Eliminating Nuclear Threats- ICNND Report

The ICNND (International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament) has recognized in its report titled “Eliminating Nuclear Threats: A Practical Agenda for Global Policymakers,” that the three nuclear-armed states now outside the NPT – India, Pakistan and Israel – are not likely to become members any time soon but every effort should be made to achieve their participation in parallel instruments and arrangements which apply equivalent non-proliferation and disarmament obligations. The report also takes a dig at the newly nuclear armed states North Korea and potential nuclear power Iran. The report recommends for continuing efforts should be made as far as North Korea is concerned, but within the framework of the ‘Six-Party Talks’ to achieve a satisfactory negotiated solution of the problem. And for Iran, it recomends efforts to be made by the P5+1, Security Council and IAEA member states to achieve a satisfactory negotiated resolution of the issue of Iran’s nuclear capability and intentions.

The voluminous report (over 260 pages of word document) was prepared by Gareth Evans, the former Foreign Minister of Australia and Yoriko Kawaguchi of Japan talks about a minimization point of a total no more than 2000 nuclear warheads to be reached in 2025 after which the world would move towards complete elimination.

Report Highlights:

On Non Proliferation Strategy:

Nuclear non-proliferation efforts should focus both on the demand side – persuading states that nuclear weapons will not advance their national security or other interests – and the supply side, through maintaining and strengthening a comprehensive array of measures (addressed in following recommendations) designed to make it as difficult as possible for states to buy or build such weapons.

On Missiles, Space, Biological Weapons:

The issue of anti-ballistic missile (ABM) systems should be revisited, with a view to allowing the further development of theatre ballistic missile defence systems, including potential joint operations in areas of mutual concern, but setting severe limits on strategic ballistic missile defences.

International efforts to curb missile proliferation should continue, but continued failure to multilateralize the INF should not be used as an excuse for either present party to withdraw from it.

Continuing strong efforts should be made to promote universal adherence to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and the Chemical Weapons Convention, and to develop more effective ways of defending against potential biological attacks, including – for all its difficulties – building a workable Convention verification regime.

For Complete Report, Read Here.

Posted by Animesh Roul on December 16, 2009. Respond »

In the News: US-EU 2009 Summit Urges States to Sign the Nuclear Treaty

The joint declaration at the US-EU 2009 Summit urges India and other non signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to sign the pact and ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). India considers the NPT regime as discriminatory and unfair.

The Annex -3 of the declaration says:

We reaffirm our commitment to seeking a safer world for all and to creating the conditions for a world without nuclear weapons, in accordance with the goals of the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty. We are convinced that intermediate steps on our path towards this objective can also represent significant increases in security for all.

The declaration calls upon all states that are not parties to the NPT to accede as non-nuclear weapon states ‘to achieve universality’. Voicing commitment to the Non proliferation regime, the US and the European Union promise to work actively for the successful outcome of the 2010 NPT Review Conference. It says:

We will work proposals on all three pillars of the NPT- (Non proliferation, disarmament and Peaceful use of nuclear energy) presented by the EU, which can inform our efforts to develop a forward looking action plan at the review conference.

For complete declaration of EU-US Summit (Washington, 3 November 2009), Read here.

Posted by Animesh Roul on November 5, 2009. Respond »

In the News: “The Clock is Ticking”

The Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism’s interim progress report on the United States’ preparedness to prevent WMD proliferation and terrorism focuses largely on the biological proliferation and terrorism. In its report titled The Clock is Ticking (Released on Oct 21, 2009), the Commission cited a range of missteps’ on biosecurity and concludes: ‘No senior-level advocate for biosecurity in the Administration, attempted funding “raids” on two critical biopreparedness programs, and lack of appropriate disease surveillance.’

For More on the Report, Read here

The Commission’s December 2008 report, ‘World at Risk’, revealed U.S. government’s inabilty or lack of capabilty to adapt to problem of terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (Nuclear, Chemical, Biological and Radiological weapon). The Commission assessed current activities, initiatives, and programs aimed at preventing the proliferation and terrorism. It also provided a comprehensive strategy with number of recommendations for future actions. Presently, the Commission is working to improve understanding of its findings, and to turn those concrete recommendations into actions.

Again, In January 2010, the Commission will release a report card grading the Administration and Congress on their progress in implementing the recommendations of the report.

Posted by Animesh Roul on October 25, 2009. Respond »

Reader Comment: India’s Nuclear Weapons

Reader Dr. N K Srinivasan writes:

India has tested only one thermo-nuclear device of about 45kT whose yield is under dispute…India as a growing power in South Asia has to have deterrence with further testing at least 6 bombs of 100 kT yield.This would create greater stability in this region, perhaps in middle-east as well. India with a stable democratic set-up is best suited to maintain nuclear balance in this region that would be beneficial to western powers too.

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Posted by Matthew Shannon Stumpf on September 30, 2009. Respond »

India: Nuclear Non- Proliferation and Disarmament Debate Heats Up

After summarily rejecting Barack Obama led UN Security Council resolution to join Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as ‘non-nuclear weapons states’, India reiterated its stance (call it ‘unwavering’) once again on its status as a nuclear power which is closely associated with matters of national interests.  India’s permanent representative at the UN Hardeep Singh Puri has made it clear in his letter that India won’t be accepting any externally prescribed norms or standards on matters within the jurisdiction of India’s Parliament or which are not consistent with India’s constitutional provisions and procedures.

Quickly mending its way, the Washington administration has assured India that the UNSC resolution on the NPT and other pacts is not aimed at New Delhi. A week after, India’s PM Manmohan Singh stated that for any non-proliferation attempt to be successful it was important to link it with complete nuclear disarmament. He said:

“It is a matter of regret that the global non-proliferation regime has not succeeded in preventing nuclear proliferation. Its deficiencies in fact have had an adverse impact on our security. Global non-proliferation, to be successful, should be universal, comprehensive and non-discriminatory and linked to the goal of complete nuclear disarmament.”

One important article needs attention here. The article tiled “Nuclear disarmament: building the momentum” (The Hindu, Sept. 29) has written by Gareth Evans and Yoriko Kawaguchi (Co-Chairs of the International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament-ICNND).

They say:

The International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament seeks to contribute to the current global effort, to help build a new momentum to reconsider the role of nuclear weapons in international relations and eventually to eliminate them. This is not an issue which we can allow to be pushed aside by new threats, be they concerns over the global financial crisis or the prospect of pandemics and climate change. The nuclear threat is an ever present danger which must be addressed in parallel. And after a decade of neglect, the issue demands priority attention from our political leaders world-wide.

Arundhati Ghose (former ambassador to the United Nations Conference on Disarmament) has an interesting opinion piece titled “Who’s afraid of the NPT?” (Indian Express, Sep 30).

She underscores:

The NPT permitted proliferation in India’s neighbourhood, and while China and Pakistan may not have been members of the NPT at the time, the rest of the non-proliferation community accepted the proliferation with a wink and a nod. Proliferation and its consequent dangers, India has stated, can only be tackled through universal and verifiable nuclear disarmament.

“while no one in India would favour India signing the NPT, it does not appear that there is a national consensus on the government’s stand on nuclear disarmament. […] There is thus a need to have a wide debate on the issue of eventual universal nuclear disarmament and whether it is in India’s security interests to have a nuclear weapon free world. Without such a consensus (not unanimity), our protestations for a world free of nuclear weapons will be as credible as the current US efforts to persuade the world that that is its eventual objective.

Mohamed El-Baradei, the outgoing chief of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said it very rightly while adressing an international conference in New Delhi early this week that “after a couple of wasted decades, nuclear disarmament has moved back to the top of the international agenda.” Arguably, the debate will go on and we will see and read more of it in the coming days here in India, especially when the ICNND will hold its fourth regional meeting for South Asia, in New Delhi on October 24, 2009. It is speculated that the Delhi meeting will provide ample opportunity for the Commission to ‘continue investigating all options for mitigating nuclear proliferation and promoting disarmament’.

Posted by Animesh Roul on September 29, 2009. Respond »