Preparatory Commission for the
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO)

Statement to the First Session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2005 NPT Review Conference

Liliam Ballón de Amézaga
Chief, External Relations

Mr. Chairman,

1.- On behalf of the Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, I thank you for this opportunity to address you today.

2.-The Final Document of the 2000 NPT Review Conference stresses "the importance and urgency of signatures and ratifications, without delay and without conditions and in accordance with constitutional processes, to achieve the early entry into force of the CTBT." In this context, since the NPT 2000 Review Conference until today, 10 additional States have signed the Treaty and 34 have ratified it.

3.- Further, you are, no doubt, well aware that the second Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty was held in New York on November 11-13, 2001. 118 States, including 74 ratifiers and 35 signatories as well as 9 non-Signatories participated. Representatives of three international organizations as well as 24 non-governmental organizations also took part. The Conference was chaired by Mexico, and Ministers from 49 countries addressed the Conference.

4.-The Conference adopted a Final Declaration which called for the early signing and ratification of the CTBT by all States that have not yet done so, refraining from acts which should defeat its object and purpose in the meanwhile. The Declaration stresses the importance of a universal and internationally and effectively verifiable comprehensive nuclear-test-ban treaty as a major instrument in the field of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

5.- This strong support is evident by the signature of the CTBT by 165 States of whom 90 States have deposited their instruments of ratification with the UN Secretary-General. This includes 31 of the 44 States whose ratification is required for Treaty entry into force, including ratifications by the nuclear-weapon States of France, the Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom.

6.- The Provisional Technical Secretariat works closely with the States Signatories as well as with the Coordinator State, Mexico, to follow-up the Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty to further Treaty understanding and advance the establishment of the global verification regime.

7.- Steady and good progress has been made in the establishment of the International Monitoring System (IMS). Out of the 321 stations provided for in the Treaty, site surveys have been completed for 270 stations (84% of the sites). Altogether 122 stations in the four technologies have been incorporated into the verification system and 104 additional stations are under construction or in the stage of contract negotiation.

In addition, the Secretariat has begun to lay the groundwork for what will be one of its main responsibilities in the future: the operation and the maintenance of the stations.

8.- The legal framework for the work to be carried out on the territories of States hosting IMS facilities is evolving well. Appropriate legal arrangements now enable the Commission to implement its work programme at a total of 307 facilities in 75 States.

9.- A Global Communications Infrastructure (GCI), connects the IMS stations in near-real time to the International Data Center (IDC) in Vienna and the national data centers of States. IDC, which is also well-advanced in its build-up, supports the verification responsibilities of States by providing objective products and services necessary for effective global monitoring.

10.- As regards to On-Site Inspections (OSI), which are provided for in the Treaty as a final verification measure, a major achievement has been the completion of the initial draft rolling text of its Operational Manual. Work is also proceeding to finalize a Long Range Plan as a basis for training future OSI inspectors and inspection assistants. The experiments conducted successfully in 1999 and 2001 in Kazakhstan and Slovakia, respectively, have provided valuable experience by allowing the testing of OSI procedures and equipment under realistic conditions.

11.- The Commission is very grateful for the strong support of the States in the establishment of the infrastructure for the implementation of the Treaty.

12.- This support is clearly reflected in the States active participation in the meetings of the Commission and related activities, as well as their manifest preparedness to finance it. As of 2 April 2002, 90.6 % of the assessed contributions for 2001 and 53.2 % for 2002 has been collected, a very high rate for which the Secretariat is very grateful.

13.- The Commission has played the role of focal point for voluntary contributions related to CTBTO international co-operation activities. With the support of donor States, a range of activities have been implemented including inter alia, the provision of support to training programmes for developing countries.

14.- For its part, the Commission organizes international, regional and other workshops to deepen understanding of Treaty significance, to explore possible benefits of the application of verification technologies for scientific and civil purposes and, of course, to strengthen support for the establishment of the Treaty verification regime. The Commission has held six international cooperation workshops: in Vienna, Cairo, Beijing, Lima, Istanbul and Dakar. In 2002 two workshops are planned, in Nairobi and in Jamaica. We welcome participation of interested States.

Mr. Chairman,

15.- This brief summary just scratches the surface of the significant progress in implementing the global verification regime and in preparing for Treaty entry into force. With the active support of the community of nations, the Commission will enhance the cause and understanding of the Treaty for a safer and more secure world.

Thank you.