CONFERENCE AIMED AT ENTRY INTO FORCE OF 1996 TEST-BAN TREATY CONCLUDES; PARTIES PLEDGE TO ‘SPARE NO EFFORT’ IN OBTAINING NEEDED RATIFICATION

Conference on Comprehensive                                

 Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty

4^th Meeting (AM)

CONFERENCE AIMED AT ENTRY INTO FORCE OF 1996 TEST-BAN TREATY CONCLUDES;

PARTIES PLEDGE TO ‘SPARE NO EFFORT’ IN OBTAINING NEEDED RATIFICATION

Ratified by 125 States; Lacks 11 of 44 ‘Annex 2’ States

Who Must Ratify for Treaty’s Operation, Including United States , China

Convinced of the importance of achieving universal adherence to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, States parties today agreed that they would spare no efforts and use all avenues open to them to encourage further signature and ratification of the Treaty, and urge all States to sustain the momentum generated by the Conference to remain seized of the issue at the highest political level. 

Concluding its Fourth Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which began at UN Headquarters on 21 September, the parties reiterated that the cessation of all nuclear weapon tests, by constraining the development and qualitative improvement of nuclear weapons and ending the development of advanced new types of nuclear weapons, constituted an effective measure of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation and, thus, a meaningful step in the realization of a systematic process to achieve nuclear disarmament. 

The 1996 Treaty, which seeks to ban all nuclear tests for all time, has so far been signed by 176 countries and ratified by 125.  It contains a list of 44 countries whose ratification is essential for the Treaty’s operation.  Of those, 11 States have still not ratified, including two nuclear-weapon States -- China and the United States -- as well as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Israel, Indonesia, Iran, Viet Nam, and Colombia. 

The Declaration adopted today also contains 12 measures to promote the Treaty’s entry into force.  According to it, States parties agreed that the Special Representative appointed following their 2003 Conference would continue to assist the coordinating State -- Australia -- chosen by ratifying countries to promote further signatures and ratifications, in promoting the Treaty’s entry into force.

By another measure, the Conference recommended that ratifying States consider establishing a voluntary trust fund to support an outreach programme for promoting the Treaty.  It also encouraged the organization of regional seminars, in order to increase awareness of the Treaty’s important role.

The Conference, among other terms of the text, called on the Preparatory Commission for the CTBT Organization (CTBTO) to continue promoting understanding of the Treaty and demonstrating, on a provisional basis, the benefits of the civil and scientific applications of the verification technologies, in such areas as environment, tsunami warning systems and possibly other disaster alert systems. 

In other action today, the Conference adopted its report, as revised, as well as that of its Credentials Committee.

Earlier, the Conference concluded its general debate, during which Haiti’s Foreign Affairs Minister announced that his country would soon be depositing its ratification instruments with the United Nations Secretary-General.  Although the Treaty had not yet entered into force, he said it was still having a definite impact on the international community.  The technologies made available through its technical secretariat were of crucial importance to countries lagging behind in science and technology, in such important areas as early disaster warning.

Echoing the concerns expressed by speakers throughout the debate, however, Benin’s representative said it was critical to understand the underlying reasons why the Treaty had not become operational, nearly 10 years after it opened for signature.  There were no deficiencies in the Treaty, per se, he said.  Its status was due to the general deficiencies of international disarmament policies. 

Similarly, Bangladesh’s representative said that the year had witnessed failures in the very vital front of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, and the political differences among States were leading to a potentially dangerous deadlock.  States should act now and act decisively to reverse that sad commentary.

Qatar’s representative said he was not surprised that some States were determined not to accede to, or sign, the Treaty, because of the prevailing sense of superiority among some, reinforced by their lack of confidence in other States.  Some nuclear Powers chose to remain outside the realm of the CTBT, while others were equally unwilling to adhere to the Treaty because of a desire to acquire nuclear weapons in the future. 

Also making statements in the concluding segment of the general debate were speakers representing Antigua and Barbuda, Czech Republic, Egypt, Portugal, and Albania.   France’s representative spoke in connection with the adoption of the Final Declaration. 

The Conference also heard from a representative of Iraq, who spoke as a non-signatory to the Treaty, and a representative of Arms Control Association addressed the Conference on behalf of non-governmental organizations. 

Background

The Fourth Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty met this morning to conclude its three-day meeting.

Statements

GILLIAN JOSEPH, First Secretary of Antigua and Barbuda, said that her country possessed no nuclear capability, and that the Caribbean was a peaceful nuclear-free region.  However, the testing of nuclear weapons in some parts of the world carried with it the risk of accidents that could have severe implications in other areas, no matter how far removed geographically.  Furthermore, the processes of globalization brought those threats very close to the shores of her country, making threats to international security de facto threats to any and all individuals and nations.  For such reasons, Antigua and Barbuda could not remain in obscurity.

Antigua and Barbuda’s instrument of ratification was being prepared for deposit, she continued.  In the process of working toward ratification, her country had taken several factors into consideration.  It had to give serious consideration to the importance of the issue to a small country like hers.  Given the country’s limited resource base, both financial as well as with regards to human resources, it had to consider the financial obligations of ratification.  Another factor was the legal requirements that would follow after ratification; the implications of any required legal amendments and/or additions; and the human resource capability that would be required.

Based on her country’s experience, her Government had recognized that successfully completing the process of ratification and furthering implementation required partnership at all levels, including at the regional level, through regional organizations, and at the international level, through the United Nations system.   Antigua and Barbuda welcomed the opportunity provided by both the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) Organisation, which held a seminar in Antigua in May as part of the preparatory process for ratification, and the workshop held in Guatemala, which allowed Latin American and Caribbean countries to enter into dialogue about the benefits of the Treaty.  She reminded States that without real commitments to progressively eliminate nuclear arsenals, they ran the risk of nullifying all of the commitments they had made for social, economic and human development.

HÉRARD ABRAHAM, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Haiti, said that the Conference was of particular importance, as it was occurring at a time when the international community was increasingly aware of the danger of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.  There was widespread condemnation of the development and production of those weapons.  He recalled that, along with the enumeration of the Millennium Development Goals in the Millennium Declaration, that text also called on Member States to strive to eliminate the dangers posed by mass destruction weapons.  It also called on them to work towards the elimination of those weapons, particularly nuclear weapons, and asked them not to rule out any possible solution to attain that goal, including the possible convening of an international conference.  Although the CTBT had not yet entered into force, it was still having a definite impact on the international community, whether in raising awareness through the Preparatory Commission or in practical civilian application of the technologies made available within the Treaty’s context.

He said that those technologies were of crucial importance to Member States, as those allowed the countries lagging behind in science and technology to have access to data in such important areas as early warning for earthquakes and similar natural disasters.  The CTBT Organization (CTBTO) could become a forum in which the most advanced States could help the least developed countries manage their infrastructure at a time of seismic catastrophe.  He was open to engage in any such cooperation with the CTBTO.  Haiti had acceded to the Hague Code of Conduct on the non-proliferation of ballistic missiles, and long ago ratified the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).  Regarding the CTBT, which was of great interest to his country, he announced that it had been ratified in Haitian legislation and the instruments of ratification would soon be deposited with the United Nations Secretary-General.  He also lent his full support for the Meeting’s draft Final Declaration. 

HYNEK KMONÍČEK ( Czech Republic) said that his Government fully supported the statement by the European Union, and had always been an active supporter of the Treaty.  The Czech Republic was the first European country that had ratified the Treaty, and for that reason, it paid special attention to activities that could facilitate an early entry into force of the Treaty and its active promotion.  His Government also decided to support those activities by a voluntary financial contribution.  In 2004, his Government provided a voluntary contribution amounting to the United States equivalent of 450,000 Czech crowns to be used for financing training-related scientific expert meetings aiming at further promotion of the Treaty.  It was also considering another donation.

His Government believed that voluntary contributions from State parties of the Treaty, as well as from States that had signed but not yet ratified the Treaty, could contribute to the achievement of the entry into force of the Treaty, if used in an effective an efficient manner.  He called on all States to consider such action.

AMR ABOUL ATTA ( Egypt) said that his Government was firm in its commitment to the principles of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, and was relentless in its efforts towards achieving those objectives regionally and internationally.  In that regard, Egypt supported the objectives of the Treaty, including the achievement of a comprehensive ban on all nuclear test explosions and a halt on the development of nuclear weapons.  The failure to reach an agreement on disarmament and non-proliferation during the negotiations on the Summit outcome, following the failure of the Review Conference of the NPT earlier in the year, was a clear indication of the serious impasse facing the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime, he said.

To restore confidence in the regime, all States should unequivocally recommit to the mutually reinforcing objectives and principles of nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation and the right to peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to universal adherence to all its treaties and the balanced and full implementation of its commitments, he continued.  Concerted international efforts towards achieving common objectives for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons, nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation rested on the regional realization of those objectives, and should concentrate equally on the regional and international levels.

In that regard, the international community was required to intensify collective efforts for the establishment of a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East, as one of the main components of the lasting and comprehensive peace in the region, he said.  The relevant General Assembly resolutions, the consensus resolution on the Middle East adopted by the 1994 NPT Review and Extension Conference, and the consensus outcome of the 2000 Review Conference all reaffirmed the importance of Israel’s accession to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the placement of all its nuclear facilities under comprehensive International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.

While Egypt supported the principles and objectives of the Treaty, it could not regard it as a secluded legal instrument apart from the common objectives of achieving nuclear disarmament and the universality of non-proliferation.  He called for the achievement of the universality of both the NPT and the CTBT together, as well as for the mutual and balanced implementation of the commitments of other States.

ROGATIEN BIAOU, Minister of Foreign Affairs and African Integration of Benin, said that nuclear weapons were building up in great numbers and posed a great threat to the survival of mankind.  Quite rightly, the international community had discussed ways to try to reduce and eliminate that threat, and the CTBT had that aim in mind.  It was difficult to understand that 10 years since the Treaty had been finalized and opened for signing, it had still not entered into force.   Benin had signed it in 1996 and ratified it in 1999, as its major concern was to try to stave off the spectre of the use of nuclear weapons.  A Treaty such as the CTBT could only be real, however, if it attained its goal of having all States sign it, and he wondered about the underlying reasons for why it had not entered into force.

The current situation, he continued, should not be interpreted as reflecting any deficiencies in the Treaty, as it stood on its own.  He believed that the failure of the Treaty entering into force had to do with the general deficiencies of international disarmament policies, because no significant progress had been made in the areas of disarmament or the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.  Since the survival of mankind was a crucial matter, it was up to the States that had signed and ratified the Treaty to invest efforts to get the remaining States to ratify it.

Calling upon nuclear States to maintain a moratorium on nuclear tests and to refrain from any act that ran counter to the spirit and letter of the Treaty, he also encouraged them to ratify it.  He also encouraged the States that had ratified to continue activities to preserve the credibility of the Treaty, as well as the moral force of it, pending its full entry into force.   Benin fully supported all measures to promote the treaty, because it was in the best interest of peace and international security, he concluded.

NASSIR ABDULAZIZ AL-NASSER ( Qatar) recalled that the international community had worked tirelessly to conclude the Treaty, in order to preserve the environment free from contamination by nuclear radiation and the concomitant hazards that adversely affected human health.  He was not surprised that some States were determined not to accede to, or sign, the Treaty to avoid being constrained by its provisions.  There was a prevailing sense of superiority among some States, reinforced by their lack of confidence in others.  The nuclear Powers chose to remain outside the realm of the CTBT, and did not seem willing to enhance, activate, and bring it into force.  Others that were nurturing future ambitions in that field were also not willing to adhere to the Treaty.  Their ambitions were fuelled by a desire to acquire nuclear weapons in the future.

He said that the scourge of nuclear weapons had afflicted humanity for quite some time.  There seemed to be no indication that the parties concerned were willing to curb their desire to continue their nuclear tests, nor to eliminate their mass destruction weapons.  Such weapons, unfortunately, had been developed for no other reason than to annihilate humanity.  In a disappointing outcome, the NPT Review had failed to arrive at any valuable recommendations.  That Conference had failed to fulfil its ambitions, owing to the “sharp and profound differences of opinion” between the nuclear-weapon States and those working to acquire such weapons, on the one hand, and the helpless States that opted to adhere to, sign and ratify the NPT, on the other hand.  He was tremendously distressed about the Conference’s failure to achieve consensus and an agreed set of recommendations.  States parties to the NPT “remained at the mercy of, and were threatened by” the nuclear-weapon States that had not joined the Treaty. 

Appealing to those States that had not yet adhered to the CTBT, he said he did not want another disappointing Conference that was doomed to failure, or made to fail, due to an inability to activate the Treaty.  He realized that recently the international community had been unable to arrive at consensus with regard to many disarmament questions.  Given the absence of international agreements leading the elimination of mass destruction and other weapons, and the volatility of the current international scene, there was a risk of a catastrophic blast, which could destroy the world many times over.  He appealed to those States that remained outside the CTBT to think hard and, in the interest of humanity, hasten accession to the Treaty, in an effort to provide succeeding generations with an environment free from all weapons of mass destruction. 

JOÃO SALGUEIRO ( Portugal) said that the CTBT was a fundamental instrument to achieve the common goal of general and complete disarmament in the field of weapons of mass destruction.  Its entry into force and universal adoption constituted a decisive step towards that goal.  His country was fully committed to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, and had always been supportive of initiatives in that field.  It had ratified all the major international instruments created for that purpose, and had actively supported the test-ban Treaty from the outset, including the hosting of three monitoring stations in the Azores.  One of those was already functioning and another would be operational in the near future. 

Calling the CTBT a cornerstone in the global non-proliferation regime, he said he fully endorsed all measures undertaken to promote its early operation.  Bearing in mind the “meagre” results of the 2005 NPT Review Conference, the lack of a chapter on disarmament and non-proliferation in the outcome document of last week’s World Summit, and the recent escalation of nuclear tension in certain regions, it was crucial and urgent to adopt such measures.  Portugal stood side by side with those that were committed to that purpose.  He joined previous speakers in calling on all States that had not yet signed and ratified the Treaty to do so soon, and unconditionally. 

IFTEKHAR AHMED CHOWDHURY ( Bangladesh) said it was disappointing that the 2005 NPT Review Conference could not agree on a common path for follow-up and further the already agreed-upon steps toward nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.  It was even more frustrating that the 2005 World Summit failed even to include a chapter on disarmament and non-proliferation in the outcome.  The goodwill of the grand majority had been stampeded by the inflexible attitude of a few, he said.

His Government believed that nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation leading to general and complete disarmament was essential for maintaining international peace and security.  The year 2005 had witnessed failures in that very vital front, and the political difference among States was leading to a possibly dangerous deadlock.  States needed to act now and act decisively to reverse that sad commentary.  They must resume the multilateral negotiations on disarmament and non-proliferation without further delay, he said.

Nuclear testing of any kind undermined nuclear non-proliferation, both horizontal and vertical, and constituted a major threat to international peace and security, he said.  His Government realised that proliferation of nuclear weapons and their acquisition by State and non-State actors were real possibilities.  States must not let that happen -- and he believed that there was no disagreement on that.  The best guarantee against nuclear weapons proliferation lay in their total elimination.  Until that happened, States must stop improving the precision of the existing nuclear weapons, and stop developing new types of nuclear weapons.  He added that States were quite close to universalization of the Treaty, but needed to make another big push to remove the remaining hurdles.  Posterity would judge States harshly if they failed to leave a safer world for future generations.

ZEF MAZI ( Albania) said his country had been an early signatory of the Treaty, in 1996, and a ratifying country since 2003.  By undertaking such a significant political commitment, Albania had considered the CTBT to be an important instrument of nuclear disarmament, non-proliferation, and for the further strengthening of collective security.  Although he had not been encouraged by the outcome of the last NPT Review, he had been encouraged by the great importance countries placed on the entry into force of the CTBT.  He called on all States, especially the “Annex 2” States, to ratify the Treaty as soon as possible.  He, meanwhile, viewed the monitoring mechanism as a unique detection and inspection scheme, with a global outreach.  The possible future of that system for humanitarian purposes added to its value.  He supported the draft final declaration and measures to enforce the CTBT, which would soon be adopted.

SAMIR SHAKIR MAHMOOD SUMAIDA’IE ( Iraq) – a non-signatory State - said that his country, in the new era following the elimination of a dictatorial regime and the joining of the community of nations, was trying to build a country based on modern foundations.  First among those was respect for the rule of law and human rights, the peaceful settlement of disputes, and the rejection of violence.  Iraq was now a country that strove to respect international agreements and conventions, working with the international community to preserve global peace and stability.  He reiterated his country’s support for all international initiatives designed to ban the possession and spread of weapons of mass destruction.  Iraq was seeking to create a proper legislative framework, in line with international rules on those issues. 

He noted that the draft constitution, to be submitted on 15 October for a referendum, stipulated that the Government would respect and implement its promises regarding the ban on the proliferation of nuclear and other mass destruction weapons.  Iraq also supported all initiatives to ensure that the Middle East was a zone free from nuclear weapons, and he invited States of the region to work seriously to reach such an agreement, under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency.  He called on those States whose ratification would make it possible for the test-ban Treaty to enter force, to sign and ratify it, thereby contributing to ensuring the prevention of nuclear weapons proliferation and a related arms race, leading to a freer and safer world.

DARRYL KIMBALL, Executive Director of the Arms Control Association, speaking on behalf of non-governmental organisations, said that the Treaty was more important than ever and its entry into force was long overdue.  Despite widespread public support, inaction by a few States had delayed its full implementation.  He urged the 11 remaining “Annex 2” States to do so without further delay, and also urged each Government to support efforts to continue the global nuclear test moratorium, and to seek changes to nuclear weapons policies that threatened to undermine the norm against testing.

The Treaty was a critical building block in the global nuclear system, as it helped prevent the spread of nuclear weapons to States and was also an essential step towards nuclear disarmament, he continued.  However, it must be recognized that technical advances in nuclear weapons research meant that a ban on nuclear test explosions by itself would not be enough.  He urged participants in the Conference to call upon all States possessing nuclear weapons to halt all qualitative improvements to their nuclear arsenals.  Furthermore, until the Treaty entered into force, nuclear weapons States should implement confidence-building measures, including transparency measures.

While he applauded the work done at the Conference, he said it was not sufficient, and he urged those opposed to the Treaty to move forward with ratification.  Despite the overwhelming support for the Treaty and the ways in which it contributed to security, he was particularly dismayed with the stance of the United States and disappointed with the lack of progress on the part of China.  The current United States administration had actively opposed the endorsement of the Treaty’s entering into force, but States must realize that while such opposition was damaging, it was not up to the Bush Administration alone to decide the fate of the Treaty.  He also urged China to complete the ratification process before the end of the year, and said it owed the other CTBT member States a timetable for its own ratification process.  In conclusion, he said that entry into force of the Treaty was within reach, but it was the action of a few States that prevented such an outcome.

Action on Text

Next, the Conference adopted its draft Final Declaration (annexed to document CTBT-ART.XIV/2005/WP.1), without a vote.

France’s representative expressed appreciation for Iraq’s intention to sign and ratify the CTBT once its legislative structures were in place.  He said his country fully supported the entry into force of the CTBT.  In addition, the extent to which the decisions taken by France in the field of nuclear disarmament caused him to consider debates on that topic seriously and rigorously.  The sole commitments of France in that matter were those of article VI of the NPT.  He regretted that the draft declaration of the present Conference had not reflected that in an appropriate way.

Before adopting its draft report, as revised (document CTBT-ART.XIV/2005/WP.1), the Conference accommodated a request by France’s representative to include a reference to his earlier statement in the final report.  The Meeting then adopted its report.

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For information media • not an official record