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NPT conference final document removes references to “visit to Hiroshima and Nagasaki” and ban on nuclear weapons

by Michiko Tanaka, Staff Writer

NEW YORK--On May 21, the draft of the final document prepared by the conference president was partially revealed at the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), now taking place at United Nations headquarters in New York. Concerning Japan’s proposal, language which calls for world leaders and young people to visit the A-bombed cities and was removed from an earlier draft due to strong opposition from China, the names of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not restored. However, the document stresses the need to deepen understanding of the humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear arms. The president’s draft says “In light of the 70th year since the end of the tragic devastations of World War II” and incorporates the wording “directly sharing the experiences of the people and the communities affected by nuclear weapons” to grasp their humanitarian impact.

The president’s draft also proposes establishing a working group under the U.N. General Assembly to gather in September to specify legal restrictions and other effective measures in order to fulfill the treaty’s obligations for nuclear disarmament. The draft urges all NPT member states to participate in the working group.

Discussion on disarmament issues within Main Committee I of the Review Conference, held every five years, has become increasingly thorny. There is a sharp divide between the nuclear weapon states, which insist on an approach of phased arms reduction, and the non-nuclear weapon states, which are calling for a new legal framework for advancing nuclear disarmament. Both sides were unwilling to make concessions and negotiations were pushed forward in unofficial meetings led by conference president Taous Feroukhi.

The draft of the final document prepared by Main Committee I initially envisioned a treaty that would outlaw nuclear weapons, setting a time limit for their elimination as a legal framework for nuclear disarmament. But the reference to a nuclear weapons convention was finally removed from the statement. The president’s draft now includes a variety of other options, including a stand-alone legal instrument or a framework agreement. The influence of the nuclear powers is believed to have swayed such revisions.

In Main Committee I, five nuclear-armed nations, as well as Japan and approximately 20 countries including representatives from the New Agenda Coalition (NAC), which is dedicated to nuclear disarmament, have continued informal meetings. Ms. Feroukhi is expected to prepare her final draft based on the reports provided by the three Main Committees and present it to the member states on the afternoon of May 21.

(Originally published on May 22, 2015)

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