UN disarmament talks a bust

UN disarmament talks a bust

GENEVA (AFP): The UN Conference on Disarmament has wound up nine weeks of talks here without any glimpse of negotiation on any item on the agenda, including the demilitarization of space.

The conference's 66 members, who will resume talks in May, have been looking for a way to conduct negotiations on a number of tricky questions for three years.

As well as the nonmilitary use of space, they also face negotiating a treaty banning fissile material and general disarmament agreements.

Since the new U.S. administration's arrival in January, Washington has underlined its plans for a national missile defense initiative, despite opposition from China, Russia and a number of European states.

The plans have effectively held up all other negotiations at the conference, the international community's sole multilateral negotiating forum on disarmament, despite appeals by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

The conference is due to resume its work from May 14 until June 29, and will hold a third session from July to September.