COPUOS/T.551
Page 3
Mr. Abiodun, for his wisdom and experience went a
long way towards letting this important body be very
successful over the past two years.
As many of the speakers noted before me, this
year, we have celebrated the forty-fifth anniversary of
the first manned mission into outer space. In that
connection, I would like to congratulate our colleagues
and good neighbours, the delegations of Kazakhstan
and Ukraine, whose representatives made a direct and
extremely contribution to the historic spaceflight by
Yuri Gagarin.
Furthermore, I would like to congratulate the
representatives of the United States of America on the
occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the first
Shuttle mission into outer space.
Mr. Chairman, the Russian Federation has
traditionally, and consistently, come out for dialogue
on all issues pertaining to international cooperation in
the exploration and the use of outer space. We proceed
from the conviction that multilateral coordination of
space activities strengthens the mutual trust among
States, promotes interaction among them in other areas
of international cooperation as well.
We believe that
the United Nations
Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space has
the greatest potential for tackling the issues of space
cooperation which are of common interest to all States.
Unfortunately, we have to note that recently we have
heard more and more alarming trends which might
eventually result in the deployment of weapons in outer
space and that would ineluctably lead to suspicion and
tension among States and would destroy the climate of
trust and cooperation in space exploration.
In that context, we have strongly come out for
stepping up the debate on maintaining outer space for
peaceful purposes within the framework of this
Committee.
Mr. Chairman, the role of COPUOS in
developing and adopting international legal
instruments underlining international space law is
unquestionable. This largely has to do with the
Committee’s tradition of always looking for
compromise. The result of that, first and foremost, is
the fact that, from its very inception, and until the
present time, the Committee has worked and has made
decisions on the basis of consensus. Furthermore, the
United Nations was the organizer of three global fora
specifically on international cooperation in the
exploration and use of outer space. The changes that
have occurred in recent years, serious changes, in the
nature of space actors and the kinds of space activities
they pursue, have highlighted the existing lacunae in
international space law which have a negative impact
on the further development of human activities in outer
space. This, coupled with the increased negative
effects of man’s activity on outer space environment,
point to the need to further strengthen the international
basis for space law.
Therefore, with the support of a number of
States, also members of COPUOS, we have proposed
starting work on a comprehensive United Nations
convention on international space law. Such a
convention could be based on the existing international
space law, norms and standards and would make it
possible to consider all aspects of space exploration
and the use of space technologies and techniques in the
context of an integral hull(?). The result of that work
should be a well-balanced, thoroughly written text,
taking into account the interests of all participants in
outer space activities.
Mr. Chairman, going on to the specific items
on the agenda before us, my delegation would like to
note the importance of the work accomplished and the
results achieved with regard to the use of nuclear
power sources in outer space, and the issue of space
debris, particularly in the course of the February
session of the Legal Subcommittee of COPUOS, the
Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of COPUOS.
The Russian delegation values very highly the
Joint Technical Workshop held this year on the
Objectives, Scope and Possible Technological
Framework for Ensuring the Safe Use of Nuclear
Power Sources in Outer Space. As well as the draft
document prepared by the Scientific and Technical
Subcommittee on Space Debris Mitigation. In this
connection, we would like to emphasize the need for a
thorough technical review of possible procedures for
monitoring compliance with space debris mitigation
requirements. We believe it would be extremely
important to thoroughly take into account all comments
and feedback that will be received after the national
distribution of Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines, as
well as any other new information on that issue,
specifically information on the relationship that exists
between space debris and the use of nuclear power
sources in outer space.
Mr. Chairman, we would like to note
especially our appreciation of the informative and
active discussion that took place at the most recent
session of the Legal Subcommittee of COPUOS on the
matter of the registration of space objects by States and
international organizations as well as the status and