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Time for nations, including U.S. China, India, to ratify Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

nine key states, namely China, North Korea, Egypt, India, Indonesia Iran, Israel, Pakistan and the United States, still need to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) before it can come into force.

India, others asked to ratify nuclear test ban treaty   The Economic Times, 26 Aug 2010, VIENNA: A UN-backed monitoring group on Thursday asked nine countries, inluding India to ratify a worldwide ban on atomic test blasts ahead of the International Day against Nuclear Tests this weekend.
“Now is the time for the nine states whose ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) will bring it into force to show the political will and fully endorse it,” said the head of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO), Tibor Toth.

The CTBT, which bans nuclear blasts for military or civilian purposes, was drawn up in 1996 and has so far been signed by a total 182 countries and ratified by 153.

But nine key states, namely China, North Korea, Egypt, India, Indonesia Iran, Israel, Pakistan and the United States, still need to ratify it before it can come into force.
Washington signed the treaty in 1996, but has yet to ratify it. US President Barack Obama has said that Washington is committed to doing so. But it seems likely to wait until after the new START or Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty has first been cleared by the US Senate.

Last year, the UN General Assembly declared August 29 as the International Day against Nuclear Tests. The date was chosen because August 29, 1949, was when the then Soviet Union followed the US and detonated its first nuclear device, effectively starting the nuclear arms race.

US, India, others asked to ratify nuclear test ban treaty – Politics/Nation – News – The Economic Times

August 27, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, weapons and war | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons