NPT REVIEW CONFERENCE ACHIEVES LITTLE THIS YEAR

The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) entered into force in March 1970 in order to restrain the spread of nuclear weapons and reduce the stockpiles of existing nuclear weapons. More than 180 states have ratified the treaty and fall into two categories: nuclear weapon states and non-nuclear weapon states.  The former include the United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom, who are required to commit to general and complete disarmament. The latter is compromised of the remaining signatories, who are required to abandon the pursuit of developing or acquiring nuclear weapons.

Since the treaty went into force in 1970, the state parties have met every five years to oversee its implementation. The seventh review conference commenced in New York on May 2 and is expected to end on the 27th.  

Unfortunately, the conference began on a negative note when member nations wrangled for more than a week on what the conference’s agenda should be and the allocation of work among treaty committees. In addition, instead of providing leadership and concrete actions, the United States has spent much of its time criticizing Iran and North Korea for their nuclear ambitions. Iran’s representative on the other hand, has been working to convince other nations that the country is only interested in developing nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.  In addition, Egypt blocked action insisting that the Middle East be declared a nuclear-free zone, thus requiring Israel to disarm its undeclared nuclear arsenal. The issue on how to deal with North Korea also remained unresolved.

During the meeting, the United States has worked diligently to block discussions on nuclear-disarmament commitments and decisions agreed to in the 1995 and 2000 NPT review conferences - the U.S. is particularly opposed to a mandatory follow-up towards a 13-step disarmament program outlined in 2000. The United States also does not want the conference to call for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty’s (CTBT) entry into force or address any concerns about new nuclear weapons.

The Bush Administration’s request to Congress for funding the development of the “Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (RNEP), also known as the “bunker buster,” is also a troubling move. Moreover, since the 2000 review conference, the U.S. has walked away from many of its international commitments such as the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM).

During a meeting on Wednesday in Geneva, the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany convinced Iran to continue its freeze on nuclear activities. The Europeans in return have promised to lay out a comprehensive step-by-step proposal on Iran's nuclear program by early August. The two parties differ on the end goal of the process: the Iranians see the freeze as temporary while the Europeans are hoping the freeze will lead to an eventual halt on Iran's nuclear activity.  The United States is supportive of the European efforts but still suspicious about Iran's motives. "Iran hid its nuclear activity from the international community for two decades," said Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman. "That is why we are skeptical about their activities." 

Members scrambled to work on final negotiations and documents during the last week but were unable to come to a consensus. The European Union had set forth a proposal that seeks to penalize countries who violate the treaty before they withdraw. One such measure would be to call upon countries to give back to suppliers sensitive equipment and materials they acquired while members of the NPT. Five years ago, the major nuclear powers agreed to a joint statement to reduce the nuclear threat & commit themselves to disarmament. This time, disagreements between the various parties did not allow Brazil's Sergio de Queiroz Duarte, the president of the conference, from even issuing a summary statement endorsing the principles of non-proliferation.

At a time when the Bush Administration has been highly critical of Iran and North Korea for their nuclear program ambitions, it is vital that the United States lead by example and not just words. The NPT requires nuclear states such as the U.S. to commit themselves to nuclear disarmament. Keeping our promises according to the treaty and setting a good example builds good will towards the U.S. that helps us build strong international teams that are needed to effectively fight new threats to U.S. and global security. Research and development of new nuclear weapons such as the bunker buster is an unwise investment and diverts resources from initiatives that would really improve American security.

Official Website - Contains treaty text, status.

Federation of American Scientists on NPT - Comprehensive source of information on NPT, including texts, documents and news.

U.S. Department of State on the NPT

Updated May 27, 2005