Central Asian Nations Make Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone

The five former Soviet Central Asian republics today declared their region to be a nuclear weapon-free zone, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Oct. 5, 2005).

The treaty signed today commits Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan not to manufacture, acquire or allow deployment of nuclear weapons on their territory.  It also mandates enhanced International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards.

“The countries of our region declared a firm commitment to the principles of disarmament and nonproliferation.  This is our contribution to ensuring global security,” said Kazakh Foreign Minister Kasymzhomart Tokayev.

The declared nuclear powers — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States — often oppose such zones because they can lead to restrictions on nuclear deployments or movement of nuclear-armed forces.  China and Russia have said they support the Central Asian nuclear weapon-free zone.  The United States has expressed concern that its nuclear powered or nuclear-capable ships and aircraft could be blocked from the region, which is a crucial corridor to Afghanistan and Iran.

Latin America and the Caribbean, the South Pacific, and Southeast Asia have separate nuclear weapon-free zones in force, according to AP, and another is awaiting approval in Africa (Bagila Bukharbayeva, Associated Press/International Herald Tribune, Sept. 8).

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