Not a   
Perfect  
Treaty, but…
Northern Friends Peace Board
 Challenging Militarism Project
Signpost leaflet - February 2002
(click here for PDF version, 31KB)
Background 

THE NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY (Or NPT as it is familiarly known) came into force in 1970. Whilst nuclear proliferation continued apace throughout the 1970s and 1980s, one might be inclined to say that it was not worth the paper it was written on.  But in 1995 and 2000 there were review conferences to look at the continued role that the treaty might play i7n furthering the goal of global nuclear disarmament.  The last of these, in April 2000 was seen by many observers and concerned citizens, as one of the more hopeful events of its type.   The NPT, like many such treaties, is less than perfect, but it is a tool that can and should be used to assist the world in abandoning nuclear weapons once and for all. 

Between 8-19 April this year (2002) there will be a further set of multilateral talks (the Preparatory Committee, to be precise) to continue the work developed in 2000, and preparing the way for the next review conference in 2005. Read on for more information and some comments about why this is something you should be concerned about…  

Context 

The NPT Review Conference in 2000 ended on an optimistic note, with clear commitments expressed in its final document towards nuclear disarmament. 

Since then, the US government has said that it will be withdrawing from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and has boycotted the most recent conference to bring into force the Comp-rehensive Test Ban Treaty.  

In recent months we have seen India and Pakistan (both states with nuclear weapons) on the brink of all-out war, further missile tests and a raging conflict in the Middle East.  Mordechai Vannunu’s continued imprisonment in Israel is a reminder of that country’s nuclear weapons pro-gramme.  

The US’s offer to reduce its nuclear weapons disguises the fact that it intends to put many un-used weapons into storage for possible use at a later date and that it continues at the same time to pour vast resources into developing it’s missile ‘defence’ technology.  The UK must have a role in pushing for movement on multilateral efforts; opinion polls in many countries indicate global support for this. 

Britain and Nuclear Weapons  

Britain continues its policy of maintaining its fleet of four Trident Nuclear Submarines.  These are described as a minimum and independent nuclear deterrent.  They are, however, heavily dependent on the US and could not operate without their technical and logistical support. The Trident  
Ploughshares campaign, CND and the World Court Project in the UK are amongst those who have pressed for the abandonment of Trident on moral, legal and political grounds.  

We cannot support the deployment of a weapon that would cause such widespread and indis-criminate loss of life.  Instead of starting work on a possible replacement for Trident it is timely to break free from a commitment to both current and potential future nuclear weapons.  Can we take the kind of unilateral step envisaged at the NPT review conference and give a clear lead to other nuclear weapons states? 
  

“Let us take the risks of peace upon ourselves,
not impose the risks of war upon others”
  
 
Action points from 2000  

13 points of action were identified at the last NPT Review Conference.  Included in these are: 

  • A strengthened role of the Conference on Disarmament (CD) in nuclear disarmament negotiations.
  • A nuclear test moratorium pending the entry into force of the Test Ban Treaty.
  • Strengthening and preserving the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
  • Efforts by Nuclear Weapons States to reduce their nuclear arsenals unilaterally.
  • Development of verification capabilities to ensure implementation of treaties.
  • Increased reporting and transparency by nuclear weapons states on nuclear weapons issues.
  • Cessation of production, and safe storage of plutonium. 
  

What you can do  

  • Write to your MP:  Express your hope that the NPT will not be yet another conference falling victim to unilateralist tendencies, and ask them to find out what progress the UK government has made on implementing the commitments from the 2000 Review Conference.  NFPB is promoting workshops on developing dialogues with decision makers, which may assist you in this.
  • Inform yourself and others: Use the time before the April meeting to find out more about the NPT process and look for opportunities to let others know about it in your locality or community.  (see below)
  • Link up:  Seek out ways of working with other individuals and groups on nuclear disarmament before, during and after the conference.  Abolition 2000 UK is a network of groups working for nuclear weapons abolition, itself linked to a global network.  From acts of public witness to letter writing, there is always something that the individual can do.
Further resources:  
The 13 Action Points from the 2000 conference are available from the NFPB office at the address below.  Contact this address or visit our web site for further material on this. 

Other organisations:   

  • Abolition 2000 UK:  601 Holloway Rd, London N19 Ph: 020 7281 4281  E:a2000uk@gn.apc.org  
  • CND: 162 Holloway Rd, London  N7 8DQ  Ph: 020 7700 2357  E: cnd@gn.apc.org 

    • W: www.cnduk.org
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