The Danger of Nuclear Proliferation Continues
Washington - While the threat of global nuclear war largely has passed, the danger of nuclear proliferation continues to make the 40-year-old Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as relevant today as it was during the height of the Cold War, President Obama says.
The treaty, which is commonly known by its initials NPT, came into force March 5, 1970, and was intended to limit the spread of nuclear weapons. It was proposed by Ireland and Finland, which were the first nations to sign it.
Obama, marking the treaty's 40th anniversary ( http://www.america.gov/st/texttrans-english/2010/March/20100307131226eaifas0.2355158.html ), said March 5 that it is built on three pillars: nations with nuclear weapons will move toward disarmament; nations without nuclear weapons will forgo them; and all nations have an "inalienable right" to peaceful nuclear energy. These pillars are also central to Obama's view of a world free from nuclear weapons, which he first proposed in an April 5, 2009 speech in Prague ( http://www.america.gov/st/texttrans-english/2009/April/20090406115740eaifas0.9701763.html ).
"To promote disarmament, the United States is working with Russia to complete negotiations on a new START Treaty [Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty] that will significantly reduce our nuclear arsenals," Obama said. "To prevent proliferation, we will build on the historic resolution that we achieved at the United Nations Security Council last September ( http://www.america.gov/st/texttrans-english/2009/September/20090924141732eaifas0.4393122.html ) by bringing together more than 40 nations at our Nuclear Security Summit next month with the goal of securing the world's vulnerable nuclear materials in four years."
Negotiators from the United States and Russia have been working since early 2009 to draw up a new treaty to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty that expired in December 2009. Obama said those negotiations are ongoing, and a successor treaty is expected soon.
The United States and Russia have agreed to maintain the treaty until a new agreement is reached, saying that strategic stability is important. In April 2009, when Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev held their first face-to-face meeting in London, the two leaders pledged ( http://www.america.gov/st/peacesec-english/2009/April/20090401132246idybeekcm0.7817499.html ) to work for a world free of nuclear arms, and said every effort would be made before the end of this year to reduce their nuclear arsenals with the long-term goal of reducing global nuclear tensions.
At the Moscow Summit in July 2009, Obama and Medvedev agreed to reduce ( http://www.america.gov/st/peacesec-english/2009/July/20090706122119dmslahrellek0.8060266.html ) the number of nuclear warheads each possesses to a range of 1,500 to 1,675 over seven years. The treaty would also limit the means of delivery, which includes nuclear-powered submarines, long-range bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles. The missiles can also be used to deliver non-nuclear warheads over the same distances, and that has been one of several highly technical areas of discussion.
In Prague in April 2009, Obama called for a nuclear-free world and he pledged to work for greater arms control and nonproliferation goals. Obama's call comes at a time when Washington is enlisting Moscow's support in curbing the nuclear ambitions of both North Korea and Iran. The United States and Russia participate in talks aimed at convincing those two regimes to give up weapons and long-range missile development programs.
In his March 5 statement, Obama said that to ensure the peaceful use of nuclear energy, the United States seeks a new framework for civil nuclear cooperation among nations, including an international fuel bank and the necessary resources and authority to strengthen the International Atomic Energy Agency.
"For nations that uphold their responsibilities, peaceful nuclear energy can help unlock advances in medicine, agriculture and economic development," Obama said.
Within weeks U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates will present to the president the Nuclear Posture Review, which will define the Obama administration's nuclear strategy for the United States. Every administration develops one soon after coming into office. Many of the president's objectives to reduce the U.S. arsenal and define how it could be used will be included in the posture review.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said March 5 ( http://www.america.gov/st/texttrans-english/2010/March/20100307122633eaifas0.4589502.html ) that because of the nonproliferation treaty, more nations have given up nuclear weapons, or decided against pursing them, than have acquired them.
"We are reaffirming our NPT commitments to make progress toward nuclear disarmament and guarantee access to nuclear energy for peaceful purposes to all those abiding by their nonproliferation commitments," Clinton said.
In May, the nations that are signatories to the treaty will convene at the United Nations for a monthlong review conference, which takes place every five years, to determine if additional amendments are needed to strengthen the treaty.
"A key to the treaty's success has been its legally binding structure, which holds member nations accountable, discourages proliferation, and brings the benefits of nuclear energy to all corners of the world," Clinton said.
(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov)
