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Disarmament DocumentationBack to Disarmament Documentation Afghanistan Accedes to CWC and CTBT, September 24CTBTO Press Release, September 25'Afghanistan signs and ratifies the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty on the seventh anniversary of the Treaty's opening for signature', Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) Press Release, PI/2003/37, Vienna, September 25. Afghanistan has signed and ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) on 24 September 2003, on the seventh anniversary of the Treaty's opening for signature. Afghanistan's signature and ratification brings the total number of Treaty ratifications to 105. Of the 26 States in the Middle East and South Asia geographical region, 12 have now ratified the Treaty. The total number of Treaty signatures now stands at 169, with 19 in the Middle East and South Asia geographical region. During the Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the CTBT, which was held in Vienna from 3 to 5 September 2003, the Head of the Afghan Delegation announced the signature and ratification by the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan as a "clear demonstration of the government's readiness to cooperate for the successful implementation of the CTBT". The CTBT bans any nuclear weapon test explosion in any environment. Drafted at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, and adopted by the General Assembly on 10 September 1996, the Treaty was opened for signature on 24 September 1996 at the United Nations headquarters in New York. To enter into force, the CTBT must be signed and ratified by the 44 States that formally participated in the work of the 1996 session of the Conference on Disarmament and that possess nuclear power or research reactors. Thirty-two of these States have ratified the Treaty. The 105 States that have deposited their instruments of ratification of the CTBT are: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guyana, Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Latvia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Samoa, San Marino, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Venezuela. OPCW Press Release, September 25'Afghanistan joins the Chemical Weapons Convention', Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Press Release, Number 21-2003, The Hague, September 25. Afghanistan deposited its instrument of ratification to the Chemical Weapons Convention with the Secretary General of the United Nations on 24 September 2003. Afghanistan will become the 155th State Party to the Convention on 25 October 2003, thirty days after the deposit of its instrument of accession. The OPCW's five Member States in Central Asia include Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Kyrgyzstan is a Signatory State. Afghanistan's ratification brings the realization of universality in Central Asia significantly closer and is a noteworthy enhancement of the Chemical Weapons Convention's non-proliferation regime. In the past 12 months, 10 new Member States have joined the Organisation - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Thailand, Palau, Guatemala, Andorra, Timor Leste, Tonga, San Tome and Principe and Afghanistan. This consistent rise in the Organisation's membership further confirms the universal validity of multilateral instruments banning chemical weapons. Note: on September 28, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Alexander Yakovenko welcomed Afghanistan's entry into the CWC and CTBT. Yakovenko stated: "This decision, undoubtedly deserves the highest mark. It evidences the responsible approach of the new Afghan leadership to the strengthening of international security and stability. It is of basic importance that at issue are efforts for extending further the range of parties to the two international treaties, which are exceptionally important elements in the international treaty system in the area of disarmament and non-proliferation. This theme was accentuated in the address of President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to the 58th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. Practically all the leaders of states speaking during these days from the high rostrum of the UN refer to the imperative need to build up international efforts primarily in the field of non-proliferation. Russia will continue to exert consistent efforts in ensuring the universal character of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty. We call upon all the other states which have not yet signed or not ratified these major agreements to do so without delay." ('Alexander Yakovenko, the Official Spokesman of Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Answers a Media Question Regarding Afghanistan's Accession to Convention on Prohibition of Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction and to Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty, September 28, 2003'; Russian Foreign Ministry transcript, http://www.mid.ru.) © 2003 The Acronym Institute. |