entry into Force of the CTBT held in New York and the
launching of the Third Joint Ministerial Statement of Support for the CTBT in
New York on 20 September 2006 are positive developments.
Madam Chair,
Prevention
of an arms race in outer space is another important concern.
The common interest of all mankind in the exploration and use of outer
space for peaceful purposes should be recognized.
It
is therefore encouraging to note that the resolution on Prevention of an Arms Race in
Outer Space sponsored by Egypt and Sri Lanka and the resolution on
Transparency and Confidence-building Measures in Outer Space Activities
sponsored by the Russian Federation in this Committee has the broad support of
the member states.
Transparency
and confidence-building measures concerning outer space must be promoted in
the interest of maintaining international peace and security.
There is a pressing need to negotiate and conclude, as soon as
possible, a legally binding instrument to prevent the weaponization of outer
space. In this regard we consider
that the Conference on Disarmament has a primary role to play.
Madam Chair,
While we maintain focus on the question of WMD, we cannot afford to
ignore the challenge posed by small arms and light weapons.
These weapons continue to kill and maim tens of thousands the world
over. The first Review Conference of the 2001 Programme of
Action to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade on small arms
and light weapons held in New York last June and July failed to live up to
expectations as it could not agree on a Final Document.
The text that came close to being adopted sought to initiate a new
process aimed at giving governments the ability to keep track of ammunition
sales. There remains an urgent
need to address the issue of the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons
in all its aspects.
Madam Chair,
We
are meeting at a time when disarmament fora have yielded scant results.
Despite this we must persevere. In this regard, we share the
Under-Secretary-General's view that, " There is too much to lose from the
collapse of multilateral efforts in disarmament, non-proliferation and arms
control. Failure cannot be accepted as an option."
Thank
you.
