Global Security Newswire

U.S. President Obama and other leaders on Tuesday lauded Indonesia for ratifying the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty  (see GSN, Dec. 6).

The consensus decision on Tuesday by Indonesia's legislature made the Southeast Asian nation the 156th state to ratify the pact. Another eight of the 44 "Annex 2" nations -- those that participated in drafting the treaty while operating nuclear power or research reactors -- must give legislative approval before the accord can become the global rule of law.

The remaining holdout states are Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan and the United States.

The Obama administration has pledged to submit the treaty to the U.S. Senate for ratification, though it remains unclear when that would occur. The upper house of Congress rejected the pact in 1999.

"The United States welcomes Indonesia’s ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which provides a strong example of the positive leadership role Indonesia can play in the global effort to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons," Obama said in a prepared statement.

"The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty is a critical element of the international effort to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons and I urge all states to sign and ratify the agreement so that it can be brought into force at the earliest possible date," he added. "The United States remains fully committed to pursuing ratification of the test ban treaty and will continue to engage members of the Senate on the importance of this treaty to U.S. security" (White House release, Dec. 6).

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered a similar message.

"Ratification by Indonesia -- one of the countries whose ratification is required for the treaty’s entry into force -- reinforces the international norm against nuclear explosive testing and sends an encouraging message to the global effort to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons," she said in a statement.

"The United States, which has observed a moratorium on nuclear explosive testing since 1992, is committed to the ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and to its early entry into force. We will continue to work closely with all members of the United States Senate to help achieve advice and consent to this important international agreement," according to the administration's top diplomat. "The United States calls on all governments to declare or reaffirm their commitment not to conduct explosive nuclear tests, and we urge all states that have not yet ratified the treaty to join us in this effort" (U.S. State Department release, Dec. 6).

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also urged the remaining eight nations to enact the necessary measures to establish the global prohibition on nuclear test blasts.

Supporters say bringing the treaty into force would promote nonproliferation by prohibiting tests that are key to producing viable nuclear weapons. Skeptics counter that nations could develop such arms without testing or conduct trials that could go undetected by the hundreds of sensors deployed around the world.

"The secretary general encourages all states that have not yet done so to sign and ratify the treaty and is counting upon the engaged leadership of the remaining eight States whose ratification is required for the treaty's entry into force<' according to a statement from a representative for Ban (United Nations release, Dec. 6).