U.S. Dept. of State - IIP: The United States and China

TEXT: U.S. RESPONDS TO CHINESE CRITICISM OF NATO ACTION IN KOSOVO
(PRC "wrong" to accuse NATO of creating humanitarian crisis)
Geneva -- Ambassador Robert T. Grey Jr., U.S. Representative to the Conference on Disarmament, declared June 3 that China is quite simply "wrong" to accuse NATO of creating the humanitarian crisis in Kosovo.
Addressing a plenary session of the Conference on Disarmament (CD), Grey responded to criticisms of the NATO action against Serbia made by the China's representative to the CD during the previous two sessions. Beijing has used the Conference as a forum to condemn the NATO operation, accusing the alliance of "outright military intervention against a sovereign state" and blaming it for sparking the humanitarian crisis.
"That's wrong," Grey said. "Let's get the sequence right: it was not NATO actions that brought about the humanitarian crisis in the region; it was the humanitarian crisis, generated through the deliberate and inhumane policies of the Serbian government, that brought about NATO actions."
"I note that the Chinese statements did not mention the hundreds of thousands of refugees made homeless and worse by those appalling policies," Grey continued. "Similarly China's statements did not recognize or appreciate the humanitarian impulses which brought about NATO actions in the region, nor the fact that many world leaders have supported those actions and lauded the principled stand taken by NATO countries."
Grey urged the CD, which is the world's principal multilateral disarmament body, to "focus on the business at hand," and to proceed to negotiations on a ban on the production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons or other explosive devices.
"It would be both wise and prudent to leave alone the larger political issue which are not within this Conference's mandate," he said.
Grey also took the opportunity to comment on Chinese claims that the United States has breached the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty by "announcing its decision to accelerate the research and development of missile defense systems."
"This is not correct," he said. "This research and development does not conflict with ABM treaty provisions. As for deployment, the U.S. will not make a decision until the year 2000 or thereafter. In any event, the ABM treaty remains a cornerstone of strategic stability for the U.S., and we are committed to continued efforts to strengthen the treaty and to enhance its viability and effectiveness."
The following is the text of Ambassador Grey's statement:
(begin text)
Mr. President, at the outset, may I express my personal pleasure and that of my delegation on your assumption of the presidency of the Conference. We look forward to working with you as you carry out the vital task of getting the CD back to work, a task in which I can assure you of our full support.
Mr. President, I am taking the floor today to respond to certain political issues raised by the distinguished representative of China during his last two plenary interventions. In his statements, he raised the issue of military actions taking place in Serbia. He condemned NATO for "outright military intervention against a sovereign state" and accused it of creating the humanitarian crisis in the region. That's wrong. Let's get the sequence right: it was not NATO actions that brought about the humanitarian crisis in the region; it was the humanitarian crisis, generated through the deliberate and inhumane policies of the Serbian government, that brought about NATO actions. I note that the Chinese statements did not mention the hundreds of thousands of refugees made homeless and worse by those appalling policies. Similarly, China's statements did not recognize or appreciate the humanitarian impulses which brought about NATO actions in the region, nor the fact that many world leaders have supported those actions and lauded the principled stand taken by NATO countries.
Since the last Chinese statement on May 27, the UN War Crimes Tribunal has indicted the leader of Serbia for war crimes and has issued arrest warrants for him and three other senior Serbian officials. This indictment stands as one of the strongest affirmations to date for the actions undertaken by NATO countries to end the humanitarian crisis caused by Serbian policies. The indictment firmly upholds the principle that states do not have the right to act with impunity in ways that violate humanitarian law and the human rights of their own or others' citizens, a principle that the United States has always supported, and which it will continue to support. As a citizen of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, I note that this is what Lexington, Saratoga and Gettysburg were all about, and this is worth recalling especially today.
On another topic, the Chinese statement claimed that the United States has breached the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty by "announcing its decision to accelerate the research and development of missile defense systems." This is not correct. This research and development does not conflict with ABM treaty provisions. As for deployment, the U.S. will not make a decision until the year 2000 or thereafter. In any event, the ABM treaty remains a cornerstone of strategic stability for the U.S., and we are committed to continued efforts to strengthen the treaty and to enhance its viability and effectiveness.
Mr. President, further strategic stability could be achieved were this Conference to proceed to negotiate a ban on the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other explosive devices. All UN member states and NPT parties are committed to this task. It serves no purpose to create linkages which suggest that all the items we are considering have equal support in the CD. This is not conducive either to the Conference's work or to its reputation as an effective multilateral negotiating body. The Conference should focus on the business at hand and do what we have all agreed to do. It would be both wise and prudent to leave alone the larger political issues which are not within this Conference's mandate. This has traditionally been the spirit in which the CD has worked to achieve the multilateral negotiating goals desired by the international community. I hope we can proceed in this spirit now and get back to work.
Thank you, Mr. President.
(end text)

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