NPT Review Conference reaches midpoint
May 18, 2010
by Yumi Kanazaki, Staff Writer, dispatched from New York
The Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Conference reached the midpoint of its four-week schedule on May 17. Based on the three drafts of agreements presented on May 14 by the chairs of each of the three Main Committees -- Committee 1 (nuclear disarmament), Committee 2 (nuclear non-proliferation), and Committee 3 (the peaceful use of nuclear energy) -- full discussions will now get underway.
One official of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) said that the nuclear weapon states have remained silent for the past two weeks. The official anticipates that they will begin to rebut elements of the drafts in the latter part of the conference.
The draft submitted by Main Committee 1 calls for convening a conference in 2014 to create a road map, with a deadline, for the abolition of nuclear weapons, among other proposals. Main Committee 1 has also strongly called for a "negative security assurance," in which nuclear weapon states pledge not to attack non-nuclear states.
NAM has been one of the spearheads in advancing these historic provisions. While it urges nuclear disarmament and the denuclearization of the Middle East, NAM is also wary of strengthening inspections with regard to nuclear energy. A tense confrontation is thus expected between NAM and the nuclear weapon states. Analyzing the drafts, Akio Suda, the permanent representative of Japan to the Geneva-based Conference on Disarmament, said that there are some provisions that the nuclear powers will not accept. This suggests that Mr. Suda believes the language found in the current drafts may undergo drastic changes.
In the area of nuclear non-proliferation, western countries have argued strongly that the additional protocol which strengthens the authority for inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is a vital provision and that signatories to the NPT should conclude this agreement with the IAEA. Iran and some non-nuclear weapon states are likely to oppose the idea. Whether a road map can be created for making the Middle East a region free of weapons of mass destruction, based on the 1995 "Resolution on the Middle East," will also become a focal point of the conference.
The peaceful use of nuclear energy is guaranteed as an "inalienable right" in Article IV of the NPT. This issue is likely to become contentious with regard to inspection requirements as stipulated in Article III.
(Originally published on May 18, 2010)
Related articles
NPT confab calls for international conference for nuclear abolition in 2014 (May 17, 2010)
Joint statement led by Japan calls for promotion of nuclear disarmament education (May 13, 2010)
The Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) Conference reached the midpoint of its four-week schedule on May 17. Based on the three drafts of agreements presented on May 14 by the chairs of each of the three Main Committees -- Committee 1 (nuclear disarmament), Committee 2 (nuclear non-proliferation), and Committee 3 (the peaceful use of nuclear energy) -- full discussions will now get underway.
One official of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) said that the nuclear weapon states have remained silent for the past two weeks. The official anticipates that they will begin to rebut elements of the drafts in the latter part of the conference.
The draft submitted by Main Committee 1 calls for convening a conference in 2014 to create a road map, with a deadline, for the abolition of nuclear weapons, among other proposals. Main Committee 1 has also strongly called for a "negative security assurance," in which nuclear weapon states pledge not to attack non-nuclear states.
NAM has been one of the spearheads in advancing these historic provisions. While it urges nuclear disarmament and the denuclearization of the Middle East, NAM is also wary of strengthening inspections with regard to nuclear energy. A tense confrontation is thus expected between NAM and the nuclear weapon states. Analyzing the drafts, Akio Suda, the permanent representative of Japan to the Geneva-based Conference on Disarmament, said that there are some provisions that the nuclear powers will not accept. This suggests that Mr. Suda believes the language found in the current drafts may undergo drastic changes.
In the area of nuclear non-proliferation, western countries have argued strongly that the additional protocol which strengthens the authority for inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is a vital provision and that signatories to the NPT should conclude this agreement with the IAEA. Iran and some non-nuclear weapon states are likely to oppose the idea. Whether a road map can be created for making the Middle East a region free of weapons of mass destruction, based on the 1995 "Resolution on the Middle East," will also become a focal point of the conference.
The peaceful use of nuclear energy is guaranteed as an "inalienable right" in Article IV of the NPT. This issue is likely to become contentious with regard to inspection requirements as stipulated in Article III.
(Originally published on May 18, 2010)
Related articles
NPT confab calls for international conference for nuclear abolition in 2014 (May 17, 2010)
Joint statement led by Japan calls for promotion of nuclear disarmament education (May 13, 2010)
