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07Nov19

UN First Committee almost unanimously supports Russian-backed arms control resolution

The UN General Assembly's First Committee in charge of disarmament issues has almost unanimously supported a Russia-initiated draft resolution on strengthening the international system of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferaton treaties.

A total of 174 delegations, including the United States, voted in favor of the document, co-authored by Russia and nine other countries. No one voted against. Five nations - Ukraine, Georgia, Sudan, Palau and Colombia abstained, a TASS correspondent reported.

Russia identified the adoption of the document, drafted after the termination of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), as one of its priorities for the 74th UN General Assembly session. The document suggests examining the negative consequences of undermining the treaties and accords on arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation.

The resolution welcomes the UN role in assisting negotiations on this issue. It also requests the UN Secretary General to continue his assistance, which may be necessary for protecting the integrity of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation treaties and for reinforcing the system of such treaties.

The resolution, approved by the First Committee, will be brought before the UN General Assembly during a plenary session in December.

Vladimir Yermakov, the director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's non-proliferation and arms control department, earlier described the document as "a very serious instrument that will help resolve real problems."

According to the Russian diplomat, the document has no specifics as to the types of weapons to be reduced, because "it is a subject of a separate discussion."

"United Nations resolutions cannot be that specific," he said, adding that "any specifics are a subject of legally binding agreements between concrete states."

"They (resolutions - TASS) have political nature and are geared to create favorable atmosphere in the area of arms control," Yermakov added.

[Source: Tass, United Nations, 07Nov19]
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