Egypt is NPT’ed (a.k.a. Not Particularly Thrill’ed)
Kingston Reif | Apr 24, 2010 |
1 Lest there are a few of you out there who have flirted with the notion that the so-called “Nuclear Spring” would cause the rest of the world, particularly the non-nuclear weapon states, to hold hands and sing “kumbaya”, Colum Lynch’s report from Monday’s UN General Assembly debate on Disarmament and World Security provides a chilly does of reality.
Via Lynch: "There is mistrust," said Egypt's U.N. ambassador, Maged A. Abdelaziz, who is serving as chairman of the 118-member Non-Aligned Movement. Speaking before the General Assembly debate entitled "Disarmament and World Security," the Egyptian envoy said the five major nuclear powers are seeking to impose new demands on non-nuclear powers while failing to fully live up to their own disarmament obligations, and permitting a special group of nations -- India, Israel, and Pakistan -- a free pass to produce nuclear weapons, without having to abide by the obligations of signatories to the NPT. "States outside the treaty are reaping the benefits of the treaty," he said.
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The Egyptian diplomat outlined the NAM's opposition to a series of Western-backed initiatives, including a proposal to punish countries that withdraw from the NPT and a plan to establish a U.N. fuel bank to supply nuclear non-nuclear states. In addition, he said NAM had "serious concerns" about U.N. Security Council Resolution 1887, promoted last September by Obama, which strengthens the 15-nation body's authority to confront states that fail to comply with their nuclear non-proliferation obligations. "We are not as non-nuclear states going to accept that each time there is progress in disarmament that we have to take more obligations on our side," said Abdelaziz. [emphasis mine].
I suspect that those who actually believe that the NPT Review Conference will be a cakewalk for the U.S. meet in a very small room. But this does not mean that the Conference is doomed to failure. Nor is it to say that New START, the NPR, and the Nuclear Security Summit haven’t strengthened the U.S. case that it is revitalizing its commitment to its obligations under the NPT...
NGO Video at the 2010 NPT Review Conference - Call for Submissions
Kingston Reif | Mar 02, 2010 | 0 Via friend of NOH Alicia Godsberg, the NGO peace and disarmament community will be showing a five minute video at the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference at the United Nations this May, comprised of video clips from people around the world speaking about their desire to live in a world without nuclear weapons.
Interested in participating? More info below the jump.
