Mr Chairman,
Sweden has the honour to present the draft resolution L.37 on the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects. I do so together with Pakistan, as the Chairman of the Meeting of States Parties in 2008, Switzerland, as the President of the Tenth Conference of Contracting Parties to Amended Protocol II and Lithuania, as the President of the Second Conference of Contracting Parties to Protocol V, all in 2008. I would like to take this opportunity also to extend our thanks to the three Ambassadors who have generously taken their time and valuable experience to serve as officials of these meetings.
The purpose of the CCW is to ban or restrict the use of certain specific types of weapons that cause excessive injury or unnecessary suffering to combatants or affect civilians indiscriminately. The Convention forms an essential and integral part of international law applicable to armed conflict. It is designed to provide a framework within which humanitarian concerns regarding conventional weapons can be dealt with. We need the CCW to be a dynamic instrument responding to urgent humanitarian challenges before us. With the adoption and entry into force of Protocol V on Explosive Remnants of War in November 2006, the CCW showed that it is a living and important instrument of international humanitarian law.
Today the CCW has some 110 States parties. The number of States Parties to the Convention continues to increase, but it still falls short of achieving universal membership. Let me take this opportunity to express my hope that the countries that have not yet joined the Convention will find it in their interest to do so, and become parties to the Convention and its Protocols, including the important amendment that extends the scope of the Convention to include situations of non-international conflict.
The purpose of the resolution which I introduce today, is to continue to express support for the CCW, with particular focus on the universalization of the Convention and its Protocols. The text of the resolution also reflects the ongoing work within the framework of the Convention since the adoption of last year’s resolution. It is an expression of support for the CCW as an important international humanitarian law instrument. However, the resolution does not pronounce itself on the substance of issues being discussed in the various expert groups, and it does not prejudge the outcomes of any future discussions among States Parties. The specific substantive issues will, of course, have to be addressed by the States Parties at their forthcoming meetings, including at the Meetings of State Parties in November this year.
In conclusion, I wish to express our sincere hope that the draft resolution, as in previous years, can be adopted without a vote.
Thank you, Mr Chairman.