2 September 2003
There are three items in this September 2 News Advisory:
1) The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Conference on Facilitating the Entry-Into-Force begins. Sign your organization on to the NGO statement today!
2) Email list news
3) Countries on the IAEA agenda
1) The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization will be hosting a Conference on Facilitating the Entry-Into-Force of the CTBT this week, from September 3-5, in Vienna. Over the past fifty years, NGOs and wise members of the diplomatic community have worked tirelessly for the establishment of a nuclear test ban. In 1996, the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva finally negotiated a Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). Seven years later, NGO efforts must concentrate on seeing the Treaty enter-into-force (EIF).An international group of NGOs have drafted a collective statement to be delivered to the States Parties during the morning session on September 5. We urge all NGOs to sign-on to this statement available here:
http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/ctbt/NGOstatement2003.htm.
Please note that due to time constraints, the statement will be shortened to a reading time of 10 minutes. The text of the statement will be delivered to the Secretariat and the States Parties in its entirety. The EIF of the Treaty relies solely upon the signature and ratification of the 44 “Annex II” countries with nuclear energy capabilities. At the time of this EIF Conference, 12 of those 44 countries have yet to ratify. (See list below). One of them, the United States of America, is even boycotting the conference, as they did at the last EIF Conference in 2001- the only signator to do so. If your country is one of the 12 hold-out states, it is important that you write to them and urge them to ratify. Make an appointment to speak with a representative at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (or equivalent) and encourage the Foreign Minister to attend the conference and publicly urge the CTBT hold out states to promptly ratify the Treaty.To contact your government's mission, see RCW's Governmental Database.
Stay updated on what your government does or does not say on our CTBT page. In addition, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization will be posting all official documents on their site in real time.If you and your organization would like to sign on to this statement, please send all relevant information to [email protected], Professor Thomas Schoenfeldof the Vienna NGO Committee on Disarmament and International Security.For more information on the CTBT, visit:
The Acronym Institute
The Arms Control Association
Coalition to Reduce Nuclear Dangers
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War
Physicians for Social Responsibility
Reaching Critical Will
Verification, Research and Training Information Centre
CTBT Annex II States whose ratification is needed for entry-into-force
*indicates non-signator status
China
Colombia
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea*
Democratic Republic of Congo
Egypt
India*
Indonesia
Iran
Israel
Pakistan*
United States
Vietnam
2) Email List NewsThe Reaching Critical Will website now includes brief descriptions on various web-based information services provided by non-governmental organizations around the world. These groups manage news wires, information archives, e-discussion fora and other services for those interested in disarmament and non-proliferation, nuclear weapons, arms trades, missiles, foreign policy, and regional issues. The descriptions also include instructions on how to subscribe to these invaluable services. See:http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/lists/listindex.html. As part of our efforts to enhance our own email news services, Reaching Critical Will has finally finished upgrading our email program, including a new, more easily manageable email address book. If you are still receiving multiple News Advisories, please inform us and the problem will be immediately corrected.Furthermore, if you or your colleagues would like to renew or update a subscription to any of the other RCW managed email lists- including the CD or First Committee lists- send an email to [email protected] with the list name in the subject heading and your name and full email address in the body of the message. Please indicate if you would prefer HTML or Plain Text messages.To read brief descriptions of the various lists managed or used by RCW, visit: www.reachingcriticalwill.org/lists/listindex.html, which also includes links to archived news advisories as well. If we can improve our email services in any way, please submit comments and questions to [email protected]
3) Countries on the IAEA agenda Iran and Israel are items on the agenda at the next General Committee meeting of the IAEA, to be held September 15-19 in Vienna.This is the first time that the international atomic watchdog agency will be discussing Israel’s nuclear arsenal, estimated by US Intelligence Agencies to be around 75-150 weapons. Other groups believe that Israel has close to 400.(For a brief history on the Israeli nuclear program, see The Federation of American Scientists fact sheet)
Iran, on the contrary, has been a top priority at the IAEA since the surprise discovery of two advanced facilities in Iran last year. Since Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei’s trip to Iran in June, the IAEA has sent several teams to investigate claims by the United States that Iran’s nuclear facilities are a cover-up for a clandestine nuclear weapons program. On Tuesday, August 26, IAEA inspectors found traces of highly enriched uranium around the Natanz plant. The United States viewed the finding as proof of the secret weapons program; Iran insists that the uranium traces were there at the time of purchase
Iran and Israel aren’t the only countries the IAEA has been discussing. Last week in a German newspaper, Mr. ElBaradei accused the United States of using “double standards” in its nuclear non-proliferation policy. "The U.S. government demands that other nations not possess nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, it is arming itself," said Mr. ElBaradei.Read the full Reuters article on Mr. ElBaradei’s statements on the U.S.Read the Provisional Agenda for the GC meeting
Rhianna Tyson
Project Associate