Space and Arms Control - PAROS in the Conference on Disarmmament
Publish date: 2010-10-08
Report number: FOI-R--3039--SE
Pages: 88
Written in: Swedish
Keywords:
- Space Weapons
- ASAT
- PAROS
- Arms Control
- Transparency and Confidence Building Measures
Abstract
This report addresses arms control, space and security, focusing on the discussions in United Nations Conference on Disarmament (CD) in Geneva. As early as 1981, and again in 1984, the Soviet Union presented a draft treaty on weaponisation of space to the CD. These drafts mark the starting point for discussions on PAROS (Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space) within the United Nations that carried on until the mid 1990. After about ten years of nondiscussion on the issue, Russia and China presented a new draft treaty on PAROS in 2002. This was updated in 2008 as the draft PPWT. In parallel to discussion on a legally binding treaty, there has been a discussion on Transparency and Confidence Building Measures (TCBM). Since the presentation of the draft treaty of 2002 three events have taken place in space that has altered the view on treaties and TCBMs. In January 2007 China performed an ASAT-test, in February 2008 USA used a modified ABM-missile to destroy one of their own satellites and in February 2009 a Russian and an American satellite collided over Siberia. The issue of space weapons will most likely grow in importance over the next few years. There will probably not in a foreseeable future be a mandate to start negotiations on a PAROS/PPW-treaty, but the international community will stress the point that there is a need to prepare before a mandate for negotiations is at hand. TCBM will continue to be of interest both inside and outside the UN. The most important initiative outside the UN at this time is the proposed EU Code of Conduct. With the conditions and the limitations being what they are today, it is likely that the EU code constitutes a better option for progress than the PAROS-discussions in the CD.