Vienna Chapter
Madam Chair,
First of all, let me express the deep satisfaction of the State
Signatories of the Group of 77 and China in seeing you chairing the
Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty
Organization in 2005. We all believe that under your chairmanship and
guidance, discussions will lead to fruitful conclusions and I assure you
of our full cooperation.
The Group takes note of the Executive Secretary's comprehensive
written and oral reports. We would like to take this opportunity to thank
Ambassador Wolfgang Hoffmann for his leadership and personal contribution
for the establishment and development of the Preparatory Commission during
his tenure, and wish him every success in his future endeavours.
We are pleased to note that since the last session of the Preparatory
Commission St. Kitts and Nevis has ratified the Treaty, and Bahamas has
signed it. We are very grateful to those two countries and we would like
to urge all countries that have not done so to sign and ratify the Treaty.
Madam Chair,
The Group would like to express its views on the following issues,
which will be considered during the present meeting of the Preparatory
Commission.
The Group of 77 and China would like to thank the Provisional Technical
Secretariat for elaborating the budget proposal for 2006, and hereby
states its position:
a) The budget proposal should reflect zero real growth, with no
overall programmatic or staff increase.
b) However, given the importance the Group attaches to Major
Programme 4 (OSI), including the FE07 exercise, the substantive increase
in the allocation of funds for this Major Programme should be maintained,
by means of reallocations and adjustments in the other Major Programmes,
especially Major Programme 1 (IMS), as was suggested by the Executive
Secretary Ambassador Wolfgang Hoffmann, during the 27th Session of Working
Group A. The Group notes with satisfaction that there was broad consensus
by the States Signatories on this proposal.
c) Concerning budget implications of possible tsunami alert
activities, the Group will express its opinion after careful examination
of the Report to be presented by the PTS to the 25th session of WGB in
September 2005 and after adoption of a decision on this issue.
d) Every effort should be made to absorb the allocations for security
enhancements within the budget proposal.
e) The Group of 77 and China would like to request the Provisional
Technical Secretariat to include allocation for the participation of
experts from developing countries to the meetings of Working Group B in
the budget proposal for 2006.
The Group of 77 and China would like to once again thank the
participants of the External Evaluation Team, who, under the leadership of
Ambassadors Rimdap and Starr, produced a sound document that is considered
a good basis for our deliberations. The report is being carefully examined
by Member States of the Group of 77 and China, and the Group will present
its comments in future occasions, especially in the joint WGA/WGB meetings
that will be convened to discuss the recommendations of the Report.
At this stage we would like to reiterate the position expressed by
the Group at the inception of this exercise, to the effect that all
recommendations of the External Evaluation Team's report must be
thoroughly examined by WGA and WGB, and adopted by the PrepCom, before
they can be implemented.
Madam Chair,
The Group of 77 and China looks forward to the discussion on the
organization and methods of work of the Subsidiary Bodies of the
Commission. Although the Group notes with appreciation the work that has
been carried out by both Working Groups A and B, as well as by the
Advisory Group, we believe that there is room for improvement.
One aspect of particular concern, that the Group of 77 and China
expressed in previous occasions, is the small participation in Working
Group B of experts from developing countries. In this regard, the Group
requests the Provisional Technical Secretariat to examine ways and means
to finance the participation of representatives from developing countries
to WGB meetings, and this effort should be reflected in the Programme and
Budget Proposal for 2006.
Concerning the Chairmanship of Working Group A, Working Group B and
the Advisory Group, the Group of 77 and China has the following views:
a) The Group believes that the paramount criterion for the selection
of Chairs for all three Groups should be that of competence. In this
regard, it would be useful that the candidates to chair any of the three
groups have some experience as active participants in the deliberations
within that group.
b) There should be pre-established terms of tenure. The Group of 77
and China is flexible on the duration of the terms of tenure - that could
be, in principle, of two or three years.
c) The Principle of Geographical Rotation must be observed, in order
to take into due consideration the participation of developing countries.
The Group of 77 and China would like to recall that this is an established
Principle in the United Nations system.
d) The Group of 77 and China supports the view that the Chairs of the
three groups must come from States that have good record in accession to
international disarmament and non-proliferation instruments and preferably
from countries that have ratified the Treaty.
e) Taking into consideration that the Chairmanship of Working Group
A, Working Group B and the Advisory Group have been occupied by members of
NAWE and Eastern Europe since the origin of the Organization, the next
Chairman of Working Group A should preferably be a member of G77 and
China.
Madam Chair,
The Group sees with concern that the suggestion that candidates to
chair Working Group A, Working Group B and the Advisory Group should come
from states that are up to date with the payment of their financial
contributions to the Organization - a suggestion that, it must be
recalled, was not accepted last year in the Decision containing the
criteria for the selection of the Executive Secretary -, is now being
proposed once again.
Let us recall that the above mentioned proposal is unprecedented in
the United Nations system and that there is no reference in this respect
in either the CTBT, its Protocol or the Rules of Procedure.
Thank you Madam Chair.
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