CTBTO Spectrum - December 2002 Issue 1 - Comprehensive ...

Commission updateReport on theNovember 2002sessionProfile of theChairperson of thePreparatory CommissionThe Preparatory Commission for theComprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban TreatyOrganization (CTBTO) held itsNineteenth Session on 11–15 November2002 in Vienna under the chairmanshipof Ambassador Liviu Aurelian Bota ofRomania. Seventy-five Member Statesand one observer attended the session.The report of the ExecutiveSecretaryMr. Wolfgang Hoffmann, ExecutiveSecretary of the CTBTO PreparatoryCommission, reported in detail on theprogress achieved in the implementationof all Major Programmes of thePreparatory Commission. He pointedout that as of 8 November 2002, 63States Signatories had paid theirassessed contributions in full and 18States Signatories had made partialpayments, which resulted in a collectionrate of 88,7% of the 2002 assessment ofUS$ 83 091 100.In international cooperation, Mr.Hoffmann mentioned inter alia thevoluntary contribution by theNetherlands for the year 2003 and theholding of a training course by Japan incooperation with the ProvisionalTechnical Secretariat. These voluntarycontributions by Member States arewelcomed as positive signals for thecontinuing support of ProvisionalTechnical Secretariat programmes andactivities.The plenary debateThe main focus of the plenary debatewas on budgetary issues. Member Statescongratulated Niger and Botswana ontheir ratification of the ComprehensiveNuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. SeveralMember States expressed theirappreciation for the signing of therelationship agreement between theCommission and the Agency for theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons in LatinAmerica and the Caribbean (OPANAL).Further negotiations on possiblecooperation agreements with otherNuclear Weapon Free Zoneorganizations were encouraged.ConclusionsThe Commission approved the budgetfor 2003 amounting to US$ 88 581 700.As an indication of the maturity of theorganization, the Member Statesdecided, on a trial basis, to reduce theannual number of Commission sessionsto two in 2003. Ambassador JavierPaulinich of Peru was elected as thenext chairman of the Commission forthe first half of 2003. Support wasexpressed for the convening of anotherConference on Facilitating the Entryinto Force of the ComprehensiveNuclear-Test-Ban Treaty in 2003 and forthe continuing build-up of the globalverification system.Ambassador Liviu Aurelian Bota,Permanent Representative of Romaniato the International Organizations inVienna, has served as Chairman of thePreparatory Commission for the secondhalf of 2002.Mr. Bota joined the diplomaticservice in 1961 and spent several yearsas a member of the Permanent Missionof Romania to the United Nations inNew York.He also held several high-rankingpositions in the United Nations system,including Director of the UnitedNations Institute for DisarmamentResearch (UNIDIR) in Geneva, SeniorAdvisor to the Undersecretary-Generalfor Human Rights in Geneva and Headof the United Nations Mission ofObservers to Tajikistan (UNMOT) andGeorgia (UNOMIG).In 2001 he served as Chairman ofthe Permanent Council of theOrganization for Security andCooperation in Europe.PAGE 4CTBTO SPECTRUM 1 | WWW.CTBTO.ORG