Statements and Speeches by Ministry Representatives 2006

3rd Review Conference of the Convention on Conventional Weapons

Closing statement by New Zealand, 17 November 2006

Mr President,

I would like to sincerely thank both you and your team for your tireless efforts over the last two weeks.

The humanitarian concerns posed by cluster munitions have rightly been a key focus of this conference. We have been very pleased to see increased momentum towards the negotiation of a legally binding instrument, as evidenced by the support of 27 countries for the mandate that my country proposed with five others in September. Against this groundswell of support, we are very disappointed that States were not able to agree anything more ambitious than a discussion mandate at this meeting. New Zealand stands behind the political declaration read out by Sweden just a few minutes ago. We remain convinced that the humanitarian concerns posed by cluster munitions must be addressed urgently, and we are committed to pursuing effective action towards that end.

Mr President,

New Zealand also deeply regrets that exhaustive efforts to conclude a protocol on MOTAPM over the last five years have not ultimately proved successful. New Zealand has ascribed to the declaration read out by Denmark, and fully intends as a matter of policy to take steps on a national basis to mitigate the humanitarian impact of these weapons. We encourage other States to take similar steps.

Thank you.

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