NPT Conference Begins Substantive Work

By Jim Wurst
Global Security Newswire

UNITED NATIONS — With only seven working days left for the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty’s review conference, delegates today began substantive work after clearing the final procedural hurdle yesterday (see GSN, May 13).

Participants earlier in the month agreed to divide their substantive work, as at previous review conferences, into three main committees: Committee I on nuclear disarmament issues, chaired by Indonesia; Committee II on nonproliferation issues and nuclear weapon-free zones, chaired by Hungary; and Committee III peaceful uses of nuclear energy, chaired by Sweden.

The role of these committees is to examine how parties are implementing the various provisions of the treaty and to make recommendations for the final document of the conference, which is meant to be a roadmap for nuclear nonproliferation until the next review conference in 2010. At the 2000 review conference, the main committees had begun their work by the second week of the four-week conference.

Meanwhile, a draft final conference document is now circulating among delegations.  Norwegian Ambassador Kjetil Paulsen acknowledged this morning that his delegation prepared the paper. “It’s not a secret,” he said.  Based on the results of a seminar held in Oslo in March, Paulsen told Global Security Newswire  the “nonpaper” is a list of 10 possible areas of agreement that could be included in a final document. 

Although it is “obviously a paper many won’t like,” he said delegations “generally believe this is constructive.”

The document is an attempt to strike a balance between the priorities of some for the nuclear states, especially the United States, and those of the majority of non-nuclear states. Reflecting the U.S. view that new threats have emerged since the 2000 conference, the paper says “the international security environment has changed dramatically in recent years.  Nonstate actors, terrorists and states in noncompliance with nonproliferation and disarmament obligations have challenged and continue to pose a threat to international stability, peace and security.” 

On the other hand, the “nonpaper” also lists many of the initiatives from previous review conferences that the United States now opposes.  

“The conference notes that progress has been made in implementing many provisions contained in the final documents from the 1995 and 2000 review conferences.  But more needs to be done,” according to the document.

“Particular attention” needs to be paid to “continued nuclear disarmament, emphasizing the need for predictability, transparency and irreversibility,” the paper says. The Norwegian paper supports entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, verifiable and transparent destruction of remaining nonstrategic weapons), and a Middle East Nuclear Weapon Free Zone.

Additional procedural elements were also agreed upon yesterday, including the themes of the subsidiary bodies that would be part of the main committees, who would chair those bodies and how the remaining time will be allocated to the committees and subsidiary bodies. 

Conference President Sergio Duarte of Brazil said the subsidiary body under Committee I would deal with nuclear disarmament and security assurances, and would be chaired by a New Agenda country; the Committee II subsidiary body would deal with regional issues including the Middle East, and would be chaired by a country from the Western Group of States; and Committee III would have a subsidiary body dealing with issues concerning the withdrawal provisions of the treaty, and would be chaired by a member of the Nonaligned Movement.

The New Agenda — Brazil, Egypt, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, and Sweden — has become something of a negotiating counterpart to the declared nuclear powers in the NPT review conferences, working to extract as many disarmament commitments as possible from the five nations.  At least one nuclear power — France — objected to the New Agenda being accorded a status on par with the traditional regional groupings and the Nonaligned Movement.

However, this morning Duarte told GSN that “it was a mistake on my part” to identify the chairs of the subsidiary bodies by groups. Instead, “they were chosen in their personal capacity,” he said.  Addressing Committees I and II later in the morning, Duarte said the disarmament body would be chaired by New Zealand and the regional issues body by Spain. Committee III has its first meeting this afternoon.

The conference is scheduled to conclude on May 27.

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