PRESS RELEASE
MALAYSIA ASSUMES THE PRESIDENCY OF
THE CONFERENCE ON DISARMAMENT
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
20 AUGUST 2014
The Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the United Nations Office and other International Organisations at Geneva, Ambassador Dato’ Mazlan Muhammad assumed the Presidency of the Conference on Disarmament (CD) on 18 August 2014.
In his opening remarks to the Conference, H.E. Dato’ Mazlan stated that his focus, as the last President of the 2014 session, would be to negotiate and finalise the report of the Conference to the UN General Assembly. He commented, inter alia, on the current situation in the Conference, in particular the current inability of the Conference, as the single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum of the international community, to negotiate on disarmament treaties for the past 17 years.
He reiterated that Malaysia’s priority in the Conference is nuclear disarmament as this weapon constitutes a grave danger to humanity. He also called on the Conference to immediately start negotiations on a nuclear weapons convention.
This is the second time that Malaysia has assumed the Presidency since joining the Conference on Disarmament in 1999.
PUTRAJAYA
21 August 2014