Diplomats this week succeeded in producing an agenda for next year's review of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, a feat that eluded delegates until three weeks into the 2005 conference, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, May 6).
(May. 8) -
Indonesian Ambassador to the United Nations Marty Natalegawa, shown in 2007, credited the Obama administration with helping countries agree on an agenda for next year's Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty review conference (Stan Honda/Getty Images).
The planned agenda, which the signatories will not formally adopt until the conference next May, focuses on the three primary themes of the 40-year-old pact -- disarmament, nonproliferation and nations' right to civilian atomic energy. Among the topics to be discussed are moves by the five recognized nuclear-weapon states -- China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States -- to eliminate their arsenals as called for by the treaty; pledges by those nations not to employ the bomb against non-nuclear nations; and universalization of the pact.
Review conferences are held every five years in order to assess the operation of the treaty and strengthen its execution. The 2005 session ended in failure (see GSN, May 31, 2005).
Some delegates attending the preparatory meeting attributed the early agreement to U.S. President Barack Obama's approach on the nuclear issue. Obama has said he hopes for world without nuclear weapons and has initiated talks with Russia on reducing the nuclear stockpiles of the former Cold War rivals (see related GSN story, today). This week Obama called for strengthening the treaty, while a top nuclear negotiator urged holdout nations such as India and Pakistan to join the pact.
"We would like to think that this agreement on the agenda reflects an early political dividend to the changed atmosphere on disarmament efforts thanks to the new outlook from the U.S. administration," said Marty Natalegawa, Indonesia's ambassador to the United Nations.
"Having an agenda in place allows us to move forward on important substantive issues related to President Obama's goal of strengthening this vital nonproliferation instrument," said Assistant Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller, head of the U.S. delegation (Associated Press/New York Times, May 8).
British Ambassador John Duncan, who led his nation's delegation, wrote on his Web site that it was "amazing" that participants in the meeting at the United Nations had reached consensus on the agenda. "It may seem boring," he wrote, "but we haven't done so far a decade."
The 2005 conference derailed amid disputes on procedure, as the United States condemned known or suspected nuclear-weapon efforts by North Korea and Iran, Tehran shot back by criticizing nuclear powers' reluctance to give up their arms and Egypt alluded to Israel's covert atomic arsenal.
Five years ago, Paris and Washington strongly opposed placing the disarmament issue on the agenda, Reuters reported.
"The Obama administration did an about-face and agreed to bring those commitments back on the agenda," said one diplomat. "The French were still trying to block it but gave in overnight when they realized they were alone and isolated."
"Huge obstacles remain, but the clear change of tone coming from the Obama administration has changed the equation," according to a Western diplomat. "The U.S. is now willing to engage on disarmament. It's willing to engage with Iran. It mentions Israel. That's all new and it's helping" (Reuters/New York Times, May 6).