PRESS RELEASE

Global Conference on Nuclear Proliferation Set to Start Secret Sessions

24 March 1998

Up to 186 states will gather on April 27 in Geneva to discuss ‘Principles and Objectives for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament’ as part of the review of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The agenda will include nuclear proliferation control in the Middle East, proposals for global talks on nuclear disarmament, and the demand from the vast majority of the world’s non-nuclear states for a legal guarantee that they will never be attacked with nuclear arms by the US, Russia, France, the UK and China.

The conference, which ends May 8, is the second of a series leading up to a Review of the entire NPT in 2000. The process was established in 1995 to implement and develop the Treaty’s operations. At the initial session in 1997, the first meetings were open to observers, but the vast majority of meetings took place behind closed doors. Several delegations supported opening up more meetings, but a few, led by the Western nuclear states, insisted that the meetings be held in secret. Unlike the NPT, meetings for similar international treaties on the environment and other issues are predominantly open to observers.

The ‘Principles and Objectives for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament’ were agreed at the 1995 NPT Review Conference as part of a package that made the Treaty permanent and strengthened its review process. The ‘Principles and Objectives’ agreement calls for "systematic and progressive efforts to reduce nuclear weapons globally, with the ultimate goal of eliminating those weapons . . ." as well as for consideration of further steps to assure non-nuclear NPT states against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons.

US policy is that this conference should do nothing of substance.

Egypt is leading a debate on nuclear weapons in the Middle East.

Nelson Mandela’s South Africa is leading the call for global talks on nuclear disarmament and wants a legal guarantee against nuclear attack from the US and other nuclear weapons states. The Non-Aligned Movement, which includes over 110 countries, supports the second demand. These states are seeking a binding agreement within the NPT framework that will prohibit the use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states party to the Treaty.

Future Advisories from BASIC will include:

* NATO nations heading for confrontation as nuclear strategy prevents implementation of nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

* Why the Secrecy at the global conference on nuclear disarmament? Who is hiding what?

* Talking about Eliminating the Threat of Nuclear War. Why the hold up?

Back to 1998 NPT PrepCom