The General Assembly, acting on the recommendation of its First Committee (Disarmament and International Security), adopted 49 resolutions and decisions today, including one that recognized the close connection between international terrorism and the illegal movement of nuclear, chemical, biological and other potentially deadly materials, and emphasized the need for progress in disarmament and non-proliferation to contribute to global efforts against terrorism.

Under the terms of that resolution –- submitted by First Committee Chairman Andre Erdos (Hungary) as a response of the disarmament community to the terrorist attacks on the United States on 11 September –- the Assembly reaffirmed multilateralism as a core principle in disarmament and non-proliferation negotiations and called on Member States to renew and fulfil their individual and collective commitments to multilateral cooperation as an important means of pursuing and achieving their common objectives in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation. The text was adopted without a vote.

Seized of the danger of the use of weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons, in terrorist acts and the urgent need for concerted international efforts to control and overcome it, the Assembly recognized that the time was now opportune for all the nuclear-weapon States to take effective disarmament measures with a view to eliminating those weapons, by the terms of another resolution adopted this morning by a recorded vote of 103 in favour to 41 against, with 17 abstentions. (For details of the vote see Annex XXI.)

Prior to approval of the resolution as a whole, the Assembly took a separate recorded vote on operative paragraph 9, which concerns endorsement for the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), as well as the decisions flowing from its review process. That provision was approved by a vote of 149 in favour to 3 against (India, Israel, Pakistan), with 6 abstentions (Cuba, France, Monaco, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States) (Annex XX).

Under a text entitled “a path to the total elimination of nuclear weapons”, the Assembly called on all States to maintain the highest possible standards of security, safe custody, effective control and physical protection of all materials that could contribute to the proliferation of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction in order, among others, to prevent those materials from falling into the hands of terrorists. It took that action by a recorded vote of 139 in favour

to 3 against (Federated States of Micronesia, India, United States), with 19 abstentions (Annex XV).

The Assembly, convinced that the use of nuclear weapons posed the most serious threat to the survival of mankind, reiterated its request to the Conference on Disarmament to commence negotiations on an international convention prohibiting the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons under any circumstances, according to another text on nuclear weapons adopted by a vote of 104 in favour to 46 against, with 11 abstentions (Annex XXV).

By the terms of a resolution on reducing nuclear dangers, the Assembly called for a review of nuclear doctrines and immediate and urgent steps to reduce the risks of unintentional and accidental use of nuclear weapons. It was adopted by a vote of 98 in favour to 45 against, with 14 abstentions (Annex VIII).

The States parties to the Treaty on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems (ABM Treaty) –- the Russian Federation and the United States -- are called upon to exert renewed efforts to preserve and strengthen the Treaty through full and strict compliance, under the terms of a resolution adopted by a vote of 82 in favour to 5 against (Albania, Benin, Federated States of Micronesia, Israel, United States), with 62 abstentions (Annex V).

Following the vote, the representative of Benin said he had meant to vote in favour of the resolution on the ABM Treaty, and not against it.

Under the terms of a related text, the Assembly, recognizing that prevention of an outer space arms race would avert a grave danger for international peace and security, called on all States, in particular those with major space capabilities, to contribute actively to the objective of the peaceful use of outer space and the prevention of an arms race there. The text was adopted by a recorded vote of 156 in favour to none against, with 4 abstentions (Federated States of Micronesia, Georgia, Israel, United States) (Annex IV).

By the terms of a draft resolution on the 1996 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concerning legality of the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, the Assembly called, once again, upon all States to immediately commence multilateral negotiations in 2002 leading to an early conclusion of a nuclear weapons convention banning the development, production, testing, deployment, stockpiling, transfer, threat or use of nuclear weapons and providing for their elimination. The text was adopted by a recorded vote of 111 in favour to 29 against, with 21 abstentions (Annex XXIII).

Prior to adoption of the text as a whole, the Assembly adopted the first operative paragraph by a recorded vote of 153 in favour to 4 against (France, Israel, Russian Federation, United States), with 2 abstentions (Federated States of Micronesia, United Kingdom). That provision underlined the unanimous conclusion of the Court that there exists an obligation to pursue in good faith and conclude negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control (Annex XXII).

According to another nuclear weapons-related text, adopted by a recorded vote of 105 in favour to none against, with 54 abstentions, the Assembly reaffirmed the urgent need to reach an early agreement on effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons (Annex III).

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By a vote of 156 in favour to 1 against (India), with 3 abstentions (Cuba, Israel, Pakistan), the Assembly adopted a resolution noting the decision of the parties to the NPT, following appropriate consultations, to hold the first meeting of the Preparatory Committee, for the 2005 NPT Review Conference in New York from 8 to 19 April 2002 (Annex XVI).

By a recorded vote of 98 in favour to none against, with 58 abstentions, the Assembly adopted a resolution on missiles, by which it noted with satisfaction that the panel of experts established by the Secretary-General held its first session in New York in 2001 and intends to convene two more sessions in 2002 to complete its mandate (Annex VI).

The Assembly rejected a new resolution on the effects of the use of depleted uranium in armaments requesting a report on the subject to the next Assembly session, by a vote of 45 in favour to 54 against, with 45 abstentions (Annex VII).

A resolution entitled "The risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East” was adopted by a recorded vote of 153 in favour, to 3 against (Federated States of Micronesia, Israel, United States), with 6 abstentions (Australia, Canada, Ethiopia, India, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago). Among its terms, Israel would be called on to renounce possession of nuclear weapons, and to place all its unsafeguarded nuclear facilities under full-scope International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards (Annex XXVII).

Prior to adoption of the draft as a whole, the Assembly took a separate vote on the sixth preambular paragraph, which presses for all remaining States not party to the NPT to accede to it and accept IAEA safeguards. That provision was adopted by a recorded vote of 153 in favour to 2 against (India, Israel), with 4 abstentions (Bhutan, Cuba, Pakistan, Tonga) (Annex XXVI).

` Under the text on a nuclear-weapon-free southern hemisphere, the Assembly, convinced of the important role of nuclear-weapon-free zones in strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime and in extending the areas of the world that are nuclear-weapon-free, called on all States to support the nuclear disarmament process and work for the total elimination of all nuclear weapons. That resolution was adopted by a recorded vote of 148 in favour to 4 against (France, Monaco, United Kingdom, United States), with 4 abstentions (India, Israel, Russian Federation, Spain) (Annex XII).

Prior to action on the text as a whole, two separate votes were taken. In the first, the Assembly voted to retain the words "and South Asia" in operative paragraph 3 by 140 in favour to 2 against (India, Pakistan), with 8 abstentions (Bhutan, Cuba, Federated States of Micronesia, Israel, Mauritius, Myanmar, United Kingdom, United States) (Annex X).

Operative paragraph 3, by which the Assembly welcomed the steps taken to conclude further nuclear-weapon-free zone treaties on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at among the States of the region concerned and called upon all States to consider all relevant proposals, including those reflected in its resolutions on the establishment of such zones in the Middle East and South Asia, was adopted by a vote of 145 in favour to 1 against (India), with 7 abstentions (Bhutan, Israel, Mauritius, Myanmar, Pakistan, United Kingdom, United States) (Annex XI).

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Several more texts on nuclear-weapon-free zones were adopted without a vote,

by which the Assembly: urged all parties directly concerned to consider seriously taking the practical and urgent steps required for the implementation of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East; decided to include establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia in the provisional agenda of its next session; called upon all African States that had not yet done so to sign the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Pelindaba) as soon as possible; and welcomed the concrete steps taken by some States of the region during the last years for the consolidation of the regime of military denuclearization established by the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (Treaty of Tlatelolco).

Acting without a vote on two more nuclear-related texts, the Assembly expressed grave concern regarding any use of nuclear wastes that would constitute radiological warfare and have grave implications for the national security of all States; and recalled the decision of the Conference on Disarmament to establish an ad hoc committee to negotiate a verifiable treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.

By a vote of 161 in favour to 1 against (United States), with no abstentions, the Assembly adopted a decision by which it noted the Conference on Facilitating the Entry Into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) (held in New York from 11 to 13 November) and decided to include the item in the provisional agenda of its next session (Annex XXVIII).

Under a second decision, entitled "United Nations conference to identify ways of eliminating nuclear dangers in the context of nuclear disarmament", the Assembly decided to include the item in the provisional agenda of its next session. That text was adopted by a recorded vote of 115 in favour to 7 against (France, Germany, Israel, Monaco, Poland, United Kingdom, United States), with 37 abstentions (Annex XXIV).

By the terms of another nuclear-weapon related decision adopted without a vote, the Assembly decided to include the item "Towards a nuclear-weapon-free world: the need for a new agenda" in the agenda of its next session.

Also today, acting without a vote, the Assembly adopted two texts on other weapons of mass destruction -– biological and chemical. By the first, on the Biological Weapons Convention, the Assembly decided to request the Secretary-General to continue to render the necessary assistance to the depositary governments of the Convention and provide such services as might be required for the implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the Review Conferences and the 1994 Special Conference. The text on chemical weapons stressed the vital importance of full and effective implementation of and compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Determined to put an end to the suffering and casualties caused by anti-personnel mines, the Assembly stressed the importance of the full and effective implementation of, and compliance with the Ottawa Convention, according to a resolution in the conventional weapons sphere. The text was adopted by a recorded vote of 138 in favour to none against, with 19 abstentions (Annex XIV).

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[The formal name of the Ottawa Convention is: Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction.]

The Assembly adopted a resolution requesting the Conference on Disarmament to consider the formulation of principles that could serve as a framework for regional agreements on conventional arms control, by a recorded vote of 151 in favour to 1 against (India), with 1 abstention (Bhutan) (Annex XIII).

Acting without a vote, it adopted a text stressing the relevance of the guidelines on conventional arms control/limitation and disarmament with a particular emphasis on consolidation of peace.

By a recorded vote of 135 in favour to none against, with 23 abstentions, the Assembly reaffirmed its decision to keep the scope of and participation in the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms under review and recalled its request to Member States to provide the Secretary-General with their views on transparency measures related to weapons of mass destruction (Annex XIX).

Prior to that decision, two separate recorded votes were taken on operative paragraphs. Operative paragraph 4 (b), concerning a request of the Secretary-General to prepare a report on the Register’s continuing operation and further development, with a view to a decision at its fifty-eighth session, was adopted by a vote of 133 in favour to 4 against (Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen), with 12 abstentions (Annex XVII).

Operative paragraph 6, by which the Assembly invited the Conference on Disarmament to consider continuing its work on transparency in armaments, was adopted by a vote of 133 in favour to none against, with 17 abstentions (Annex XVIII).

Acting without a vote on another text on transparency in armaments, the Assembly called upon States to report annually, by 30 April, to the Secretary-General their military expenditures for the latest fiscal year for which data were available.

Also acting without a vote on texts on conventional arms control, the Assembly:

-- noted the proposals put forward by States parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for consideration of, among others, the issues of the explosive remnants of war and extension of the scope of the Convention to non-international armed conflicts;

-- encouraged the establishment in the countries of the Sahelo-Saharan subregion of national commissions to combat the proliferation of small arms, and invite the international community to lend its support wherever possible to ensure the smooth functioning of those commissions;

-- and decided to convene a conference no later than 2006 to review progress made in the implementation of the Programme of Action to

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Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, the date and venue to be decided at its fifty-eighth session.

Another text adopted without a vote emphasized the need to make the early-warning mechanism in Central Africa operational so that it would serve as an instrument for analysing and monitoring the political situations, with a view to preventing the outbreak of future armed conflicts.

The Assembly, concerned that military applications of scientific and technological developments could contribute significantly to the upgrading of advanced weapons systems and, in particular, weapons of mass destruction, urged Member States to undertake multilateral negotiations to establish guidelines for international transfers of dual-use goods and technologies with military purposes. It was adopted by a recorded vote of 92 in favour to 46 against, with 17 abstentions (Annex II).

By a vote of 154 in favour to none against, with 5 abstentions (Federated States of Micronesia, France, Israel, United Kingdom, United States), the Assembly called upon States to adopt measures to ensure the application of scientific and technological progress in the framework of international security and without detriment to the environment (Annex IX).

According to a resolution on the Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace, the Assembly reiterated that the participation of all permanent members of the Security Council and all maritime users of the Indian Ocean in the work of the Ad Hoc Committee would greatly help the advancement of peace, security, and stability in the Indian Ocean region. That text was adopted by a vote of 110 in favour to 3 against (France, United Kingdom, United States), with 41 abstentions (Annex I).

Under the remaining texts, adopted without a vote, the Assembly:

-- called upon States to conclude agreements, wherever possible, for nuclear non-proliferation, disarmament and confidence-building measures at the regional and subregional levels;

-- urged the Conference on Disarmament to fulfil its role as the single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum of the international community;

-- reaffirmed the critical importance of, and the vital contribution that had been made by, effective verification measures in arms limitation and disarmament agreements and other similar obligations;

-- recommended the adoption of the following items for consideration at its 2002 substantive session of the Disarmament Commission: ways and means to achieve nuclear disarmament;

-- reiterated that a fourth special session of the Assembly on disarmament could set the future course of action in the field of disarmament, arms control and related matters of international security;

-- reiterated the importance of United Nations activities at the regional

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level to increase the stability and security of its Member States, which could be promoted in a substantive manner by the maintenance and revitalization of the three Regional Centres;

-- reiterated its strong support for the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean;

-- urged the international community to devote part of the resources gained from disarmament and arms limitation agreements to economic and social development;

-- called on all States of the Mediterranean region to adhere to all the multilaterally negotiated legal instruments related to disarmament and non-proliferation; and

-- called upon all States to continue to take measures to eliminate threats to international peace and security and prevent conflicts in South-Eastern Europe, which could lead to the violent disintegration of States.

-- called upon Member States to further promote at multilateral levels the consideration of existing and potential threats in the field of information security, as well as possible measures to limit the emerging threats;

-- reaffirmed its strong support for the forthcoming operation and further strengthening of the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific;

-- and appealled to the Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa, in cooperation with the Organization of African Unity (OAU), regional and subregional organizations and the African States, to take steps to promote the consistent implementation of the Programme of Action on the illicit small arms trade;

-- Under a decision adopted without a vote, the Assembly decided to include the item on reviewing the Declaration on Strengthening International Security in the provisional agenda of its next session.

Assembly action on a further draft resolution on the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects, Draft U of the report on general and complete disarmament (A/56/536), was postponed to a later date, pending approval of the programme budget implications by the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary).

Background

The General Assembly met this morning to take action on 21 reports of the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security). Those reports contain 46 draft resolutions and five draft decisions.

The Assembly was expected to first take up the report of the Committee on objective information on military matters (document A/56/526), which contains one draft resolution under which the Assembly would call upon States to report annually, by 30 April, to the Secretary-General their military expenditures for the latest fiscal year for which data were available.

The Assembly would recommend the guidelines and recommendations for objective information on military matters to all Member States for implementation, fully taking into account specific political, military and other regional conditions, on the basis of initiatives and with the agreement of the States of the region concerned.

The Committee approved the draft resolution on 31 October without a vote.

By the terms of the draft resolution contained in the report on verification in all its aspects, including the role of the United Nations in that field (document A/56/527), the Assembly would reaffirm the critical importance of, and the vital contribution that had been made by, effective verification measures in arms limitation and disarmament agreements and other similar obligations. It would ask the Secretary-General to report to it at its fifty-eighth session on further views received from Member States pursuant to prior resolutions.

The Committee approved the draft resolution on 31 October without a vote.

The report on implementation of the Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace (document A/56/528) contains a draft resolution which would have the Assembly reiterate that the participation of all permanent members of the Security Council and all maritime users of the Indian Ocean in the work of the ad hoc committee would greatly help the advancement of peace, security, and stability in the Indian Ocean Region.

The Committee approved the draft on 31 October by a vote of 105 in favour to 3 against (France, United Kingdom, United States) with 37 abstentions.

The report on the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Pelindaba) (document A/56/529) contains a draft resolution which would call upon all African States that had not yet done so to sign the Treaty, as soon as possible, so that it may enter into force without delay. It would call upon States contemplated in Protocol III of the Treaty to take all necessary measures to ensure its speedy application to territories for which they were internationally responsible and which lay within the geographical zone established in the Treaty.

It would call upon the African States parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) that had not yet done so to conclude comprehensive safeguards agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) pursuant to the Treaty, and to conclude additional protocols to their safeguards agreements on the basis of the Model Protocol approved by the Board of Governors of the Agency on 15 May 1997.

The Committee approved the draft on 2 November without a vote.

By the terms of a draft resolution contained in the report on maintenance of international security -– good-neighbourliness, stability and development in South-Eastern Europe (document A/56/530), the Assembly would call upon all States, the relevant international organizations and competent organs of the United Nations to respect the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty of all States and the inviolability of borders, continue to take measures to eliminate threats to international peace and security and prevent conflicts in South-Eastern Europe which could lead to the violent disintegration of States.

The Assembly would call on all participants in the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe, and all concerned international organizations, to continue to support the efforts of South-Eastern European States towards regional stability and cooperation, so as to enable them to pursue sustainable development and integration into European structures.

In a related term, the Assembly would reject the use of violence in pursuit of political aims, and stress that only peaceful political solutions could assure a stable and democratic future for South-Eastern Europe. It would also stress the importance of regional efforts aimed at preventing conflicts, noting with satisfaction the role of the Multinational Peace Force for South-Eastern Europe.

The Committee approved the draft resolution on 31 October without a vote.

A draft resolution contained in the report on developments in the field of information and telecommunications in the context of international security (document A/56/533) would have the Assembly, considering the need to prevent the illegal use of information resources or technologies or their use for criminal or terrorist purposes, call upon Member States to promote further, at multilateral levels, the consideration of existing and potential threats in the field, as well as possible measures to limit the threats emerging in the field, consistent with the need to preserve the free flow of information.

The Assembly would invite Member States to continue to inform the Secretary-General of their views on the following questions: general appreciation of the issues; definition of basic notions related to information security; and the examination of relevant international concepts aimed at strengthening the security of global information and telecommunications systems.

The Assembly would also request the Secretary-General to conduct a study on the concepts aimed at strengthening the security of global information and telecommunications systems, with a group of governmental experts to be established in 2004, and to submit a report on its outcome to the Assembly at its sixtieth session.

The Committee approved the draft resolution on 31 October without a vote.

According to a draft resolution contained in the report on the role of science and technology in the context of international security (document A/56/531), the Assembly, concerned that military applications of scientific and technological developments can contribute significantly to the upgrading of advanced weapons systems and, in particular, weapons of mass destruction, urge Member States to undertake multilateral negotiations with the participation of all interested States in order to establish universally acceptable, non-discriminatory guidelines for international transfers of dual-use goods and technologies and high technology with military purposes.

At the same time, the Assembly would affirm that scientific and technological progress should be used for the benefit of all mankind to promote the sustainable economic and social development of all States and to safeguard international security and that international cooperation in the use of science and technology through the transfer and exchange of technological know-how for peaceful purposes should be promoted.

The Committee approved the draft on 31 October by a vote of 86 in favour to 42 against, with 16 abstentions.

By the terms of a draft resolution contained in the report on the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East (document A/56/532), the Assembly would urge all parties directly concerned to consider seriously taking the practical and urgent steps required for the implementation of the proposal for such a zone in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the Assembly, and, as a means of promoting this objective, would invite the countries concerned to adhere to the NPT.

The Assembly would call upon all countries of the region that had not yet done so, pending the establishment of the zone, to agree to place all their nuclear activities under IAEA safeguards. It would also take note of the resolution adopted in September by the General Conference of the IAEA at its forty-fifth regular session, concerning the application of Agency safeguards in the Middle East.

[The resolution of the General Conference of the IAEA of September 2001 (document GC (45)/RES/18) affirms the urgent need for all States in the Middle East to forthwith accept the application of full-scope Agency safeguards to all their nuclear activities as an important confidence-building measure among all States in the region and as a step in enhancing peace and security in the context of the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone.

That text also calls upon all parties directly concerned to consider seriously taking the practical and appropriate steps required for the implementation of the proposal to establish a mutually verifiable nuclear-weapon-free zone in the region, and invites the countries concerned to adhere to international non-proliferation regimes, including the NPT, as a means of complementing participation in a zone free of all weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East and of strengthening peace and security in the region.]

The Committee approved the draft resolution on 30 October without a vote.

The report on effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons (document A/56/534) contains a draft resolution by which the Assembly reaffirms the urgent need to reach an early agreement on effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons.

It would appeal to all States, especially the nuclear-weapon States, to work actively towards an early agreement on a common approach, and, in particular, on a common formula that could be included in an international instrument of a legally binding character. The Assembly would also recommend that further intensive efforts be devoted to the search for such a common approach and that the various alternative approaches, including, in particular, those in the Conference on Disarmament, be further explored in order to overcome the difficulties.

The Committee approved the draft on 30 October by a vote of 94 in favour to 0 against, with 52 abstentions.

According to the draft resolution contained in the report on prevention of an arms race in outer space (document A/56/535), the Assembly, recognizing that prevention of an outer space arms race would avert a grave danger for international peace and security, would call upon all States, in particular those with major space capabilities, to contribute actively to the objective of the peaceful use of outer space and the prevention of an arms race there, and to refrain from actions contrary to that objective and to the relevant existing treaties in the interest of maintaining international peace and security and promoting international cooperation.

By a further term of the text, the Assembly would urge States conducting activities in outer space, as well as States interested in conducting such activities, to keep the Conference on Disarmament informed of the progress of bilateral and multilateral negotiations on the matter, if any, so as to facilitate its work.

At the same time, it would reaffirm the importance and urgency of preventing such an arms race and the readiness of all States to contribute to that common objective, in conformity with the provisions of the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies.

The Committee approved the draft on 2 November by a vote of 145 in favour to none against, with 3 abstentions (Federated States of Micronesia, Israel, United States).

The report on general and complete disarmament (document A/56/536) contains 23 draft resolutions, A to W, and three draft decisions, A to C (the texts are listed as they are expected to be considered by the Assembly).

According to draft A on the Treaty on the Limitation of Anti-Ballistic Missile Systems (Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty), the Assembly would call for continued efforts to strengthen the Treaty and preserve its integrity and validity, so that it remains a cornerstone in maintaining global strategic stability and promoting further strategic nuclear arms reductions. It would also call for renewed efforts by each of the States parties to preserve and strengthen the Treaty through full and strict compliance.

Further, the Assembly would call upon parties to the Treaty, in accordance with their Treaty obligations, to limit the deployment of anti-ballistic missile systems, refrain from the deployment of anti-ballistic missile systems for the defence of the territory of their country, not provide a base for such defence and not to transfer to other States or deploy outside their national territory anti-ballistic missile systems or their components limited by the Treaty.

The Committee approved the draft on 2 November by a vote of 80 in favour to 3 against (Federated States of Micronesia, Israel, United States), with 63 abstentions.

By the terms of draft B on Missiles, the Assembly, underlining the complexities involved in considering the issue of missiles in the conventional context, would note with satisfaction that the panel of experts established by the Secretary-General held its first session in New York in 2001 and intends to convene two more sessions in 2002 in order to submit a report to the Assembly at its next session.

Also, the Assembly would note with appreciation the Secretary-General's report on the subject, and request him to seek the views of Member States in the issue of missiles in all its aspects and to submit a report to the Assembly at its next session.

The Committee approved the draft on 31 October by a vote of 88 in favour to none against, with 57 abstentions.

Under draft resolution C on the effects of the use of depleted uranium in armaments, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General to seek the views of States and relevant organizations on all aspects of the effects of the use of depleted uranium in weapons and to submit a report thereon to the Assembly at its next session. It would have the Assembly decide to include the item in the provisional agenda of that session.

The Committee approved the draft on 5 November by a vote of 49 in favour to 45 against, with 39 abstentions.

Under the terms of draft D on reducing nuclear danger, the Assembly, convinced that nuclear disarmament and the complete elimination of nuclear weapons are essential to remove the danger of nuclear war, would call for a review of nuclear doctrines and, in this context, immediate and urgent steps to reduce the risks of unintentional and accidental use of nuclear weapons. It requests the five nuclear-weapon States to take measures towards the implementation of that provision.

Under a related term, the Assembly would call upon Member States to take the necessary measures to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons in all its aspects and to promote nuclear disarmament, with the objective of eliminating nuclear weapons.

It would take note of the 2001 report of the Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters, in particular the seven recommendations highlighted for further action. In that connection, it would request the Secretary-General to take steps for the implementation of the seven recommendations that would significantly reduce the risk of nuclear war, including the proposal contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration for convening an international conference to identify ways of eliminating nuclear dangers, and to report thereon to the Assembly at its next session.

The Committee approved the draft on 30 October by a vote of 89 in favour to 43 against, with 13 abstentions.

Under draft decision A on a nuclear-weapon-free world: the need for a new agenda, in the report on general and complete disarmament, the Assembly would decide to include the item in the agenda of its next session.

The Committee approved the draft on 30 October without a vote.

According to draft resolution E on the convening of the fourth special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament, the Assembly, reiterating that such a session could set the future course of action in the field of disarmament, arms control and related matters of international security, would decide, subject to the emergence of consensus on its objectives and agenda, to convene the special session.

It would request the Secretary-General to seek the views of Member States on the objectives, agenda and timing of the special session and to report to it at its next session.

The Committee approved the draft on 31 October without a vote.

Draft F on the relationship between disarmament and development would have the Assembly urge the international community to devote part of the resources gained from disarmament and arms limitation agreements to economic and social development, with a view to reducing the ever-widening gap between developed and developing countries.

The Assembly would invite all Member States to communicate to the Secretary-General, by 15 April 2002, their views and proposals for the implementation of the Action Programme adopted at the International Conference on the Relationship between Disarmament and Development. It would also request the Secretary-General to continue to take action, through appropriate organs and within available resources, for the implementation of the Action Programme.

The Committee approved the draft on 31 October without a vote.

Draft G on observance of environmental norms in the drafting and implementation of agreements on disarmament and arms control would have the Assembly call upon States to adopt unilateral, bilateral, regional and multilateral measures to contribute to ensuring the application of scientific and technological progress in the framework of international security, disarmament and other related spheres, without detriment to the environment or to its effective contribution to attaining sustainable development.

The Assembly would reaffirm that international disarmament forums should take fully into account the relevant environmental norms in negotiating disarmament and arms limitations treaties and agreements and that all States should fully contribute to ensuring compliance with those norms in the implementation of treaties to which they were parties.

The Committee approved the draft on 31 October by a vote of 141 in favour to 0 against, with 4 abstentions.

Under the terms of draft H on a nuclear-weapon-free southern hemisphere, the Assembly, convinced of the important role of nuclear-weapon-free zones in strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime and in extending the areas of the world that are nuclear-weapon-free, and with particular reference to the responsibilities of the nuclear-weapon States, would call upon all States to support the process of nuclear disarmament and work for the total elimination of all nuclear weapons.

It would welcome the steps taken to conclude further nuclear-weapon-free zone treaties on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at among the States of the region concerned and call upon all States to consider all relevant proposals, including those reflected in its resolutions on the establishment of such zones in the Middle East and South Asia.

In a related provision, the Assembly would call upon the States parties and signatories to the existing nuclear-weapon-free zone treaties, in order to pursue the common goals they envisaged and promote the nuclear-weapon-free status of the southern hemisphere and adjacent areas, to explore and implement further ways and means of cooperation among themselves and their treaty agencies.

The Committee approved the draft on 2 November by a vote of 141 in favour to 4 against (France, Monaco, United Kingdom, United States), with 5 abstentions (Federated States of Micronesia, India, Israel, Russian Federation, Spain).

Prior to action on the draft as a whole, two separate votes were taken. In the first, the Committee voted to retain the words "and South Asia" in operative paragraph 3 by 132 in favour to 3 against (France, India, Pakistan), with 8 abstentions (Bhutan, Cuba, Federated States of Micronesia, Israel, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Myanmar, United Kingdom).

Operative paragraph 3, by which the Assembly would welcome the steps taken to conclude further nuclear-weapon-free zone treaties on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at among the States of the region concerned and call upon all States to consider all relevant proposals, including those reflected in its resolution on the establishment of such zones in the Middle East and South Asia, was approved by a vote of 136 in favour to 2 against (France, India), with 8 abstentions (Bhutan, Federated States of Micronesia, Israel, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Myanmar, United Kingdom, United States).

Draft resolution I on regional disarmament would have the Assembly call upon States to conclude agreements, wherever possible, for nuclear non-proliferation, disarmament and confidence-building measures at the regional and subregional levels.

The Assembly would affirm that global and regional approaches to disarmament complemented each other and should, therefore, be pursued simultaneously to promote regional and international peace and security. It would support and encourage efforts aimed at promoting confidence-building measures at the regional and subregional levels in order to ease regional tensions and to further disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation measures at those levels.

The Committee approved the draft resolution on 31 October without a vote.

According to draft resolution J on conventional arms control at the regional and subregional levels, the Assembly -- convinced that conventional arms control should be pursued primarily in the regional and subregional contexts since most threats to peace and security in the post-cold war era arose mainly among States located in the same region or subregion -- would decide to give urgent consideration to the issues involved.

The Assembly would request the Conference on Disarmament to consider the formulation of principles that could serve as a framework for regional agreements on conventional arms control and looked forward to a report of the Conference on this subject. It would also ask the Secretary-General to seek the views of Member States on the subject and submit a report to it at its next session.

The Committee approved the draft resolution on 31 October by a recorded vote of 138 in favour to 1 against (India), with 1 abstention. (Bhutan).

Draft resolution K on negotiations on a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons would have the Assembly recall the decision of the Conference on Disarmament to establish an ad hoc committee to negotiate a non-discriminatory, multilateral and internationally and effectively verifiable treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.

The Assembly would also urge the Conference to agree on a programme of work that included the immediate commencement of negotiations on such a treaty.

The Committee approved the draft resolution on 30 October without a vote.

According to draft resolution L on the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction (Chemical Weapons Convention), the Assembly, noting with satisfaction three additional ratifications or accessions to the Convention, would emphasize the necessity of universal adherence to the Convention and call upon all States to become States parties to the Convention without delay.

In a related provision, the Assembly would stress the vital importance of full and effective implementation of and compliance with all its provisions. It would also stress the importance of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in verifying compliance with the provisions of the Convention, as well as in promoting the timely and efficient accomplishment of all its objectives. It would urge all States parties to meet in full and on time their obligations under the Convention and to support the OPCW in its implementation activities.

The Committee approved the draft resolution on 30 October without a vote.

Under the terms of draft M on prohibition of the dumping of radioactive wastes, the Assembly would express grave concern regarding any use of nuclear wastes that would constitute radiological warfare and have grave implications for the national security of all States. It would call upon all States to prevent any dumping of nuclear or radioactive wastes that would infringe upon the sovereignty of States.

Also, the Assembly would request the Conference on Disarmament to take into account, in the negotiations for a convention on the prohibition of radiological weapons, radioactive wastes as part of the convention's scope. It would further ask it to intensify efforts towards an early conclusion of such a convention and to include in its report to the Assembly at its fifty-eighth session, the progress made in those negotiations.

The Assembly would express the hope that effective implementation of the IAEA Code of Practice on the International Transboundary Movement of Radioactive Waste would enhance the protection of all States from the dumping of radioactive wastes on their territories.

The Committee approved the draft resolution on 30 October without a vote.

By the terms of draft resolution N on the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (Ottawa Convention), the Assembly would urge all States that had signed but not ratified the Convention to ratify it without delay. It would urge all States parties to provide the Secretary-General with complete and timely information on article 7 of the Convention, concerning, among other things, national measures, in order to promote transparency and compliance with the Convention.

The Assembly would renew its call upon States and other relevant parties to work together to promote, support and advance the care, rehabilitation and social and economic integration of mine victims, mine awareness programmes, and the removal of anti-personnel mines placed throughout the world and the assurance of their destruction.

The Committee approved the draft on 31 October by a vote of 121 in favour to 0 against, with 19 abstentions.

Draft O on a path to the total elimination of nuclear weapons would have the Assembly stress the central importance of several "practical steps" for "systematic and progressive" efforts towards the elimination of nuclear weapons.

Those include further deep reductions by Russia and the United States in their strategic offensive arsenals and steps by all nuclear-weapon States leading to nuclear disarmament, the early entry into force of the CTBT, and an unequivocal undertaking by the nuclear-weapon States to accomplish their total elimination of their nuclear arsenals leading to nuclear disarmament.

Among its other provisions, the text would have the Assembly call upon all States to maintain the highest possible standards of security, safe custody, effective control and physical protection of all materials that could contribute to the proliferation of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction in order, among others, to prevent those materials from falling into the hands of terrorists.

The Committee approved the draft on 5 November by a vote of 123 in favour to 2 against (India, United States), with 20 abstentions.

By the terms of draft P on the 2005 NPT review, the Assembly would take note of the decision of the parties to the Treaty, following appropriate consultations, to hold the first meeting of the Preparatory Committee in New York from 8 to

19 April 2002, and request the Secretary-General to render the necessary assistance.

The Committee approved the draft on 30 October by a vote of 141 in favour to 1 against (India), with 3 abstentions (Cuba, Israel, Pakistan).

Draft Q on the consolidation of peace through practical disarmament measures would have the Assembly stress the particular relevance of the guidelines on conventional arms control/limitation and disarmament with a particular emphasis on consolidation of peace in the context of General Assembly resolution 51/45 N adopted by the Disarmament Commission by consensus at its 1999 substantive session.

The Assembly would take note of the report of the Secretary-General (document A/52/289) on consolidation of peace through practical disarmament and encourage Member States, as well as regional arrangements and agencies, to lend their support to the implementation of the recommendations contained therein.

It would encourage Member States, including the group of interested States, to lend their support to the Secretary-General in responding to requests by them to collect and destroy small arms and light weapons in post-conflict situations.

The Committee approved the draft resolution on 31 October without a vote.

According to draft resolution R on transparency in armaments,

the Assembly would reaffirm its determination to ensure the effective operation of the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms. It would call upon Member States, with a view towards achieving universal participation, to provide the Secretary-General by 31 May annually with the requested data and information for the Register, including nil reports if appropriate, on the continuing operation of the Register and its further development.

The Assembly would reaffirm its decision, with a view to further development of the Register, to keep the scope of and participation in the Register under review and, to that end, recall its request to Member States to provide the Secretary-General with their views on, among others, transparency measures related to weapons of mass destruction. It would request the Secretary-General, with the assistance of a group of governmental experts to be convened in 2003, to prepare a report on the Register's continuing operation.

The Committee approved the draft on 31 October by a vote of 121 in favour to none against, with 22 abstentions.

Prior to that decision, the Committee took two separate recorded votes on operative paragraphs. Operative paragraph 4 (b), which would have the Assembly request the Secretary-General to prepare a report on the Register's continuing operation and further development, with a view to a decision at its fifty-eighth session, was approved by a vote of 123 in favour to 4 against (Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria), with 13 abstentions.

Operative paragraph 6, which would have the Assembly invite the Conference on Disarmament to consider continuing its work on transparency in armaments, was approved by a vote of 123 in favour to 0 against, with 17 abstentions.

According to draft S entitled "Nuclear disarmament", the Assembly, seized of the danger of the use of weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons, in terrorist acts and the urgent need for concerted international efforts to control and overcome it, would recognize that, in view of recent political developments, the time was now opportune for all the nuclear-weapon States to take effective disarmament measures with a view to the elimination of those weapons.

The Assembly would also recognize that there was a genuine need to diminish the role of nuclear weapons in security policies to minimize the risk that those weapons would ever be used and to facilitate the process of their total elimination.

Under related provisions, the Assembly would urge the nuclear-weapon States to stop immediately the qualitative improvement, development, production and stockpiling of nuclear warheads and their delivery systems, and, as an interim measure, to de-alert and deactivate immediately their nuclear weapons and to take other concrete measures to reduce further the operational status of their nuclear weapon systems.

The Assembly would also urge those States to commence plurilateral negotiations among themselves at an appropriate stage on further deep reductions of nuclear weapons as an effective measure of nuclear disarmament. It would reiterate its call upon them to undertake the step-by-step reduction of the nuclear threat and to carry out effective nuclear disarmament measures with a view to the total elimination of those weapons.

The Assembly would further call upon the nuclear-weapon States, pending the achievement of the total elimination of nuclear weapons, to agree on an internationally and legally binding instrument on the joint undertaking not to be the first to use nuclear weapons. It would call upon all States to conclude an internationally and legally binding instrument on security assurances of non-use and non-threat of use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon States.

It would call for the immediate commencement of negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament on a non-discriminatory, multilateral and internationally and effectively verifiable treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. It would urge the Conference to agree on a programme of work that included the immediate start of negotiations on such a treaty with a view to their conclusion within five years.

The Committee approved the draft on 5 November by a vote of 90 in favour to 35 against, with 19 abstentions.

Prior to that, operative paragraph 9, which concerns the outcome of the 2000 NPT Review Conference, was approved by a vote of 132 in favour to 3 against (India, Israel, Pakistan), with 6 abstentions (Cuba, France, Monaco, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, United States).

Draft resolution T on follow-up to the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Legality of the Threat of Use of Nuclear Weapons, the Assembly would underline, once again, the unanimous conclusion of the International Court of Justice that there existed an obligation to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective control.

It would call, once again, upon all States immediately to fulfil that obligation by commencing multilateral negotiations in 2002 leading to an early conclusion of a nuclear weapons convention prohibiting the development, production, testing, deployment, stockpiling, transfer, threat or use of nuclear weapons and providing for their elimination.

The Committee approved the draft on 30 October by a vote of 99 in favour to 28 against, with 19 abstentions.

Prior to that, operative paragraph 1, which concerns the International Court of Justice conclusion on nuclear disarmament negotiation, was approved by a vote of 139 in favour to 4 against (France, Israel, Russian Federation, United States), with 2 abstentions (Federated States of Micronesia, United Kingdom).

Under draft U on the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons in all its aspects, the Assembly would decide to convene a conference no later than 2006 to review progress made in the implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects, the date and venue to be decided at its fifty-eighth session.

The Assembly would also decide to convene a meeting of States on a biennial basis, commencing in 2003, to consider national, regional and global implementation of the Programme of Action. It would call upon all States to implement it and encourage the United Nations and other appropriate international and regional organizations to undertake initiatives to promote the implementation of the Action Programme.

The Assembly would decide to consider further steps to enhance international cooperation in preventing, combating and eradicating illicit brokering in those weapons at its next session, and it would request the Secretary-General to undertake a United Nations study, commencing at the current session, to examine the feasibility of developing an international instrument to enable States to identify and trace illicit small arms and light weapons and to submit the study to the fifty-eighth session.

The Committee approved the draft resolution on 5 November without a vote.

Under draft decision B on establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia, the Assembly would decide to include that item in the provisional agenda of its next session.

The Committee approved the draft decision on 30 October without a vote.

According to draft resolution V on multilateral cooperation in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation and global efforts against terrorism, the Assembly, determined to build a common response to global threats in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation, would emphasize the progress urgently needed in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation in order to help maintain international peace and security and to contribute to global efforts against terrorism.

The Assembly would reaffirm multilateralism as a core principle in that regard, with a view to maintaining and strengthening universal norms and enlarging their scope.

In a related provision, it would call upon Member States to renew and fulfil their individual and collective commitments to multilateral cooperation as important means of pursuing and achieving their common objectives in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation. It would emphasize that progress towards the achievement of disarmament and non-proliferation objectives was urgently essential to maintaining peace and security and contributed to global efforts against terrorism.

The Assembly would reaffirm multilateralism as an enduring principle in negotiations in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation with a view to maintaining and strengthening universal norms and enlarging their scope. It would call upon Member States to renew their individual and collective commitments to multilateral cooperation as an important means of pursuing and achieving their common objectives in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation.

The Committee approved the draft resolution on 6 November without a vote.

By the terms of draft W on assistance to States for curbing the illicit traffic in small arms and collecting them, the Assembly would encourage the establishment in the countries of the Sahelo-Saharan subregion of national commissions to combat the proliferation of small arms, and invite the international community to lend its support wherever possible to ensure the smooth functioning of those commissions.

It would welcome the Declaration of a Moratorium on the Importation, Exportation and Manufacture of Small Arms and Light Weapons in West Africa, which was adopted by the Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Abuja on 31 October 1998, and encourage the international community to support its implementation.

By a related term, the Assembly would note with satisfaction the declaration of the African Ministerial Conference on Security, Stability, Development and Cooperation on the Continent held in Abuja on 9 May 2000. It would encourage the Secretary-General to pursue his action in the context of the implementation of resolution 49/75 G of 15 December 1994 and the recommendations of the United Nations advisory missions, aimed at curbing the illicit circulation of small arms and collecting such arms in the affected States which so requested, with the support of the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Africa and in close cooperation with the OAU.

The Committee approved the draft resolution on 31 October without a vote.

Draft decision C on convening a United Nations conference to eliminate nuclear dangers, the Assembly would include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-seventh session an item entitled “United Nations conference to identify ways of eliminating nuclear dangers in the context of nuclear disarmament”.

The Committee approved the draft on 5 November by a vote of 101 in favour to 7 against and 34 abstentions.

The report on review and implementation of the Concluding Document of the Twelfth Special Session of the General Assembly (document A/56/537) contains six draft resolutions.

By the first, draft A, on regional confidence-building measures: activities of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa, the Assembly would emphasize the need to make the early-warning mechanism in Central Africa operational, so that it would serve as an instrument for analyzing and monitoring the political situations in the States members of the Committee with a view to preventing the outbreak of future armed conflicts, and as a technical body through which the Member States would carry out the Committee's 1992 programme of work.

In a related provision, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to continue to provide increased assistance to the countries of Central Africa for coping with the problems of refugees and displaced persons in their territories.

The Assembly would further request the Secretary-General to support the establishment of network of parliamentarians with a view to the creation of a subregional parliament in Central Africa. It would appeal to Member States and to governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to contribute to the Advisory Committee's trust fund.

The Committee approved the draft resolution on 5 November without a vote.

By the terms of draft B on a convention banning the use of nuclear weapons, the Assembly, convinced that the use of those weapons poses the most serious threat to the survival of mankind, would reiterate its request to the Conference on Disarmament to commence negotiations in order to reach agreement on an international co

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