|
    
                         Website in Spanish       Website in Portuguese coming soon
Member Area

Nonproliferation for Global Security Foundation - NPSGlobal

Friday
Mar 29th
Home
2009 NPT PrepCom – Pluses, Minuses, and Bottom line Print E-mail
Share

Global Security Online - Newsletter, by NPSGlobal Staff, 18 May 2009. 

UN Headquarters in New York

After two weeks of intense discussions since May 4 at the UN Headquarters in New York, the Third Preparatory Committee for the 2010 Review Conference of the Nonproliferation Treaty – NPT, called by its nickname PrepCom, closed its sessions last Friday, May 15, without reaching consensus on the text of the final recommendation.

It was expected to get an agreed document about the three NPT three pillars: disarmament, nonproliferation, and peaceful uses of the nuclear energy, but it was not possible. Anyway several facts during the deliberations could be considered as very positive signs vis-à-vis the 2010 RevCon, as many participants and experts have stated.

Despite that more detailed analysis is required to get a comprehensive knowledge about the whole development and consequences of this last PrepCom, the performance of this 2009 Session can be assessed at a glance by browsing the Bottom line, Pluses and Minuses, which summarize the key points to be taken into account. 

These summaries could be useful to help readers reach their own conclusions about the success of the PrepCom.

Key Documents

Agenda for 2010 NPT Review Conference.

Draft Recommendations to the Review Conference (7 May 2009).

Revised Draft Recommendations to the Review Conference (13 May).

Second Revised Draft Recommendations to the Review Conference (15 May).

Draft final report.

P5 Joint Statement.

 

Pluses

• The best climate in many years.
• Unusual quick agreement on the 2010 RevCon’s Agenda.
• Obama’s message to the PrepCom restating his administration’s commitment with nuclear disarmament.
• P5 Joint statement reaffirming their support to NPT, and to US and Russia negotiations on START’s replacement.
• "Not objected' points passing through the several versions of the final document could be taken as points of consensus.
• The CTBT’s early entry into force, one of those points, explicitly supported by States parties and NGOs.

Minuses

• Wording about disarmament commitments was washed down through successive drafts.
• Some relevant paragraphs/Words about practical measures toward disarmament were removed, such as the one referred to NWS and "refraining from qualitative improvement of nuclear weapons" or another one talking about "a convention to achieve global nuclear disarmament".
• The second draft downgraded in any way, compared to the first one. It turned out less balanced therefore, less likely to reach full acceptance.
• there was a significant resistance from France to legally binding obligations to reduce nuclear arsenals… but at least it signed the P5 declaration
• No agreement about procedures related to withdrawals.
• No agreement about ways  to include Non-NPT Nuclear Weapons States: India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea.
• Inclusion in the draft recommendation of a call upon all states that are not parties to join the Treaty as non-nuclear weapons states, without conditions, seems purely declaratory.

Bottom line

Several expert opinions indicated that PrepCom was a success. NPSGlobal cannot less than perceive the positive trend, mainly if differential improvements vs. former Sessions are taken into account. There is, however, a huge work ahead to make the 2010 RevCon successful.

Experts state that, sometimes, to reach no agreement, as happened in this case, is better than to reach an agreement which is not suitable for all players. It would bring an obstacle to advance toward sustainable and broadly accepted solutions. It happens because in such cases, the language of the imperfect agreement is, in practical terms, taken as sacred, and becomes a barrier for further improvement.

Hopefully, valuable texts and statements discussed during the past two weeks should be taken as a useful, but flexible basis for further discussions and new opportunities of consensus during the months to come, in order to make easier to get positive results from the 2010 RevCon.

 

Sources
Reaching Critical Will - NPT News in Brief by Ray Acheson, and The Blog.
Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy, comments by Rebecca Johnson.
Developing Nations Seek Assurances on Nuclear Arms, Colum Lynch, Washington Post, 15 May 2009.
UN nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty debate ends with no agreement on final document, William M. Reilly, Xinhuanet, 16 May 2009.
ANALYSIS-Obama boosts nuclear talks, split remains, Louis Charbonneau, Reuters, 15 May 2009.

 

Details on daily sessions

 

Back

 

 
Follow us on