Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT)

Senate Rejection of the CTBT: International Statements and Comment

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan

'Secretary-General learns with regret of negative vote of United States Senate on ratification of Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty,' statement by the Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General, UN Press Release SG/SM/7177, 14 October

"The Secretary-General has learned with regret of the negative vote of the Senate of the United States... Both as Secretary-General of the United Nations and in his capacity as Depositary of the Treaty, he has consistently appealed to Member States who have not dome so to sign and ratify the Treaty in order that this important norm against nuclear proliferation and the further development of nuclear weapons should enter into force and become part of international law.

Participants in the Conference for Facilitating the Entry into Force of the CTBT issued a Declaration in Vienna on 8 October reaffirming the importance of a universal and internationally and effectively verifiable [treaty]... The Secretary-General reaffirms this goal in view of its importance in maintaining the nuclear non-proliferation regime and progress towards nuclear disarmament."

Statement by Ambassador Mokhtar Reguieg, Chairman of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO PrepCom), 15 October: "The failure of the United States Senate thus far to ratify the [treaty]...sets back our hopes for early entry into force... However, we welcome the announcement of President Clinton that the US would retain its moratorium against nuclear explosions and abide by the terms of the [treaty]... We hope that President Clinton's expression of determination to achieve United States' ratification of the Treaty will be realized in due course. In the meantime, the [CTBTO PrepCom] will continue with the build-up of the global verification regime, which has to be operational at entry into force of the CTBT. The determination of the international community to achieve entry into force soon remains steadfast."

Source: CTBTO PrepCom Press Release, 15 October.

Source: CTBTO PrepCom Press Release, 14 October.

'A Treaty We All Need,' article by Prime Minister Tony Blair, President Jacques Chirac & Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, The New York Times, 8 October

"During the 1990s, the United States has made a vital contribution to arms control and non-proliferation. Thanks to the common resolve of the world's powers, we have achieved a substantial reduction in nuclear arsenals, the banning of chemical weapons, the indefinite and unconditional extension of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and, in 1996, the conclusion of negotiations on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. South Africa, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus have renounced their nuclear weapons in the same spirit. The decisions we take now will help determine, for generations to come, the safety of the world we bequeath to our children. As we look to the next century, our greatest concern is proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and chiefly nuclear proliferation. We have to face the stark truth that nuclear proliferation remains the major threat to world security.

Failure to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty will be a failure in our struggle against proliferation. The stabilising effect of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, extended in 1995, would be undermined. Disarmament negotiations would suffer. Over half the countries that must ratify the new treaty to bring it into force have now done so. Britain, France and Germany ratified last year. All the political parties in our countries recognize that the treaty is strongly in our national interests, whether we are nuclear powers or not. It enhances our security and is verifiable.

The treaty is an additional barrier against the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Unless proliferators are able to test their nuclear devices, they can never be sure that any new weapon they design or build is safe and will work. Congress realised this when it passed a law in 1992 compelling the United States Presidential Administration to seek the conclusion of a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty by 1996. It was a welcome move for the world's strongest power to show the way.

The treaty is effectively verifiable. We need have no fear of the risk of cheating. We will not be relying on the good will of a rogue State to allow inspectors onto its territory. Under the treaty, a global network of stations is being set up. using four different technologies to identify nuclear tests. The system is already being put in place. We know it will work. Opponents of the treaty claim that, without testing, it will not be possible to guarantee the continuing safety and reliability of nuclear weapons. All nuclear powers, including the United States, Britain and France, examined this issue carefully. With the right investment and modern technology, the necessary assurance of safety and reliability can be maintained without further nuclear tests.

Rejection of the treaty by the Senate would remove the pressure from other States still hesitating about whether to ratify it. Rejection would give great encouragement to proliferators. Rejection would also expose a fundamental divergence within NATO. The United States and its allies have worked side by side for a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty since the days of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. This goal is now within our grasp. Our security is involved, as well as America's. For the security of the world we will leave to our children, we urge the United States to ratify the treaty."

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, 14 October: "I am deeply disappointed and concerned... The US Senate's decision is a significant blow... [K]ey countries such as Russia, China, India and Pakistan have not ratified. Without US ratification, the pressure on these other countries...is significantly less. The Government made intensive efforts to persuade Senators... I wrote to 12 key Republican Senators... The Governments of France, the UK, Germany and Canada also made high-level efforts... Australia has worked consistently to build support for the Treaty... In 1996 I led the exercise which took the CTBT from the Conference on Disarmament, where it had stalled, to the UN General assembly where it received overwhelming support... I would not want that effort to go to waste."

Source: US Senate failure on nuclear test ban treaty, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Media Release FA 112, 14 October.

Environment Minister Robert Hill, 14 October: "As the world's one remaining superpower, [the US] sees itself as having special global responsibility...and the Congressmen and women are obviously concerned by anything that they feel might weaken the US in that role and responsibility."

Source: Asia dismayed by US treaty vote, Associated Press, 14 October.

Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy, 14 October: "A world accustomed to US leadership in the cause of non-proliferation and disarmament can only be deeply disturbed by this turn of events, which will be welcomed by those who remain uncommitted to that cause. ... I welcome the Administration's commitment to continue its moratorium on nuclear testing, and hope the US Senate will reconsider its decision on the CTBT in the near future..."

Source: Canada regrets US Senate nuke treaty vote, Reuters, 14 October.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhang Qiyue, 14 October: "China deeply regrets that the US Senate voted to reject the ratification... The United States, as one of the 44 countries whose ratification is required for the enforcement of the treaty, has great influence on bringing the pact into force. ... China's position [of intending to ratify] remains unchanged."

Source: China to speed up CTBT ratification, Reuters, 14 October.

Foreign Ministry statement, 14 October: "The first review conference of the CTBT signatories...produced a stimulus for the process and created hope that the matter of the ratification by the United States would be resolved shortly. Therefore, the Czech Republic regrets the decision of the United States Senate...which can also have [an] impact on the position of other nuclear powers... However, the Czech Republic believes that the discussion has not ended, as the ratification is a necessary prerequisite of the Treaty's coming into force."

Source: Embassy of the Czech Republic in Washington, http://www.czech.cz/washington/press/pr-ctbt.html.

Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesperson, 14 October: "The refusal of the United States Senate to ratify...goes against the process of disarmament and the fight against nuclear proliferation. The decision will affect the credibility of the United State's role in this domain. France is but the more determined to assume its responsibilities, as it has done so far, as a responsible nuclear power resolved to maintain strategic stability. It urges all the countries that have not yet signed or ratified the CTBT to do do."

Source: French Embassy in Washington, http://www.info-france-usa.org/briefing.htm

Joint Statement by German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, Stockholm, 14 October: "We are deeply disappointed... This decision is a serious setback for nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. It is a wrong signal which we deeply regret... Only a mutual commitment can prevent at this critical juncture new nuclear testing and the development of new nuclear weapons. ... We hope that President Clinton and his Government can find ways to further his intention to have full US backing for the...treaty."

Sources: Global dismay at US Senate nuclear ban rejection, Reuters, 14 October; Germany says US nuke rejection a serious setback, Reuters, 14 October; World dismayed by US Treaty vote, Associated Press, 14 October.

External Affairs Ministers Jaswant Singh, 14 October: "As a country and Government, we remain committed to elimination of all weapons of mass destruction uniformly and globally. We are also committed to total disarmament without discrimination."

Source: Asia dismayed by US treaty vote, Associated Press, 14 October.

Foreign Ministry statement, 14 October: "1. India's position on the CTBT was...reiterated by the Prime Minister in Parliament on 15 December, 1998, as follows: 'India is now engaged in discussions with our key interlocutors on a range of issues, including the CTBT. We are prepared to bring these discussions to a successful conclusion, so that the entry into force of the CTBT is not delayed beyond September 1999. We expect that other countries, as indicated in Article XIV of the CTBT, will also adhere to this Treaty without conditions.'

2. The Prime Minister has also announced a voluntary moratorium on any further underground nuclear explosive tests. India also has an unwavering commitment to the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction and to universal nuclear disarmament.

3. The situation regarding ratification of the CTBT, as well as the debate in the US Senate, clearly indicates that the CTBT is not a simple, uncomplicated issue. Among other things, it requires building a national consensus in the countries concerned, including India."

Source: Government of India website, http://www.indiagov.org

Foreign Minister Yohei Kono, 14 October: "Japan is concerned about the possible negative impacts that this rejection may have on world nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation in coming years. The situation should be deemed serious. ... Since Japan has expected US leadership toward nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation throughout the world, this outcome is indeed regrettable. Japan strongly urges both the US Administration and the Senate to take necessary measures soon lest the CTBT, created by the international community with immense wisdom and energy, should lose its credibility and significance.""

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, http://www.mofa.go.jp

Letter from Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi to President Clinton, relayed to reporters by Government spokesperson Mikio Aoki, 18 October: "Prompt implementation of the treaty is extremely important to ensure nuclear non-proliferation and promote nuclear disarmament."

Source: Japan PM urges Clinton to push test ban treaty, Reuters, 18 October.

Mayor of Hiroshima Tadatoshi Akiba, 14 October: "[The US is] going against international efforts to reduce nuclear arms... As a nuclear power, the US should lead the way to end the proliferation of nuclear weapons."

Source: Asia dismayed by US treaty vote, Associated Press, 14 October.

Foreign Ministry statement, 14 October: "Since [the] CTBT is an important treaty that forms the basis of a nuclear non-proliferation structure, we hope that the United States, which has been leading such international efforts, would continue to play its role."

Source: Asia dismayed by US treaty vote, Associated Press, 14 October.

Secretary-General Lord Robertson, 14 October: "[I]t's a very worrying vote... I think it has a lot to do with the partisan nature of American politics at the moment and the sort of febrile atmosphere that comes with a Presidential election on the horizon."

Source: Global dismay at US Senate nuclear ban rejection, Reuters, 14 October.

Government statement, 14 October: "The Netherlands Government is seriously alarmed by the US Senate's rejection... The CTBT, which, after years of negotiations, was concluded in 1996 under Dutch Chairmanship of the UN Conference on Disarmament, is an important contribution to the worldwide efforts toward non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament. For the Netherlands, the CTBT is an important step on the road towards a nuclear-weapon-free world. The US Senate's rejection seriously complicates the Treaty's entry into force. The US Administration noted before the Senate vote that the Treaty's rejection would not be the end of the story. The Netherlands Government therefore hopes that a way can be found to allow the US to ratify the Treaty."

Source: Netherlands Embassy in Washington, http://www.netherlands-embassy.org

Foreign Minister Don McKinnon, 14 October: "The US Administration made every effort to secure Senate ratification... We in New Zealand share their regret that these efforts proved unsuccessful. This is not by any means the end of the road. ... New Zealand for its part will continue to press for the ban on nuclear testing to become universal, as well as calling for more rapid progress towards the elimination of all nuclear weapons."

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, http://www.mft.govt.nz

Opposition leader Naveed Qamar, 14 October: "Every country will use it as an excuse not to sign..."

Source: World dismayed by US Treaty vote, Associated Press, 14 October.

Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon, 14 October: "This is an enormous blow to all our efforts to make the world a safer place to live in."

Source: Asia dismayed by US treaty vote, Associated Press, 14 October.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Vladimir Rakhmanin, 14 October: "This decision is a serious blow to the entire system of agreements in the field of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. ... We express our disappointment and serious concern in connection with the rejection of the treaty by the US Senate. The US Administration worked very actively on all stages of its development and was first to sign it. ... There is a definite trend visible in recent times in US actions and it causes deep alarm. Apart from the failure to ratify the CTBT, there is the adoption of a law on a national anti-missile defense system and a new threat of sanctions in the area of export controls and a number of other steps which are destabilising the foundations of international relations."

Sources: Global dismay at US Senate nuclear ban rejection, Reuters, 14 October; Russia concerned by US Senate nuclear vote, Reuters, 14 October.

Foreign Ministry statement, referring to a message conveyed to Secretary Albright by Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, 16 October: "The US Senate's refusal to ratify the CTBT creates serious difficulties for the continuation and direction of other disarmament processes."

Source: Russia sees serious problem from US nuclear vote, Reuters, 17 October.

Roman Popovich, Chair of the Duma's Defence Committee, 14 October: "Being able to set up certain types of test...[the US] has been able to continue the development of their weapons, experimentally, without nuclear tests and to take part in the creation of completely new programmes. We have not had this opportunity."

Source: Russia shies from nuclear treaty, BBC News Online, 14 October.

Foreign Ministry statement, 14 October: "[T]his development undermines the gains already achieved by the international community in nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. The South African Government had hoped that the United States would achieve bipartisan consensus to enable the United States Government to ratify this treaty and join the international community in reinforcing the legal force and moral authority of the CTBT. The South African Government urges the United States Senate to reconsider its view on ratification and how it could add to the 'Principles and Objectives for Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation' adopted at the 1995 [NPT] Review and Extension Conference...thereby permitting progress in the quest to rid the world of weapons of mass destruction."

Source: South African Government website, http://www.polity.org.za/govdocs/pr/1999/pr1014.html

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