26 countries take part in nuclear disarmament verification meeting
Jun. 29, 2016
by Michiko Tanaka, Staff Writer
An international conference to explore the idea of establishing a mechanism in which nuclear and non-nuclear weapon states are both able to verify whether nuclear weapons are actually being dismantled opened in Tokyo on May 28. This meeting, being held in Japan for the first time, is part of a plenary session of the International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification (IPNDV). At the three-day gathering, which will conclude on June 30, the participants will discuss the technical challenges involved in verifying nuclear disarmament.
The first IPNDV meeting was held in the spring of 2015 following a proposal by the U.S. government. The current meeting in Tokyo is the third IPNDV plenary meeting and it has brought together some 100 delegates from 26 nations, among them five nuclear powers including the United States and Russia, and the European Union (EU). At the start of the meeting, Hitoshi Kikawada, the Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, delivered the opening address and stressed that, in the future, it will become necessary to create a multinational nuclear disarmament verification mechanism to realize a world without nuclear weapons. He said, “The work involved in our collaborative discussions for the verification of nuclear disarmament agreements will develop trust and cooperation among the nuclear powers and non-nuclear countries.”
Caroline Kennedy, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, said in her speech that President Obama’s visit to Hiroshima was intended to provide new momentum for the challenge of nuclear disarmament verification and she expressed her hope that the gathering will produce meaningful results.
The meeting is being held behind closed doors. On July 1, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Frank Rose will participate in a press conference in Tokyo to announce the results of the meeting.
(Originally published on June 29, 2016)
An international conference to explore the idea of establishing a mechanism in which nuclear and non-nuclear weapon states are both able to verify whether nuclear weapons are actually being dismantled opened in Tokyo on May 28. This meeting, being held in Japan for the first time, is part of a plenary session of the International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification (IPNDV). At the three-day gathering, which will conclude on June 30, the participants will discuss the technical challenges involved in verifying nuclear disarmament.
The first IPNDV meeting was held in the spring of 2015 following a proposal by the U.S. government. The current meeting in Tokyo is the third IPNDV plenary meeting and it has brought together some 100 delegates from 26 nations, among them five nuclear powers including the United States and Russia, and the European Union (EU). At the start of the meeting, Hitoshi Kikawada, the Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, delivered the opening address and stressed that, in the future, it will become necessary to create a multinational nuclear disarmament verification mechanism to realize a world without nuclear weapons. He said, “The work involved in our collaborative discussions for the verification of nuclear disarmament agreements will develop trust and cooperation among the nuclear powers and non-nuclear countries.”
Caroline Kennedy, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, said in her speech that President Obama’s visit to Hiroshima was intended to provide new momentum for the challenge of nuclear disarmament verification and she expressed her hope that the gathering will produce meaningful results.
The meeting is being held behind closed doors. On July 1, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Frank Rose will participate in a press conference in Tokyo to announce the results of the meeting.
(Originally published on June 29, 2016)
