U.S. official says “informative discussions” took place at nuclear disarmament verification meeting in Tokyo
Jul. 2, 2016
by Michiko Tanaka, Staff Writer
On July 1, Frank Rose, the U.S. assistant secretary of state, spoke at a press conference at the Japan National Press Club in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. Mr. Rose stressed the positive outcome of the International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification (IPNDV), held in Tokyo in late June, by saying that informative discussions were made toward building knowledge and capacity to meet technical challenges. He also expressed opposition to the early establishment of a nuclear weapons convention, a goal sought by non-nuclear weapons states that are dissatisfied with the lack of progress being made in nuclear disarmament.
The IPNDV was proposed by the Obama administration with the aim of creating a system of verification, involving both the nuclear weapon states and non-nuclear weapon states, to ensure that nuclear weapons are dismantled or disposed of as promised. For the third session of the IPNDV, 26 nations, both nuclear powers and non-nuclear powers, took part in the meeting despite the stalemate in nuclear disarmament and the deepening gulf between the two sides. State delegations from countries like Mexico and Brazil, which support a nuclear weapons convention, attended the meeting as well.
Mr. Rose took the position that a verification system for dismantling nuclear warheads will be needed in the future and said that although not everyone shares the U.S. approach to disarmament, each nation shares the common goal of achieving a world without nuclear weapons. Toward that end, he stressed the importance of creating a partnership to understand the technical challenges involved in verification. At the same time, he showed resistance to the early establishment of a nuclear weapons convention, saying that North Korea, for example, is unwilling to give up its nuclear arsenal and that arms control and disarmament should not be separated from security concerns.
Kazutoshi Aikawa, the director-general of the Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also appeared at the press conference and backed Mr. Rose’s stance by saying that Japan must pursue a realistic approach to nuclear disarmament, in light of a worrisome security environment, and that it does not reject the idea of a nuclear weapons convention but believes that this step should be promoted when the number of nuclear weapons is much smaller.
The IPNDV will continue holding sessions in the future and announce certain outcomes as early as next year.
(Originally published on July 2, 2016)
On July 1, Frank Rose, the U.S. assistant secretary of state, spoke at a press conference at the Japan National Press Club in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. Mr. Rose stressed the positive outcome of the International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification (IPNDV), held in Tokyo in late June, by saying that informative discussions were made toward building knowledge and capacity to meet technical challenges. He also expressed opposition to the early establishment of a nuclear weapons convention, a goal sought by non-nuclear weapons states that are dissatisfied with the lack of progress being made in nuclear disarmament.
The IPNDV was proposed by the Obama administration with the aim of creating a system of verification, involving both the nuclear weapon states and non-nuclear weapon states, to ensure that nuclear weapons are dismantled or disposed of as promised. For the third session of the IPNDV, 26 nations, both nuclear powers and non-nuclear powers, took part in the meeting despite the stalemate in nuclear disarmament and the deepening gulf between the two sides. State delegations from countries like Mexico and Brazil, which support a nuclear weapons convention, attended the meeting as well.
Mr. Rose took the position that a verification system for dismantling nuclear warheads will be needed in the future and said that although not everyone shares the U.S. approach to disarmament, each nation shares the common goal of achieving a world without nuclear weapons. Toward that end, he stressed the importance of creating a partnership to understand the technical challenges involved in verification. At the same time, he showed resistance to the early establishment of a nuclear weapons convention, saying that North Korea, for example, is unwilling to give up its nuclear arsenal and that arms control and disarmament should not be separated from security concerns.
Kazutoshi Aikawa, the director-general of the Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also appeared at the press conference and backed Mr. Rose’s stance by saying that Japan must pursue a realistic approach to nuclear disarmament, in light of a worrisome security environment, and that it does not reject the idea of a nuclear weapons convention but believes that this step should be promoted when the number of nuclear weapons is much smaller.
The IPNDV will continue holding sessions in the future and announce certain outcomes as early as next year.
(Originally published on July 2, 2016)
