Norwegian proposals to strengthen UN disarmament efforts

At the opening of an international meeting at the Lysebu Conference Centre in Oslo on Monday, State Secretary, Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Traavik of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasised the importance of the UN in international disarmament and non-proliferation efforts. This was why Norway circulated recommendations with a view to revitalising disarmament efforts in connection with the UN General Assembly in New York this autumn. The proposals were welcomed in many quarters. Mr Traavik said that Norway’s proposals fit well with Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s thoughts on reform of the UN’s work in the light of the security threats we are facing today.

New security threats such as the danger that terrorists and rogue regimes will be able to acquire weapons of mass destruction mean that it is imperative to make our efforts more efficient, Mr Traavik said. New progress in disarmament efforts is also important to reduce the risk that such weapons fall into the wrong hands. In his view, while political will is of course vital for bringing about international disarmament, it is also important to ensure that the UN is organised in a way that as far as possible promotes our objectives.

Mr Traavik also stressed that Norway considers international disarmament and non-proliferation efforts to be essential. Bilateral and other more limited agreements cannot fully replace agreements that are intended to include a large number of countries.

The purpose of the Lysebu meeting is to continue work on the Norwegian proposals.

Nineteen countries from all UN regional groupings are represented at the two-day meeting.