News

On 24 October Lithuania’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dalius Čekuolis took part in the UN General Assembly 62nd session’s Disarmament and International Security Committee’s (First Committee) discussions on the conventional weapons and urged the international community to help the states to fulfill their commitments on destruction of stockpiled anti-personnel landmines under the Mine Ban Convention.

“Though the fulfilment of the commitments under the Convention lies within each state’s responsibility the injured states may and should receive help with this heavy burden  through international and regional cooperation and assistance instruments,” D. Čekuolis said.

The Mine Ban Convention stipulates the 4 years period for the states parties to destroy all stockpiled anti-personnel mines they own or possess and does not provide for prolongation of this period. Currently 12 states with Afghanistan, Belarus and Ukraine among them are to destroy their stockpiled anti-personnel mines and international community’s assistance is necessary for this. Lithuania destroyed its last stockpiled landmines in 2004 and in November 2007 Lithuania together with Serbia will take over the chairmanship of the Mine Ban Treaty’s Standing Committee on Stockpile Destruction.  

Ambassador D. Čekuolis also confirmed Lithuania’s support to ban on cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilian populations. Ambassador also expressed hope that until 2008 the states succeed to agree an international obligatory document imposing this ban.

Lithuania’s Permanent Representative also drew attention to the importance of implementation of the UN Convention on Conventional Weapons and its Protocol on Explosive Remnants of War and this Convention’s promotion program and encouragement of cooperation in prevention of illicit trade in small arms.

The First Committee meets every year for one month and discusses the issues that top the international security agenda – weapons of mass destruction and conventional weapons, transparency and trust measures, prevention of arms race in space, disarmament and nonproliferation principles and mechanisms.