NPT Preparatory Committee reveals divisions among nuclear weapon states
May 1, 2019
by Junji Akechi, Staff Writer
NEW YORK – The third Preparatory Committee for the next Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, to take place in 2020, is now being held at United Nations headquarters in New York. On April 29, the representatives of national governments began discussing general issues. Many of these representatives, including those from the nuclear weapon states, criticized the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump for its plans to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Meanwhile, the United States contended that priority should be placed on creating an environment which would facilitate nuclear disarmament in the future. These differences make it clear that discussing ways to strengthen the NPT regime will not be easy.
Fu Cong, the Chinese Ambassador for Disarmament, said that all nuclear weapon states, China among them, should declare a “no-first-use” policy. He said that the pursuit of unilateralism and the quest for absolute military advantage by a certain country are making the international security environment worse, implicitly criticizing the United States. With Russia in mind, Mr. Fu also said, “The countries with the largest nuclear arsenals bear the main responsibility for nuclear disarmament” and that they should maintain their bilateral agreement, suggesting that the two countries should lead the efforts to reduce nuclear arms. The head of Russia’s delegation said that the U.S. intention to withdraw from the INF Treaty “takes us back 30 years” in the field of nuclear arms and missile control.
Christopher Ford, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation, stressed that there should now be new dialogue because the current situation is not the same as when nuclear disarmament efforts were initially pursued. He called for convening working groups on such themes as addressing the international environment that could lead to more nations possessing nuclear weapons and confidence building in efforts for advancing nuclear disarmament. The session revealed that the divisions are widening even among the nuclear weapon states.
On the same day, Japan's Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kiyoto Tsuji, introduced the “Kyoto Appeal” produced by the Group of Eminent Persons for Substantive Advancement of Nuclear Disarmament, which is composed of distinguished international experts from both nuclear weapon states and non-nuclear weapon states. He called on the nuclear weapon states to further explain their nuclear doctrines and urged all countries to cooperate despite their differences of opinion on nuclear disarmament. But he did not refer to Article 6 of the NPT, which stipulates that signatories make efforts for nuclear abolition. He also did not make a specific request to the nuclear weapon states to reduce their nuclear arsenals.
(Originally published on May 1, 2019)
NEW YORK – The third Preparatory Committee for the next Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, to take place in 2020, is now being held at United Nations headquarters in New York. On April 29, the representatives of national governments began discussing general issues. Many of these representatives, including those from the nuclear weapon states, criticized the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump for its plans to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Meanwhile, the United States contended that priority should be placed on creating an environment which would facilitate nuclear disarmament in the future. These differences make it clear that discussing ways to strengthen the NPT regime will not be easy.
Fu Cong, the Chinese Ambassador for Disarmament, said that all nuclear weapon states, China among them, should declare a “no-first-use” policy. He said that the pursuit of unilateralism and the quest for absolute military advantage by a certain country are making the international security environment worse, implicitly criticizing the United States. With Russia in mind, Mr. Fu also said, “The countries with the largest nuclear arsenals bear the main responsibility for nuclear disarmament” and that they should maintain their bilateral agreement, suggesting that the two countries should lead the efforts to reduce nuclear arms. The head of Russia’s delegation said that the U.S. intention to withdraw from the INF Treaty “takes us back 30 years” in the field of nuclear arms and missile control.
Christopher Ford, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation, stressed that there should now be new dialogue because the current situation is not the same as when nuclear disarmament efforts were initially pursued. He called for convening working groups on such themes as addressing the international environment that could lead to more nations possessing nuclear weapons and confidence building in efforts for advancing nuclear disarmament. The session revealed that the divisions are widening even among the nuclear weapon states.
On the same day, Japan's Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kiyoto Tsuji, introduced the “Kyoto Appeal” produced by the Group of Eminent Persons for Substantive Advancement of Nuclear Disarmament, which is composed of distinguished international experts from both nuclear weapon states and non-nuclear weapon states. He called on the nuclear weapon states to further explain their nuclear doctrines and urged all countries to cooperate despite their differences of opinion on nuclear disarmament. But he did not refer to Article 6 of the NPT, which stipulates that signatories make efforts for nuclear abolition. He also did not make a specific request to the nuclear weapon states to reduce their nuclear arsenals.
(Originally published on May 1, 2019)
