UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- The U.N. Security Council Friday discussed cooperation among the panel of 15, other U.N. member states and international organizations in implementing resolutions to rein in the threat of weapons of mass destruction.
It came in a week when most of the attention was focused on the capabilities of Iran and North Korea to produce the most destructive: nuclear weapons.
The debate in the council was sought by Slovakia, this month's president of the panel and chair of what is known at U.N. World Headquarters in New York as the 1540 Committee, named after the number of the 2004 council resolution establishing it.
Ambassador Peter Burian of Slovakia said in a Feb. 12 letter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, their means of delivery and related materials constitute a threat to international peace and security, the council's mandate.
He said results so far indicate Resolution 1540 will not be fully and universally implemented when the existing mandate expires in April 2008.
The ambassador pointed out the threat has been addressed by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and the Chemical Weapons Convention.
But, Burian also wants an exchange of information on adherence to, as well as the national implementation of, such instruments.
The Bratislava envoy said they were far from providing a universal and fool-proof net aimed at preventing WMDs and their delivery. So he asked for what is called a debate on WMDs, the alleged existence of which in Iraq was one of the excuses proffered by Washington for the 2003 invasion of Iraq and subsequent war.
The council debate in reality was a parade of envoys telling what their country had done to comply with the various measures.
Resolution 1540 was adopted as the first international instrument that deals with the issue in an integrated and comprehensive manner, Burian said.
The ambassador said the resolution's binding obligations were for all states and were aimed at preventing and deterring illicit access to such weapons and weapon-related materials. It asked all states to report on measures they have taken or intend to take to implement the resolution.
So far, 135 U.N. countries and one organization have submitted their first national reports to Burian's committee, he said. Out of that total 85 have provided additional information at the request of the panel, but there are still 58 countries that have yet to submit their first report.
Some have not been able to do so because of a lack of resources; it has long been understood, rather than willfully ignoring the measure
After the mandate was extended in April 2006 under Resolution 1673, the 1540 Committee substantially widened and intensified its regional and sub-regional outreach activities. The main purpose was to provide guidance to states for preparing and submitting national reports and fully implementing their obligations, Burian said.
However, Slovakia's ambassador said there were limits to the committee since it does not have a mandate to provide assistance directly to member states other than by offering the help of an expert group regarding some of the tasks related to implementation of Resolution 1540, such as on reporting to the panel.
The 1540 Committee is trying to assist those that could benefit from such help.
The International Atomic Energy Agency and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons have taken on heavy responsibility in helping implementation of the resolution's provisions, Burian said.
The chairman of the committee said he also met with representatives of Interpol, the World Customs Organization and the U.N. Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute and discussed possible ways of interaction and cooperation between those organizations and his panel to aid in implementation.
A phase of promotion of the aims of the two resolutions noted as "outreach" must be followed by the phase of "assistance" in implementation of all aspects of the two resolutions he said.
"This task is too complex to be fulfilled by a single U.N. Security Council subsidiary body," he said, adding: "Therefore, cooperation among, and even coordination of, some activities of various international, regional and sub-regional bodies should be put into practice."
Admitting his motivation in seeking the debate, Burian said it was to share experience and lessons learned with an eye to providing assistance to those states which have not yet submitted their national reports.
It was also for those with the most serious gaps in their national legislation, to discuss the areas of cooperation with those organizations that are directly involved in the resolution and regularly participate in outreach activities of the committee, he said.
"We had a very useful and productive discussion," Burian told reporters afterward. "This was the first debate of this kind."
He added the discussion means, "We are opening the door for constructive and more concrete cooperation and maybe even a division of labor and synergy between the" organizations involved.
