UN: Statement by Ambassador Kahiluoto on behalf of EU on the draft BTWC resolution

United Nations General Assembly
61st Session, First Committee

Statement by Ambassador Kari Kahiluoto, Finland,
on behalf of the European Union

On the draft resolution on “Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction “

New York, 23 October 2006

Madam Chair,

I am speaking on behalf of the European Union on draft resolution L.27 entitled “Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction”. The Acceding Countries Bulgaria and Romania, the Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and the EFTA country Iceland, member of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine align themselves with this declaration. 

The objective of the EU is to strengthen further the Convention. The EU will promote this objective by actively working towards a successful outcome of the Review Conference later this year. For these purposes, the EU will, inter alia, contribute to a full review of the operation of the Convention, promote efforts to enhance transparency through an increased exchange of information among States Parties, support further action being taken on the results of the intersessional work, and support a further intersessional work programme until the Seventh Review Conference that should be held no later than 2011. The EU has submitted working papers where our views and suggestions are elaborated in detail.

The EU welcomes the positive outcome of the Preparatory Committee meeting in April and looks forward to a succesful Review Conference with sustantive results.

I thank you, Madam Chair.