BASIC welcomes Vice President's push for treaty
banning all nuclear explosions
BASIC Press Release
Friday, 19 February 2010 - IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The British American Security Information
Council welcomes the renewed US commitment to press for the
long-overdue Senate ratification of a treaty banning all nuclear
explosions.
Paul Ingram, executive director of BASIC,
said: "America's standing with the rest of the world
hinges on the ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
It is urgent to make the case for its ratification as part
of moves to curb the spread of nuclear weapons."
Vice President Joe Biden renewed the administration's
commitment to ratification in a speech in Washington. He recalled
that the treaty was designed to keep emerging nuclear states
from perfecting their arsenal, "and preventing our rivals
from pursuing ever-more-advanced weapons."
Paul Ingram said that ratification by the
Senate, which voted against the treaty in 1999, would provide
a strong impetus to other states which have signed the pact,
including China, to follow suit. Encouraging the Senate to
ratify the treaty is a key plank of the Obama administration's
disarmament agenda.
Vice President Biden said the administration
was confident that "all reasonable concerns" raised
about the treaty in 1999, concerning verification measures
and the reliability of the US nuclear arsenal, have now been
addressed. The treaty was signed by the United States in 1996.
To date, 182 nations have signed the CTBT and 151 have ratified
it. But it can only come into force following ratification
by nine remaining states.
Contact: Paul Ingram, Executive Director:
+44 (0)7908 708175
pingram at basicint.org
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