Vienna Chapter
Mr Chairman,
On behalf of States Signatories of the Group of 77 and China, I am
pleased to see you chairing the 26th Session of Working Group A. I believe
that under your chairmanship and guidance, discussions will lead to
fruitful conclusions and I assure you of our full cooperation.
The Group would like to welcome the ratification of the Treaty by the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the United Republic of Tanzania
this would lead to a momentum for the early Entry Into Force of the
Treaty.
The Group wishes to thank the Executive Secretary, Ambassador Wolfgang
Hoffmann, for his comprehensive written and oral reports and we would like
to express our appreciation for the diligent efforts of the whole PTS in
implementing the mandates of the Preparatory Commission for the
establishment of the verification system at the entry into force of the
Treaty.
We appreciate the activities undertaken by the PTS in implementation
of Major Programmes 6 (Policy Making Organs) and 7 (Administration,
Coordination and Support). We encourage the PTS to continue assisting in
promoting cooperation among States Signatories to facilitate exchanges of
technologies used in the verification of the Treaty. The Group believes
that training courses of the PTS are elements of utmost importance for the
dissemination of information about different technologies and it
contributes to the universalization of the Treaty and should be further
coordinated, well funded and widely represented.
The Group would like to express its views on the following issues,
which will be considered during the present meeting of Working Group A.
We note with appreciation that, in preparing the revised programme and
budget for 2005, the PTS has taken into consideration the principles which
have been mentioned by the Group of 77 and China in previous statements,
namely keeping the final figure of 2005 at the same level of 2004, with no
programmatic increases over the 2004 funding level, or in PTS staffing
levels observing the two assumptions of no programmatic or staff increase
and accommodation of proposed changes by prioritization and reallocation
of resources, decreasing the Capital Investment Fund (CIF) and absorbing
the costs of the system-wide performance test and of the external review
team in the regular budget.
The Group would like to thank the Secretariat for the information
given on the enhanced security arrangements to enable the Vienna-based
Organizations to comply with the Headquarters Minimum Operating Security
Standards (H-MOSS) being proposed by UN Headquarters in New York. However,
the Group believes that deciding upon the necessity of enhanced security
arrangements is the prerogative of States Signatories of each organization
taking into account a realistic and practical approach based on a real
threat perception, local security situation and cost efficiency.
The Group would like to stress that the recommendations for enhancing
security measures should be decided by States Signatories after discussion
in a transparent manner with the Secretariat and with due regard to cost
efficiency.
In this regard, the Group is of the view that additional financial
burdens as a result of these measures should not be imposed on States
Signatories beyond their capacity to pay for them. The Group therefore
welcomes any voluntary contribution and further consultations between the
PTS and other organizations as well as UN Secretariat in New York. We
expect that the States Signatories will be fully informed about any
developments in this regard.
Mr Chairman,
The Group expresses satisfaction on the proposal to appoint Ms Maria Feliciana Ortigão, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of Brazil, as the OSI Focal Point, succeeding Mr Bernard Bourges, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of France. The Group of 77 and China looks forward to the mainstreaming of the discussions on this very important issue.
The Group supports the recommendation of the Advisory Group contained in document CTBT/AG-23/1, paragraph 62, in the sense of deferring the introduction of a biennial budget until the introduction of the split currency system.
The Group of 77 and China expresses strong support for the cooperation
agreement between the CTBTO and the Association of Caribbean States.
Thank you Mr Chairman.
|
|
|
|
| First
Page
Vienna Chapter |
G-77 Homepage |