STATEMENT BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL

AT THE SPECIAL SESSION OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE STATES PARTIES

22 APRIL 2002

1.                  On 21 April 2002, the Permanent Representative of the United States of America, Ambassador Donald Mahley, delivered a statement to the special session of the Conference of States Parties in which he linked me directly with some communication to the United States Government on 5 April.

2.                  Member States will recall that, after hearing this statement, I asked for the floor to say that I considered Ambassador Mahley’s statement slanderous, and to invite him to submit, if he so wishes, whatever communication this might be as a document of the Conference so that it might be available to me and to all Member States.  Ambassador Mahley then took the floor to say that he would submit this document, as well as a related article from the press, as documents of the Conference.

3.                  I know nothing about any such document.  Furthermore, I have no control over what is written by the Press, nor can I interfere therewith.

4.                  I wish to put on record the following:

a. I had absolutely no knowledge of any such document, nor did any member of my personal staff have any such knowledge;

b. If such a document exists, it was never prepared in the Secretariat; and

c. All of my communications with the United States are a matter of record and can be available as required.

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