NPT Conference Remains in Limbo

Halfway through its two-week schedule, a Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty conference in Vienna remained scuttled today as Iran continued its refusal to approve an agenda for the session, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, May 3).

Iranian diplomats have said the proposed agenda emphasizes the treaty’s nonproliferation functions over its disarmament aims.  The current draft agenda reaffirms “the need for full compliance with the treaty,” a clause that Iranian officials perceive as targeting their nation, according to other diplomats in Vienna.

Iranian delegation leader Ali Asghar Soltanieh has proposed modifying the language to also stress the disarmament obligations of the treaty’s recognized nuclear-weapon states, AFP reported.

The disagreement has prevented about 130 treaty parties from beginning substantive talks intended to ready the treaty’s 2010 review conference.  Under conference rules, the agenda must be adopted by consensus.

Meeting Chairman Yukiya Amano of Japan today said he would not change the agenda’s wording but he stressed that “full compliance” should be interpreted to apply to “all” treaty requirements.

That explanation, however, “was not enough,” Soltanieh said.

Iran’s motivations for holding up the meeting have been ripe for speculation.

“Iran is trying to undermine this conference, this treaty, because they understand that the treaty will be an occasion to blame them,” said one European diplomat.

Iranian officials might also be trying to prevent discussion of other issues that could later affect the nation, such as how treaty members should respond if one withdraws from the treaty, the diplomat said (Agence France-Presse/Khaleej Times, May 4).

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