June was a busy month as BASIC’s Executive Director toured Europe to discuss nuclear disarmament in the aftermath of the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference.
Egypt
SNAP ANALYSIS – Can Middle East WMD-free zone talks happen?
“The decision to convene a conference in two years time to move towards a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction is a major achievement, after 15 years of inaction,”
BASIC Progam Director Anne Penketh quoted by Reuters.
Read the full article: http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-48899220100529
NPT Review Conference ends with adoption of consensus Final Document
There was a rare and powerful burst of euphoria at the UN on the final day of the NPT Review Conference, when the representatives of about 180 states agreed on a final document without a vote.
Middle East nuclear weapons free zone subject of panel discussion at the NPT Review Conference
Anne Penketh, BASIC Program Director, backed Egypt's proposals for a Middle East international conference to work towards a Middle East nuclear weapons free zone at a side event on the margins of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference.
The May 21 event was hosted by Greenpeace whose Israeli representative, Sharon Dolev, described how she has been trying to raise awareness for nuclear disarmament in Israel, where discussion of that country's presumed nuclear arsenal of up to 200 weapons remains taboo.
Iran sanctions ‘holding up nuclear treaty negotiations’
The unveiling of the Iran sanctions resolution “has changed the atmosphere here”, noted Anne Penketh who is monitoring the view. The conference, she noted, “has been on a knife-edge from the get-go and I think it still is”.
Lines Drawn at NPT Review Conference
Day 10: The scene has been set for the negotiations at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference following the release of the draft documents from the main committees which summarise discussions of the past two weeks and lay down an action plan for the future.
The following areas are some of those which will be hotly debated in the final two weeks of the Review Conference:
Splits emerge over call for strengthened nuclear inspections
On Day Two of the NPT Review Conference, delegates were unanimous in urging the entry into force as soon as possible of a global ban on nuclear tests.
BASIC expert comment on critical nuclear weapons conference in New York from next week
The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in New York will be attended by 189 countries and last from 3 to 28 May 2010.
BASIC’s Washington Program Director, Anne Penketh, has provided the scorecard below on key things to look for from the Review Conference. BASIC also has a number of publications either published or forthcoming on key issues surrounding the NPT.
What to watch for at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference
Anne Penketh, BASIC Program Director