From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) bans all nuclear explosions in all environments, for military or civilian purposes. It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 September 1996 but it has not yet entered into force.[1]
Status
Signed
- location
10 September 1996
New York City
Effective
- condition
Not yet in force
180 days after it is ratified by all 44 Annex 2 countries: Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, People’s Republic of China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, North Korea, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam
Signatories Parties Website
180 148 (including 35 of 44 Annex 2 states) http://www.ctbto.org/
Further information: List of parties to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty The Treaty was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 September 1996.[1] It opened for signature in New York on 24 September 1996,[1] when it was signed by 71 States, including five of the eight then nuclear-capable states. As of April 2009, 148 states have ratified the CTBT and another 32 states have signed but not yet ratified it.[1][2] The treaty will enter into force 180 days after the 44 states listed in Annex 2 of the treaty have ratified it. These "Annex 2 states" are states that participated in the CTBT’s negotiations between 1994 and 1996 and possessed nuclear power reactors or research reactors at that time.[3] As of April 2009, nine Annex 2 states have not ratified the treaty: China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan and the United States.
Obligations
(Article I):[4] 1. Each State Party undertakes not to carry out any nuclear weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion, and to prohibit and prevent any such nuclear explosion at any place under its jurisdiction or control. 2. Each State Party undertakes, furthermore, to refrain from causing, encouraging, or in any way participating in the carrying out of any nuclear weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion.
Participation in the Comprehensive NuclearTest-Ban Treaty Annex 2, signed Not Annex 2, and ratified Annex signed and ratified 2, only signed AnNot Annex 2, only nex 2, non-signatory signed Not Annex 2, non-signatory
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
History
Arms control advocates had campaigned for the adoption of a treaty banning all nuclear explosions since the early 1950s, when public concern was aroused as a result of radioactive fall-out from atmospheric nuclear tests and the escalating arms race. Over 50 nuclear explosions were registered between 16 July 1945, when the first nuclear explosive test was conducted by the United States at Alamogordo, New Mexico, and 31 December 1953. Prime Minister Nehru of India voiced the heightened international concern in 1954, when he proposed the elimination of all nuclear test explosions worldwide. However, within the context of the Cold War, skepticism about the capability to verify compliance with a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty posed a major obstacle to any agreement.
Adoption of the CTBT, 1996
Intensive efforts were made over the next three years to draft the Treaty text and its two annexes. However, the Conference on Disarmament, in which negotiations were being held, did not succeed in reaching consensus on the adoption of the text. Australia then sent the text to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where it was submitted as a draft resolution.[6] On 10 September 1996, the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) was adopted by a large majority, exceeding two-thirds of the General Assembly’s Membership.[7]
US ratification of the CTBT
The US has signed the CTBT, but not ratified it. There is ongoing debate whether or not the US should ratify the CTBT. Proponents of ratification claim that it would: 1. Establish an international norm that would push other nuclear-capable countries like North Korea, Pakistan, and India to sign. 2. Constrain worldwide nuclear proliferation by vastly limiting a country’s ability to make nuclear advancements that only testing can ensure. 3. Not compromise US national security because the Science Based Stockpile Stewardship Program serves as a means for maintaining current US nuclear capabilities without physical detonation. On 13 October 1999, the United States Senate rejected ratification of the CTBT. President Barack Obama stated during his 2008 election campaign that "As president, I will reach out to the Senate to secure the ratification of the CTBT at the earliest practical date."[8]
Partial Test Ban Treaty, 1963
Limited success was achieved with the signing of the Partial Test Ban Treaty in 1963, which banned nuclear tests in the atmosphere, underwater and in space. Neither France nor China signed the PTBT. However, the treaty was ratified 80 to 19. [5]
Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, 1968
A major step towards non-proliferation of nuclear weapons came with the signing of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1968. Under the NPT, non-nuclear weapon states were prohibited from, inter alia, possessing, manufacturing or acquiring nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. All signatories, including nuclear weapon states, were committed to the goal of total nuclear disarmament.
Monitoring of the CTBT
Geophysical and other technologies are used to monitor for compliance with the Treaty: seismology, hydroacoustics, infrasound, and radionuclide monitoring. The technologies are used to monitor the underground, the waters and the atmosphere for any sign of a nuclear explosion. Once the Treaty enters into force, on site inspection will be provided for where concerns about compliance arise. The Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), an international organization headquartered in Vienna, Austria, was
Negotiations for the CTBT
Given the political situation prevailing in the subsequent decades, little progress was made in nuclear disarmament until 1991. Parties to the PTBT held an amendment conference that year to discuss a proposal to convert the Treaty into an instrument banning all nuclear-weapon tests; with strong support from the UN General Assembly, negotiations for a comprehensive test-ban treaty began in 1993.
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
created to build the verification regime, including establishment and provisional operation of the network of monitoring stations, the creation of an international data centre, and development of the On Site Inspection capability. The monitoring network consists of 337 facilities located all over the globe. As of January 2008, nearly 70 percent of monitoring stations are operational. The monitoring stations register data that is transmitted to the international data centre in Vienna for processing and analysis. The data is sent to states that have signed the Treaty.
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
See also
• • • • • • • National Technical Means Nuclear proliferation Nuclear disarmament Nuclear weapon Nuclear warfare Nuclear-free zone Global Security Institute
References
[1] ^ United Nations Treaty Collection (2009). "Comprehensive Nuclear-TestBan Treaty". Accessed 4 April 2009. [2] Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Orgainzation (2008). "Status of Signature and Ratification". Accessed 4 April 2009. [3] "CTBTO Preparatory Commission", CTBO Press Centre [4] COMPREHENSIVE NUCLEAR-TESTBAN TREATY, CTBTO
[5] "1963 Year In Review" [6] http://unbisnet.un.org:8080/ipac20/ ipac.jsp?session=X204697124L65.19785&profile=bi [7] http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/50/ ares50-245.htm [8] "Nuclear Testing Is an Acceptable Risk for Arms Control", Scientific American, March 2009. • Full text of the treaty • For official news releases and information on the treaty see - http://www.ctbto.org • Two articles from the March/April Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists cover the state of play regarding the CTBT: Keith Hansen, "Forecasting the future" and Trevor Findlay & Andreas Persbo, "Watching the world." • The Test Ban Test: U.S. Rejection has Scuttled the CTBT • Nuclear Files.org Text of the CTBT • US conducts subcritical nuclear test ABC News, February 24, 2006 • International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, 1991 • Daryl Kimball and Christine Kucia, Arms Control Association, 2002 • "Low-Yield Earth Penetrating Nuclear Weapons" • General John M. Shalikashvili, Special Advisor to the President and the Secretary of State for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty • Christopher Paine, Senior Researcher with NRDC’s Nuclear Program, 1999 • Fact Sheet released by the Bureau of Arms Control • Obama or McCain Can Finish Journey to Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comprehensive_Nuclear-Test-Ban_Treaty" Categories: Arms control treaties, Nuclear weapons policy, Foreign relations of India, Foreign relations of Pakistan This page was last modified on 17 April 2009, at 02:31 (UTC). All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.) Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) taxdeductible nonprofit charity. Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers
3