China Sees Irreplaceable Role for Conference on Disarmament 　　The Conference on Disarmament (CD), as a multilateral disarmament negotiating body, is irreplaceable in terms of its status and role, the Chinese ambassador for disarmament affairs, Li Changhe, said on September 1. 　　"Even though it has not been able to get down to treaty negotiations for the time being, the conference can still function as an important forum where dialogue can be conducted on major issues of international peace and security and some specific disarmament items," Li said at a CD plenary. 　　He said that the CD could help enhance mutual understandings and explore possibilities for negotiations on certain issues. 　　"It is our hope the international situation could improve and delegations accommodate each other's concern in a practical and flexible manner to reach an early agreement on a comprehensive and balanced program of work next year," Li told the plenary as the CD's 1999 session was about to be concluded. 　　The admission of five new members on August 5 was the major progress of the 1999 session, Li said. The new members are Ecuador, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Malaysia and Tunisia. 　　Li said that a series of developments this year in international peace and security have exerted profound negative impact on international relations, the confidence and security perceptions of states, which in turn inevitably affected the international disarmament process. 　　The divergence among member states on the CD's program of work should not be seen as procedural in nature, but rather a reflection of differences over the priorities for disarmament agenda, he said. 　　In formulating its program of work, the CD should take this fact into consideration and accommodate the concerns of all member states to the largest extent possible in a comprehensive and balanced manner, he said. 　　"Necessary political will and flexibility is required from all sides," Li said. "The current stalemate manifests the necessity for further efforts in this regard." (Xinhua) WorldNews 1999-09-03 Page6 Full Story in Chinese