Jan 3 1993 [N, M] The United States and the Russian
Federation sign START II. They agree
to further reduce ICBMs
by eliminating MIRVed
ICBMs and cutting the number of overall nuclear warheads for each side to between
3,000 and 3,500.
Jan 7 1993 [M, C, N, B] The United States and
21 other nations announce revised guidelines to extend the scope of the MTCR
to missiles capable of carrying chemical and biological weapons as well as nuclear
weapons.
Jan 13 1993 [C] The CWC
opens for signatures
in Paris.
Jan 13 1993 [N] France announces that it will
observe a nuclear test moratorium provided that the United States and Russia
continue to observe a nuclear test moratorium.
Feb 4 1993 [N] The Belarus Supreme Council ratifies
START I.
Feb 26 1993[C] A conventional bomb planted by Muslim extremists explodes at New York’s World Trade Center.
Later reports indicate the bomb may have been packed with sodium cyanide, but if so, the cyanide was likely incinerated in the
blast and not dispersed.
March 12 1993 [N] North Korea refuses to accept
a special IAEA inspection team, and subsequently
announces its decision to withdraw from the NPT.
March 24 1993 [N] South African President F.W. De
Klerk declares in a special joint session of the South African parliament that
"at one stage South Africa did develop a limited nuclear deterrent capability,"
but "early in 1990 final effect was given to decisions that all the nuclear
devices should be dismantled and destroyed."
April 1 1993 [N] The Nuclear
Suppliers Group (NSG), meeting in Lucerne,
Switzerland, revises the 1977 London Guidelines for Nuclear Transfers. The new
guidelines require the recipients of items from
the Zangger Committee's trigger-list
(e.g., nuclear materials and related technology) to provide effective physical
protection of these items and to pledge not to use them for the manufacture
of nuclear explosives.
April 4 1993 [N] U.S. President Clinton and Russian
President Yeltsin meet at the Vancouver Summit. They agree that negotiations
on a multilateral nuclear test-ban should commence at an early date and that
the two governments would consult with each other accordingly.
June 11 1993 [N] One day before its withdrawal
from the NPT would have become effective,
North Korea announces it is suspending its decision to withdraw from the treaty.
June 15 1993 [B] South Africa announces termination of its
biological weapons
(BW) program, and that weapon materials for offensive purposes in government storage will be destroyed and products dumped
at sea.
July 3 1993 [N] U.S. President Clinton announces
his intention to extend the U.S. nuclear testing moratorium until September 1994,
provided that no other nation tests.
July 22 1993 [N] Belarus formally accedes to the
NPT as a non-nuclear
weapon state.
Aug 10 1993 [N] The Conference
on Disarmament decides to give its Ad Hoc Committee on a Nuclear Test Ban
a mandate to negotiate a comprehensive nuclear test-ban treaty. A special meeting
of the Amendment Conference of the Partial
Test-Ban Treaty is held in New York.
Aug 17 1993 [N] Russian President Boris Yeltsin
approves a new policy regarding security assurances to non-nuclear
weapon states. The new policy declares that Russia will not use nuclear
weapons against NPT signatory countries and non-nuclear nations except in two
instances; first, if a non-nuclear state allied with a nuclear weapon state
attacks Russia, Russia's armed forces, or Russia's allies and second, if a non-nuclear
weapon state and a nuclear weapon state both attack Russia. The new negative
security assurance does not rule out first use of nuclear weapons against
a nuclear weapon state.
Sept 24 1993 [B] VEREX
submits its report on 21 potential BW
verification measures.
Sept 27 1993 [N, B] During a UN speech, U.S.
President Clinton calls for a multilateral convention banning production of
fissile materials for nuclear explosives or outside of international safeguards
(a Fissile Material Cut-off
Treaty). President Clinton also announces that the U.S. will promote increased
transparency of "every nation's biological activities and facilities."
Oct 5 1993 [N] China conducts a nuclear test at
its Lop Nor test site in Xinjiang Autonomous Region. It is the first test by
a nuclear weapon state
in more than a year.
Oct 12 1993 [M] The United States offered to ease
the sanctions on China if Beijing would renew and strengthen its commitment
to the MTCR guidelines. A senior U.S.
official stated that China is showing no interest in negotiating an end to the
sanctions imposed on it by the United States after China sold M-11 missiles
to Pakistan.
Nov 17 1993 [O, M] In view of the changed security
environment after the dissolution of the Warsaw
Pact and the fall of the Soviet Union, the 17 members of the Coordinating
Committee for Multilateral Export Controls (COCOM) agree to abolish the
organization and start a new, broader one.
Nov 18, 1993 [M] U.S. officials announced the sale
of a Cray Research Inc. supercomputer to China in an effort to improve relations
with China, despite evidence that China violated MTCR
guidelines by selling M-11 missile components to Pakistan. A Cray Research Inc.
spokesman reports that a sophisticated set of safeguards has been established
so that there is no way that China can use the supercomputer for "pernicious
applications."
Nov 23 1993 [C] President Clinton submits the
CWC to the U.S. Senate for ratification.
Dec 1993 [N] UN General Assembly adopts resolution
48/75L calling for the negotiation of a treaty to ban the production of fissile
material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear weapons devices (FMCT).
Dec 7 1993 [N] The U.S. Department of Energy reveals
that the U.S. conducted 204 secret underground nuclear tests over a 45-year period.
Dec 8 1993 [N] The U.S. Air Force demolishes an
underground missile silo at Whitman Air Force Base in Missouri. It is the first
of 500 silos to be destroyed under the terms of START
I.
Dec 16 1993 [N] The UN General Assembly adopts
resolution (48/70), calling for the negotiation of a Comprehensive
Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). The resolution asks the IAEA
to assist with verification
arrangements.
Dec 20 1993 [N] Ukraine announces that it will
dismantle all of its 46 long-range SS-24 nuclear-armed missiles by the end of
1994 rather than shipping them to Russia as required by the Lisbon
Protocol.
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