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Why
is the Treaty Important?
The
NPT is an indispensable legal and political instrument in preventing
further proliferation of nuclear weapons. In the absence of the NPT,
many other countries might well acquire nuclear weapons. Without the
NPT safeguards requirements, monitoring and inspections of nuclear materials
and facilities in non-nuclear weapon states would be significantly weakened.
Moreover, the treaty sets the stage for the negotiation of a comprehensive
nuclear test ban by highlighting this measure in its preamble.
Israel, India,
and Pakistan are known or believed to possess nuclear weapons today.
Because they did not detonate a nuclear explosive device before January
1, 1967, however, they are not considered Nuclear Weapon States under
the NPT. This means that if they were to join the treaty, they would
have to do so as Non-Nuclear Weapon States, eliminate their nuclear
arsenals, and accept comprehensive IAEA inspections on all of their
nuclear activities. This was the path followed by South Africa, which
possessed nuclear weapons from 1979 to 1991, when it joined the NPT.
North Korea joined the treaty as an NNWS in 1985, but is not complying
with the NPT's requirement to place all of its nuclear material under
international inspections.
Multimedia: Map of Key States
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