BASIC PRESS RELEASE

27 APRIL 2005

Major International Conference starts Monday with no Agenda

Delegations from across the world will be flying into New York this weekend to prepare themselves for four weeks of debate and negotiation at the United Nations on the thorny issues of how to hold the line against the spread of nuclear weapons while making progress on the objective of a nuclear weapons-free world.

Despite Brazilian Chairman Duarte’s shuttle diplomacy over the last few weeks to encourage national capitals to at least come to the starting gate with an agreed agenda, it is still not clear what is going to happen when his gavel comes down on Monday morning. Earlier widespread pessimism appears to have given way in recent weeks to a growing, if guarded optimism that differences can be bridged, provided that the discussions are approached with both goodwill on all sides and with the intention of dealing with all potential problems equitably.

That said, differences will be aired, sometimes quite forcefully and countries will be named for actual or perceived acts of ‘non-compliance’ – that is not sticking to commitments entered into when signing up to the 1970 Non-Proliferation Treaty, either as one of the five ‘declared’ nuclear weapon states or the majority non-nuclear weapon states. Unfortunately, India, Pakistan and Israel declined to join the NPT and have since acquired nuclear weapons. North Korea withdrew from the NPT two years ago and has made repeated statements that it too has joined the unofficial nuclear club of three.

Also travelling to New York this weekend will be BASIC Deputy Director Matt Martin from the Washington office and UK consultant Carol Naughton. They will be carrying copies of Breakthrough or Bust in ’05? and copies of the 16 briefings. Prepared specifically for the conference, they can be downloaded from BASIC’s NPT webpage (http://www.basicint.org/npt/index.htm). Matt and Carol will be speaking to delegations, participating in NGO discussions, listening to debates and keeping in close contact with BASIC Press Officer Nigel Chamberlain for the first two weeks.

Preparing for this NPT Review Conference has been a major project for BASIC and Oxford Research Group since Autumn 2004 with much behind-the-scenes work to help ensure a productive and balanced outcome on 27 May. For instance, see the report of a Geneva Seminar ‘Towards A Breakthrough at the 2005 NPT Review Conference’ (http://www.basicint.org/nuclear/NPT/2005rc/geneva.htm).

BASIC Director Dr Ian Davis, Matt Martin and Oxford Research Group’s Nick Ritchie will be in New York for the final week of the conference. They will also be organising a seminar Prospects for a Breakthrough? inside the UN building on Thursday 26 May.

Interviews and regular updates from New York can be obtained by contacting Nigel Chamberlain by email on nchamberlain at basicint.org or calling him on 020 7324 4684 (until Friday) or 01768 898641 (weekend and for the next two weeks).