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Comprehenisve Test Ban Treaty not likley to be ratified

Obama no closer on nuclear test ban ratification, THE HUFFINGTON POST, Desmond Butler, 2 April 2010, Obama, whose Democratic Party enjoys a majority of 59 votes in the Senate, will need to win over enough Republican senators to reach the necessary two-thirds-majority vote for ratification. While there appears to be strong bipartisan support for the new START treaty, which could be ratified this year, the test ban treaty has been much more contentious.And it is likely to be more so after November, when Democrats are projected to lose seats.

Negotiated in the 1990s, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty specified 44 nuclear-capable states that must give formal approval before it can take effect. Eight countries besides the United States have yet to ratify the treaty: China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, North Korea and Pakistan.

In 1999, during the Clinton administration, the Senate rejected ratification overwhelmingly, with all but three Republicans voting against it. Opponents believe a test ban would constrain the United States and undermine its technological superiority. They also say it will be difficult to verify whether other countries are conducting secret tests and to ensure that the U.S. arsenal can be maintained and improved without testing…..

Without progress on the test ban ratification, Obama could face difficulty persuading non-nuclear countries to support his other goals, such as strengthening the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, at a review conference in May. That treaty provides the framework for preventing the spread of nuclear technology and is the basis for imposing sanctions on such countries as Iran and North Korea.

“The test ban treaty has been the litmus test for many non-nuclear weapons states,” says Leonor Tomero of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. “It remains a promise that the U.S. needs to fulfill to keep the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty viable.”

Obama no closer on nuclear test ban ratification

April 3, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, weapons and war | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear weapons