– HYPERLINK http://www.upi.com/International_Intelligence/Analysis/2007/04/11/analysis_un_debates_nuclear_disarmament/ \o Analysis: U.N. debates nuclear disarmament Analysis: U.N. debates nuclear disarmament William M. Reilly April 11, 2007 United Press International Original Source: http://www.upi.com/International_Intelligence/Analysis/2007/04/11/analysis_un_debates_nuclear_disarmament/ With Iran moving at a gallop to enrich uranium for nuclear fuel and North Korea pulling back on the reins to slow its pace in developing nuclear weapons, the U.N. Disarmament Commission met this week with a predictable yet telling exchange of views. It was, after all, the opening of the panel's 2007 session expected to last until April 27. It is the second session in a three-year cycle. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Monday said setbacks in the disarmament field seemed to have become the norm rather than an exception and sought renewed multilateral attention, understanding and cooperation. He said only a collective, multilateral approach could effectively eliminate the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction or check the spread of conventional ones. Commission Chairman Elbio Roselli of Uruguay said the commission was a deliberative body as good or as limited as its members would wish. The opening session showed the developed world was more concerned with nuclear weapons while developing nations feared conventional ones. Speaking for the European Union, Germany's representative, Bernhard Brasack, said Roselli must ensure our work is not hijacked by the actions and policies of a country that defies the Security Council, and to lay the foundation for restoring the damaged image of this body. Brasack was clearly referring to Iran ignoring U.N. Security Council resolutions to end uranium enrichment, and the damaged-image reference was to the election of Iran's Mohsen Naziri as the commission's vice chairman. Adiyatwidi Adiwoso Asmady of Indonesia, speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, said she supported practical confidence-building measures in the field of conventional arms as a way to strengthen international peace and security. Since World War II, she said, millions had lost their lives in numerous conflicts fought with conventional weapons. John Bravaco of the United States said the drafting of consensus recommendations would be a difficult enterprise, especially at a time of heightened international tension brought about by Iran's defiance of the international community as it pursued a nuclear-weapons capability in violation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, International Atomic Energy Agency obligations and U.N. resolutions. While the United States recognized Iran's right to peaceful, civil nuclear energy under relevant NPT articles, that right came with several responsibilities, he said. Paramount among them was an obligation to forgo the pursuit of a nuclear-weapons capability. Iran's failure to comply with that basic obligation represented a grave threat to global proliferation and disarmament efforts. He also said Iran's vice chairmanship of the commission threatened the credibility and efficacy of multilateral efforts to ensure global peace and security. By allowing Iran to serve as vice chair of this commission, we are undermining UNDC's legitimacy and endangering our success, Bravaco said. Seyed Ali Robatjazi of Iran said the U.S. representative failed to respect the established practice of the U.N. system. He explained Tehran got the position because 54 countries of the Asian Group had endorsed the commission's vice chairmanship for Iran. Robatjazi said Bravaco was trying to create a smoke screen to distract from its abysmal record in the nuclear disarmament field. Tehran's envoy gave what he said were examples of non-compliance with the NPT by the United States, which he called a self-proclaimed champion of compliance. Among other things, Tehran's representative said, the United States had developed a new nuclear-weapons system; replaced the principle of destruction with the policy of decommissioning; abrogated the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty; continued the deployment of nuclear forces in other territories; signed an agreement of nuclear cooperation with Israel, whose nuclear arsenal represented the greatest threat to peace in the Middle East; and rejected the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. On the other hand, he insisted Iran's nuclear program was completely peaceful. Ambassador Munir Akram of Pakistan told the Tuesday session, The danger of the use of nuclear weapons today is as high as at any time during the Cold War due to a failure of political will to advance on the disarmament and non-proliferation agenda. The consensus on disarmament and non-proliferation broke down due to several negative developments, especially since none of the five original nuclear-weapons states appeared ready to foreswear nuclear weapons, and some of them were seeking to develop new nuclear weapons -- meaning the United States. North Korean representative Pak Gil Yon said the nuclear issue of the Korean peninsula was a direct product of the hostile policy of the United States towards his country. Since the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush had designated the country part of the axis of evil, an outpost of tyranny and threatened it with a pre-emptive nuclear strike, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea had no choice but to make nuclear weapons, and it had successfully carried out a nuclear test last October, he said. This is a reasonable exercise of the sovereign right to defend the territory and population and social system from foreign attack and invasion, Pak said. The commission adjourned Tuesday evening without setting a date for its next meeting.