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Pakistan Supports International Effort to Prevent an Arms Race in Outer Space
 
TEHMINA JANJUA (Pakistan) said that the growing dependence of the international community on outer space, as well as its immense potential for communications technologies and their impact on communities around the globe, showed that the peaceful use of outer space was in the interest of all mankind. Concerns about the weaponization of outer space were growing, however, and the consequences if they failed to prevent weaponization in outer space were immense. The Conference on Disarmament was the sole negotiating disarmament forum and had the duty to address this issue. The multilateral agreements in place did not fully address the gravity of the issue, and did not fully take into account advances that had taken place. There was a need for a new legal instrument to fill those gaps. Pakistan thanked China and Russia for the working paper compiling the discussion on this issue in the Conference. Indeed, the documentation available on the issue was impressive; there was sufficient material to commence negotiations on a treaty to prevent an arms race in outer space. Finally, she recalled that General Assembly resolution 61/58 once again called on the Conference to establish an ad hoc committee to draft a multilateral treaty to prevent of an arms race in outer space. Pakistan's wish was that the Conference begin work on the prevention of an arms race in outer space in all earnestness.

United Nations - Conference on Disarmament. "Conference on Disarmament Hears Statements from 17 States on Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space." . February 13, 2007.

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