Non-Proliferation Treaty extended 'indefinitely' at Review Conference: full compliance called essential to international peace and security.

Full compliance called essential to international peace and security

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) "shall continue in force indefinitely", it was declared on 11 May at the 1995 Review and Extension Conference of the Parties to the NPT.

In a decision taken without a vote, participants in the four-week assemblage (17 April-12 May, New York) agreed that full compliance with the Treaty, its extension and universal adherence were essential to international peace and security and to the attainment of the "ultimate goals of the complete elimination of nuclear weapons and a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control".

Two other decisions - on strengthening the review process for the Treaty and on principles and objectives for nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament - and a resolution calling for the establishment of an "effectively verifiable Middle East zone free of weapons of mass destruction" were also adopted without a vote.

Delegates from 175 States parties to the historic disarmament agreement - which aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology throughout the world - gathered at UN Headquarters in New York to comply with a requirement of the 1970 NPT, which called for a special meeting 25 years after its entry into force to consider extending the global pact.

The Conference was unable to agree on a final declaration on the review of the operation of the Treaty, despite extensive consultations and strenuous last-minute negotiations which delayed the closing meeting.

Conference President Jayantha Dhanapala of Sri Lanka believed that there had been "neither winners nor losers" at the forum, and only the Treaty had won. The 1995 Review Conference had undertaken a "vote of confidence in the only disarmament agreement that has almost universal adherence", he said in his closing statement on 12 May. All parties should consolidate and implement its decisions.

The Treaty had been rendered permanent, Mr. Dhanapala went on, and a framework to strengthen its regime, with a sharper focus in future review conferences, had been established. Also, NPT objectives had been strengthened and an "historic agreement, not only on the extension of the Treaty but on the need for universality and strengthened review mechanisms", had been achieved, he stated.

Non-proliferation and disarmament must be pursued together, and the Conference had encapsulated that sentiment, providing a "framework with which to translate it into reality", the President concluded.

In his opening address on 17 April, Mr. Dhanapala had said that action to extend the NPT should be seen as a "consolidation of gains on the road to outlawing the most horrendous weapons ever invented". Chemical, biological and other inhumane weapons had not been disinvested, but declared illegal, he stressed.

Background

Over the years, four review conferences were convened - in 1975, 1980, 1985 and 1990 - to assess the pact's implementation and recommend ways to strengthen it.

The NPT was opened for signature on 1 July 1968 in London, Moscow and Washington - the United Kingdom, the former USSR and the United States having been designated depository Governments - and entered into force on 5 March 1970 with 97 signatures and 47 ratifications.

In addition to quelling the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, it aims to further the goal of general and complete disarmament and promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

The Treaty has established a safeguards system - a set of confidence-building measures designed to verify compliance with the NPT by inspections - under the responsibility of the international Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

With 179 States parties - Chile's decision to join was announced on 12 May - the NPT is the most widely adhered to multilateral instrument after the UN Charter.

Three States parties - Kiribati, Somalia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) - did not attend. in addition to States signatories, and UN and IAEA representatives, 10 non-States parties were present as observers - Angola, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Djibouti, Israel, Oman, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Vanuatu.

Other observers were: Palestine; the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean; European Community; League of Arab States; South Pacific Forum; International Committee of the Red Cross; Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development; North Atlantic Assembly; Organization of African Unity; and Organization of the Islamic Conference. Also, 195 research institutes and non-governmental organizations were represented.

Principles and objectives

In the decision on principles and objectives for nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament - covering universality, non-proliferation, nuclear disarmament, nuclear-weapon-free zones, security assurances, safeguards, and peaceful uses of nuclear energy - the Conference stressed that nuclear disarmament should be fulfilled with determination. Nuclear-weapon States reaffirmed their commitment to pursue in good faith negotiations in that field.

The Conference also called for: the completion of negotiations on a comprehensive test-ban treaty; early conclusion of a convention banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices; and reduction of nuclear weapons, with the ultimate goal of their elimination.

It also noted Security Council resolution 984 (1995) of 11 April 1995, adopted at a meeting a week before the worldwide Conference opened. The text related to security assurances, as well as to declarations by the nuclear-weapon States concerning negative and positive security assurances. The Conference indicated that further steps in that field, including the adoption of a legally binding instrument, should be considered. Parties worried about non-compliance with the Treaty should direct their concerns to the IAEA, it stated.

Also, promotion of transparency in nuclear-related export controls was urged, and States parties were called upon to maintain high standards in nuclear safety, including waste management, and observe standards and guidelines in nuclear materials accounting, as well as the physical protection and transport of nuclear materials.

By a third decision - on strengthening the NPT review process - the Conference decided that, beginning in 1997, its Preparatory Committee would meet in each of the three years before the quinquennial Review Conference. Those meetings would evaluate the results of the period under review and consider the principles and objectives to promote and strengthen the implementation of the Treaty and achieve its universality.

Finally, in a resolution on the Middle East, the Conference called on the States of the region to establish a verifiable zone free of weapons of mass destruction - nuclear, chemical and biological. Expressing concern about unsafeguarded nuclear facilities in the region, the Conference called upon all States to accede to the Treaty and place their nuclear facilities under full scope of the IAEA safeguards.

Beyond disarmament

Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, in an inaugural address on 17 April, declared that the outcome of the Review Conference could support a "vision of international relations that extends beyond disarmament".

Increasingly, States were working in harmony to make decisions of global importance on a vast range of issues, from development to international security, and the Conference, by forging a "joint strategy on nonproliferation", could mark the "beginning of a new phase in arms limitations and disarmament, and a major stride towards a world free from nuclear weapons", he stressed. It could also "pave the way to redirecting the vast sums of money now spent on armaments towards the development that can ensure lasting peace".

United States Secretary of State Warren Christopher said that the NPT, established at a time of a nuclear standoff that threatened every nation, had given the parties "confidence in the nuclear intentions of others" and had reduced the risk of nuclear conflict.

The Treaty had advanced nuclear disarmament - nuclear arsenals of the two former cold war adversaries were being reduced by almost two thirds - bolstered regional security and "promoted safe and peaceful use of nuclear energy". Negotiations were advancing on a comprehensive test-ban treaty and a cut-off on the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons. "Simply put, the NPT has worked", Mr. Christopher declared.

Russian Foreign Minister Andrey Kozyrev stated that the Treaty's indefinite and unconditional extension was "not a mandate for indefinite possession by the nuclear Powers of their nuclear arsenals". His country was committed to the final goal of complete elimination of nuclear weapons and supported signing a comprehensive test-ban treaty "as early as this year". But such a step, as well as a "subsequent renunciation of qualitative modernization of nuclear arms", was only possible if the NPT remained in effect, Mr. Kozyrev stressed on 24 April.

Douglas Hurd, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom, said on 18 April that the international community could best serve a "world without fear of nuclear war" by deciding to extend the Treaty unconditionally and indefinitely. His country's nuclear forces would soon be limited to a "single system deployed on submarines", with "no British weapons" elsewhere. "I can announce today that the United Kingdom has ceased the production of fissile material for explosive purposes", Mr. Hurd stated.

Credible assurances

needed

Hans Blix, IAEA Director-General, said there was a need for "credible assurances" that nuclear material and installations were used exclusively for peaceful purposes. Lessons had been learned from the cases of iraq, South Africa and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, highlighting the need for strengthened safeguards and verification. illegal trafficking in nuclear material and nuclear-free zones should also be addressed.

As for a comprehensive test-ban treaty and cut-off on production of fissile material, Mr. Blix believed that instead of a new international organization for each arms control and disarmament agreement, it would be more practical to charge the IAEA with verification of the "cluster of nuclear related agreements". Having served as a vital instrument for NPT implementation, the Agency could be a "principal intergovernmental channel for the transfer of peaceful nuclear technology" and for assistance to developing countries, Mr. Blix stated.

Variety of views

In six days of general debate, the Conference heard 116 speakers, expressing wide-ranging views on compliance with the Treaty, its proposed extension, and ways to achieve general and complete nuclear disarmament. General support was expressed for strengthened IAEA safeguard programmes.

Other issues raised included: the inherent inequality between nuclear and non-nuclear-weapon States; acceleration of nuclear disarmament: non-accession to the NPT by India, Israel and Pakistan; management of fissile materials; access to nuclear technology and materials for peaceful purposes; environmental concerns associated with nuclear testing in the South Pacific; transshipment of toxic nuclear materials; and disposal of nuclear waste.

Commission continues work on

arms transfers guidelines

The focus of guidelines for international arms transfers - described as a "deeply entrenched phenomenon of contemporary international relations" - would be on illicit arms trade, the Disarmament Commission agreed during its annual session (15-30 May, New York). The 185-member Commission, which completed a first reading of the proposed guidelines, decided to use that text as a basis for work in 1996.

The draft guidelines note that the problem of illicit traffic in arms had social and humanitarian component, in addition to technical, economic and political dimensions. Arms transfers should be addressed in conjunction with the question of maintaining international peace and security, reducing international tension, enhancing confidence, and promoting disarmament, as well as economic and social development.

"All States have the inherent right of self-defence as enshrined" in the UN Charter, the as-yet-unagreed-to document states, and "therefore have the right to acquire arms for their defence, including arms from outside sources". However, international transfers of conventional arms "can give rise to concerns which, in recent decades, have acquired a new dimension with the increase in illicit trafficking of arms", it states, and "by its clandestine nature, defies transparency".

The proposed guidelines, as set out in a Chairman's working paper, include sections containing an introduction, UN background, scope, definition, principles, ways and means at the national and international levels, and institutional arrangements.

The Commission failed to reach consensus in two other substantive areas: on the process of nuclear disarmament in the framework of international peace and security, with the objective of elimination of nuclear weapons; and on the review of the Declaration of the 1990s as the Third Disarmament Decade.