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Statements in International Organisations

12.02.2008

Special Session of the Preparatory Commission for the CTBTO (Vienna)

Statement by Slovenia on behalf of the European Union (Appointments and Elections)

1. I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Candidate Countries Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia1 and Turkey, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, the EFTA countries Iceland and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Moldova, associate themselves with this statement.

 

Madame Chairperson,

2. The EU would like to express appreciation to Ambassador Abdulkadir Bin Rimdap for his dedicated Chairmanship of Working Group A for the past two years. We welcome his personal commitment to the Preparatory Commission and his determination to take forward its work.

3. We reiterate, as we have said at previous PrepCom sessions, the importance we attach to the view that the Chairs of PMOs should come from ratifying States which have met their financial obligations in full.

4. The EU welcomed the assurances given to the Preparatory Commission last November by the Permanent Mission of Nigeria of Nigeria’s strong commitment to the aims and objectives of the Commission; and its assurance that arrangements were being made to settle all outstanding contributions due to the Commission.

5. We note with great satisfaction, that the general trend is that an increasing number of States Signatories are fully paying their assessed contributions. The number of States Signatories that have fully paid their 2007 contributions as of 4 February 2008 came to 101. It represents a 26.25 % increase compared to the number of States having fully paid for 2006 as of 4 February 2007, which had come to 80.  We warmly welcome this very positive trend: it is a reaffirmation of commitment to the Treaty by a high number of State Signatories and is a result of the efforts of the Executive Secretary.

 

Madame Chairperson,

6. We believe that further postponement of decisions on the appointments and elections would not serve the wider interests of the Preparatory Commission. We have a great deal of important work before us this year: the timely completion of the IMS; its maintenance, testing and effective provisional operation; and the development of the OSI regime through a successful IFE08, are amongst the Commission’s priorities. For its part, Working Group A will need to address funding shortfalls and the uncertainties over payments which cause much disruption to the work of the Secretariat.

7. For these reasons the EU agrees to the proposed appointments and elections. We, however, strongly hope that Nigeria and all other States with outstanding contributions will join the growing number of States Signatories, which regularly meet their financial obligations. We look forward to working with all States Signatories on our common goals within the Preparatory Commission.

 

Madame Chairperson,

8. The EU would like to use this opportunity to commend Bahamas, Barbados, Malaysia and Colombia for the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban-Treaty after the last PrepCom. With their ratifications these countries expressed their full commitment to the goals of the Treaty. The EU believes that these moves will encourage other countries to ratify.  We warmly welcome in particular the recent Colombian ratification which brings the Treaty closer to its entry into force and express hope that the remaining nine Annex 2 States will follow her example.

Thank you, Madame Chairperson!

[1] Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

 

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Date: 07.05.2008