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Nine states urged to ratify nuclear test ban treaty
United Nations (AFP) Sept 24, 2009 A ministerial conference on Thursday pressed the nine states which have yet to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) to do so to ensure the pact can come into force. The call was made as a two-day conference on the CTBT got under way here a day after Saint Vincent and the Grenadines became the 150th state to ratify the pact. The treaty, which bans any nuclear blasts for military or civilian purposes, was signed in 1996 by 71 states, including the five main nuclear powers, and now has 181 member states. North Korea, India and Pakistan have not signed it and all three have carried out nuclear tests since 1996. Another six countries -- the United States, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, China and Egypt have signed but not ratified the pact. As the conference gathering some 100 foreign ministers got underway, UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged all states to sign and ratify the pact. "Pending the entry into force, I call upon states to honor a nuclear-weapon-test moratorium and to refrain from acts contrary to the object and purpose of the treaty," Ban said. And French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, who co-chaired Thursday's session, also appealed to the nine states which have yet to ratify the pact to do so so the treaty can come into force. "With their ratification, they will send a message of hope by strengthening the international non-proliferation regime and collective security," he added. The ministers then adopted a statement urging an immediate stop to all nuclear testing pending adoption of the treaty by all countries. Meanwhile the UN Security Council on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution calling on all states "to refrain from conducting a nuclear test explosion and to sign and ratify the CTBT, thereby bringing the treaty into force at an early date." The vote came at an unprecedented summit on nuclear non-proliferation which was chaired by US President Barack Obama. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Britain's Brown offers to cut nuclear sub fleetLondon (AFP) Sept 23, 2009 Britain is prepared to scale back its nuclear capability as part of global disarmament efforts, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Wednesday ahead of an address to the UN General Assembly. He told BBC radio that Britain was prepared to reduce the number of submarines that can launch nuclear missiles, but said there were no plans to cut the number of warheads. "Just as America and Russia ... read more |
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