CP/RES. 843 (1365/03)

EXTENSION OF THE DEADLINE FOR HOLDING THE SPECIAL CONFERENCE ON SECURITY

THE PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES,

RECALLING:

The mandate of our Heads of State and Government emanating from the Second Summit of the Americas, held in Santiago, to “[t]o follow up on and expand topics relating to confidence- and security-building measures;……[a]nalyze the meaning, scope, and implications of international security concepts in the Hemisphere, with a view to developing the most appropriate common approaches by which to manage their various aspects, including disarmament and arms control…and…[p]inpoint ways to revitalize and strengthen the institutions of the Inter-American System related to the various aspects of Hemispheric Security” a process that must lead to a Special Conference on Security under the aegis of the OAS;

The mandate of the Third Summit of the Americas, held in Quebec, to hold a Special Conference on Security, upon conclusion by the OAS Permanent Council’s Committee on Hemispheric Security of the review of all issues related to approaches to international security in the Hemisphere;

That under resolution RC.23/RES.1/01 corr. 1, the Twenty-third Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs instructed the Committee on Hemispheric Security to expedite its work with a view to holding the Special Conference on Security;

That under resolution AG/RES. 1908 (XXXII-O/02) the thirty-second regular session of the OAS General Assembly resolved to convene the Special Conference on Security, to be held in the first fortnight of May 2003, and to accept the offer by the Government of Mexico to host the Special Conference on Security in that country; and

That, further, under that resolution, the General Assembly resolved to instruct the Permanent Council, through its Committee on Hemispheric Security, to prepare the recommendations for that Special Conference on all pertinent matters, as well as the draft agenda, the draft rules of procedure, and the draft final documents of the Conference;

HAVING SEEN the Report of the Chair of the Committee on Hemispheric Security on the draft agenda and the draft rules of procedure for the Conference and adoption of them at the Permanent Council meeting held on April 3, 2003; and

TAKING NOTE of communication OEA-00906 of April 11, 2003 from the Permanent Representative of Mexico (CP/doc.3725/03) concerning the proposal to extend the preparatory period for the Conference to enable the preparatory body to reach the necessary understanding to ensure that the results of the Conference are what member states wish for, in which proposal the Government of Mexico, the host country for the Conference, proposes postponing it until October this year, at a date to be determined,

RESOLVES:

1.     To recommend to the General Assembly that the Special Conference on Security be held in Mexico in the last quarter of 2003, on a date to be determined taking into consideration the date of the Special Summit of the Americas.

2.     To instruct the Committee on Hemispheric Security, in its capacity as preparatory body of the Conference, to continue organizing the Conference in compliance with General Assembly resolution AG/RES. 1908 (XXXII-O/02).

3.     To report to the General Assembly at its thirty-third regular session on the status of preparations for the Conference.