PRESS RELEASE

21 June 1996

Test Ban Loophole Could Allow Testing in 5 Years

The latest Chairman's proposal for a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) text presented at the negotiations in Geneva gives states the right to opt out by deferring entry into force of the Treaty. The opt out would be available to any country if any one of 37 listed states decides not to ratify the Treaty. The 37 includes the five nuclear-weapon states, the US, the UK, France, Russia and China and the three "threshold states", India, Pakistan and Israel.

Chairman's Working Paper, WP.334 states:

"... each State not casting a positive vote shall have the right to defer entry into force of this Treaty for it by making a declaration to that effect at the special meeting".

Dan Plesch, Director of BASIC says:

"This proposal gives an easy opt out to any state which wishes to resume nuclear testing in five years' time. A Treaty with this loophole will not comprehensively ban nuclear tests. India and Pakistan may never sign the treaty, thus giving the nuclear-weapon states a built in excuse to restart testing in 2001."

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