Summary: February 7, 2003: Statement by H.E. Ambassador Adamantios Th. Vassilakis, Permanent Representative of Greece to the UN, on behalf of the European Union, at the Organizational Session of the Open-ended Working Group for the fourth Special Session of the General Assembly on disarmament (SSOD IV) (New York)
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The acceding countries, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the countries associated with the EU - Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey - as well as the EFTA countries of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway have aligned themselves with this statement.
Mr. Chairman,
Allow me to congratulate you on your election as Chairman of the Working Group Bureau for Special Session on Disarmament (SSOD IV). I am confident that you will guide us through the Working Group's work in the best of ways and I would like to assure you of our support in the performance of your responsibilities.
The European Union has repeatedly stated that it is in favour of convening the SSOD IV but remains convinced that it should be carefully and thoroughly prepared in order to agree by the necessary consensus on the objective and agenda of SSOD IV, and to achieve the tasks bestowed upon it by the General Assembly. Its agenda should be balanced between issues related to nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction in general, and to conventional armaments.
The EU believes that the organizational meeting should pave the way for the convening of the SSOD IV. Therefore, the composition of the open-ended Working Group bureau should follow the established UN procedures and the timing of the open-ended Working Group meetings should abide with the established UN timetable. Given the importance of SSOD IV it may be useful to establish an expanded bureau comprising two representatives of each regional group.
Recalling, further, the General Assembly Resolution 57/61 of last year, we should point out that the open-ended Working Group has as sole purpose organizational matters, and, if possible, the establishment of a Prep Com. The EU is convinced that the work of the Prep Com will have a great significance for the convening of SSOD IV and its outcome.
We, therefore, believe that the time devoted to the open-ended Working Group meetings should reflect strictly the specific tasks allocated to its works and be as short as possible.
Thank you Mr. Chairman.
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