PRESS RELEASE

5 April 1995

U.S. Assurances to Non-Nuclear Countries Provide Cold Comfort

Announcement Imminent

The United States will shortly announce "negative security assurances" to non-nuclear weapons states party to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Individual statements by the five declared nuclear powers - the United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom - are expected at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. The statements are motivated by the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review and Extension Conference taking place in New York from April 17 to May 12.

"These Security Assurances are little more than junk bonds," said Dan Plesch, Director of the British American Security Information Council (BASIC).

"170 countries have renounced nuclear weapons. Five countries publicly admit to having nuclear weapons. Even with these assurances, four of those five countries reserve the right to be the first to use them," continued Plesch. "In fact, during the Gulf War, nuclear weapons were part of the U.S. arsenal, and contingency plans existed for their use."

"The militarily powerless countries want solid guarantees that they will not be attacked by nuclear weapons," said Stephen Young, Senior Analyst at BASIC. "Except for China, the nuclear powers are waffling. U.S. assurances and the U.S. Nuclear Posture Review - the first effort to address the post-Cold War era - provide that the United States plans to be the first to use nuclear weapons if it so decides. Such assurance is cold comfort."

Sri Lanka recently criticized the U.S. Nuclear Posture Review, citing that in it, "the decision was that, the USA should be ready to use nuclear weapons as a last resort in certain circumstances."

The United Kingdom today announced that it will declare its security assurances at the Conference on Disarmament on 6 April 1995. The United States' statement is expected to be similar to the United Kingdoms'.

"Negative security assurances" refers to commitments the nuclear-weapon states make not to use nuclear weapons against states that do not have them.

Back to 1995 NPT RevCon