TEHRAN - Iran's permanent representative to the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, Esmaeil Baghaei Hamaneh, has stressed the need for a “strong political resolve” to help the Conference on Disarmament (CD) achieve its purposes and fulfill its duties.

Speaking at online meeting of the conference on Thursday, Baghaei Hamaneh noted Iran believes that it is extremely important to strengthen the role and status of the conference as the only multilateral forum established to negotiate arms control and disarmament agreements.
“We need strong political determination to help the Conference on Disarmament to fulfill its negotiating duties and resume its main activity for creating the legal binding tools,” he remarked.

The Iranian envoy also deplored “lack of political resolve” by certain delegations which seek to turn the conference into a consultative body.

The Conference on Disarmament was recognized by the 10th Special Session on Disarmament of the UN General Assembly in 1978 as a single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum of the international community.

The conference primarily focuses its attention on cessation of the nuclear arms race and nuclear disarmament, prevention of nuclear war, including all related matters, and prevention of an arms race in outer space.

The conference is comprised of 65 member states, including the five NPT nuclear-weapon states and 60 other states of key military significance.

EE/PA