Key signatories urged to ratify CTBT

Some 117 countries wrapped up a three-day meeting here on Friday on bringing the nuclear test ban treaty into force, pressing for early ratification of the pact by the United States, China, Israel, Iran and seven other signatories.
In a final declaration, participants said cessation of all nuclear weapon test explosions and all other nuclear explosions "constitutes an effective measure of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation in all aspects."
"We note that significant progress has been made in signing and ratifying the CTBT which has achieved near universal adherence," the declaration said. But it also noted with concern that the pact has not come into force nine years after it was adopted.
The treaty cannot come into force until it is ratified by the required 44 states which had nuclear research or power facilities when it was adopted in 1996.
Only 33 have done so. The United States, the world's leading nuclear power, Colombia, Egypt, Indonesia, China, Iran, Israel and Vietnam are among the remaining 11 countries that have not ratified the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
Diplomats fear that unless key countries like the United States and China come into the fold, the treaty may well collapse.
"There's no change in the position of the United States," said UN Under Secretary General for Disarmament Affairs Nobuyasu Abe, noting that there was no expectation that Washington would ratify it in the near future.
"We call upon all states which have not yet done so, to sign and ratify the treaty without delay," the declaration said, echoing an appeal made by UN chief Kofi Annan at the opening of the conference on Wednesday.
Participants also stressed the importance of building up an effective, global verification regime to ensure compliance with the treaty when it comes into force.
"We agree that in addition to its essential function, the CTBT verification system currently being built would be capable of bringing scientific and civil benefits, including for tsunami warning systems and possibly other disaster alert systems," the participants added.
The treaty, which bans any nuclear blasts for military or civilian purposes, was signed in 1996 by 71 states, including the five main nuclear powers, and now has 176 member states.
North Korea, India and Pakistan have not signed it. Both India and Pakistan have carried out nuclear tests since 1996, while North Korea has threatened to do so.