nuclear-news

Non nuclear nations call for nuclear weapons abolition

Ten Non-Nuclear States Plead For Nuke Abolition, By Jamshed Baruah, IDN-InDepth NewsReport, 2 May 2011,  BERLIN (IDN) – While public attention worldwide is focussed on one authoritarian regime after another tumbling down on the Arab shores of the Mediterranean Sea, foreign ministers of 10 non-nuclear nations stretching across continents have called for “a Middle East free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction”.
In their ‘Berlin Statement’, the foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, Chile, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates emphasise “the crucial need to promote the creation of a zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, in line with pending requirements for the organization in 2012 of the special conference agreed at the (May) 2010 NPT Review Conference” in New York.

The NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty), which came into force in 1970, is one of the United Nations’ main set of rules regarding nuclear disarmament and the prevention of proliferation. 190 states are party to the treaty, but four nations that are known or believed to possess nuclear weapons — India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel — have not endorsed it. In the Berlin Statement, approved at a conference hosted by German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on April 30, all participating ministers reaffirm their “joint intention to work towards achieving nuclear disarmament and a strengthening of the international non-proliferation regime.”

The foreign ministers of ten countries, stretching across continents and regional blocks, refer to the joint statement adopted at their first meeting in New York on September 22, 2010, on sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The meeting was co-hosted by the foreign ministers of Australia and Japan.

The Berlin Statement says, the consensus reached in May 2010 by the NPT Review Conference on the forward-looking Action plan proves that cooperative, multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation efforts can work if there is the necessary political will.

“Our objective is to maintain the momentum of that successful outcome and to expedite its implementation,” the 10 foreign ministers (the Ten) state. With that purpose they have adopted four concrete proposals for action on key elements of the Action plan.

FISSILE MATERIAL

1. Halting the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons by agreeing on a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT): Such a treaty would curb the risk of future nuclear arms races and reduce the danger of non-state actors getting such material into their hands. It would complement ongoing efforts to secure vulnerable nuclear material across the globe. ……

CTBT

2. Entry-into-force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) opened for signature 15 years ago: The foreign ministers call on all States which have not yet done so to sign and ratify the CTBT.

“We are encouraged by the commitment expressed by the United States and by Indonesia to ensure ratification of the Treaty. We believe that an effective end to nuclear testing will enhance and not weaken our national as well as global security and would significantly bolster the global non-proliferation and disarmament regime,” notes the Berlin Statement.
……… TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

3. Transparency and accountability in the nuclear disarmament process: At the May 2010 NPT Review Conference, the nuclear weapon states committed themselves to speed up progress on tangible steps leading to nuclear disarmament, and to report back to NPT member states. As a confidence-building measure, the Conference encouraged the nuclear weapon states to agree as soon as possible on a standard reporting form. …….

COMPLIANCE

4. Verifying states’ compliance with their nuclear non-proliferation obligations: The Berlin Statement underlines that an effective non-proliferation regime is a joint security interest of all nations. Accordingly, the Ten recognise the important role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in verifying states’ compliance with their nuclear non-proliferation obligations. ……

The Ten will take stock of progress on Berlin proposals at their meeting on sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September 2011. Turkey will host the next ministerial meeting of the initiative in 2012. ….. http://www.indepthnews.net/news/news.php?key1=2011-04-30%2023:49:05&key2=1

May 2, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, weapons and war