US wants India, Israel, Pakistan & North Korea to sign NPT

[Sanket]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp...St66GwzAM2F8gg
US urges India, Israel, Pakistan, NKorea on nukes


UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — A top US arms control negotiator at the United Nations has urged presumed atomic powers India, Israel, Pakistan and North Korea to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

"Universal adherence to the NPT itself, including by India, Israel, Pakistan and North Korea ... remains a fundamental objective of the United States," said Assistant Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller.

She later praised "India's willingness to proceed with a fissile material cutoff treaty, in cooperation with the United States, and willingness also to pursue the comprehensive test ban treaty, as well as other lesser but important measures, such as improving its export controls."

"India is coming closer to the non-proliferation regime and that too is an important goal of US policy," Gottemoeller added.

The envoy was at the United Nations for a preparatory session for an NPT conference scheduled for May 2010 in New York.

The last such conference, which gathers NPT signatory states and seeks to rescue the treaty from charges it has become obsolete, ended in disarray in May 2005 with no agreement from the participating countries.

The conferences have been held every five years since the NPT was ratified in 1970. There are currently 189 signatory countries to the treaty.

Israel, which has never publicly acknowledged having a nuclear program, is not a member. Pakistan and India likewise have failed to sign the treaty, while North Korea had been a member, but pulled out in 2003.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed hope Monday that the week-long preparatory session would produce agreements on key procedural matters and issue concrete recommendations for the conference next year.

[Sanket]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...dYGMgD980T4GG0
Obama: Tougher treaty to halt nuke weapons needed

By EDITH M. LEDERER – 1 hour ago

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — President Barack Obama urged delegates at a U.N. meeting to strengthen the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty so it can deal with the threats of nuclear terrorism and the spread of nuclear weapons.

Obama's message was read Tuesday at a meeting to lay the groundwork for a 2010 conference to review the treaty and comes after his pledge last month in Prague to reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons.

The pledge won praise Monday from China and developing countries, and spurred hope that the new U.S. policy and new U.S.-Russian cooperation will end a long deadlock on global disarmament efforts.

In Tuesday's message, Obama called for dialogue to overcome differences among the parties to the treaty to ensure that it remains the cornerstone of global disarmament and nonproliferation efforts and "continues to make an enduring contribution to international peace and security."

The last NPT review conference in 2005 failed to make substantive progress because of bickering over procedural issues and underlying disagreements between countries that do and don't possess nuclear weapons.

Rose Gottemoeller, a U.S. assistant secretary of state who heads the American team negotiating arms reductions, read Obama's message and said the U.S. wants a review process with balanced emphasis on the treaty's three pillars — disarmament, nonproliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

The NPT requires signatory nations not to pursue nuclear weapons in exchange for a commitment by the five nuclear powers — the U.S., Russia, Britain, France and China — to move toward nuclear disarmament.

It also gives all treaty members the right to develop peaceful programs to produce nuclear power.

"We must strengthen the NPT to deal effectively with the threat of nuclear weapons and nuclear terrorism," Obama said. "Action is needed to improve verification and compliance with the NPT and to foster the responsible and widest possible use of nuclear energy by all states."

In a joint declaration on April 1, Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered negotiators to start work on a new treaty to reduce their nuclear stockpiles as a first step toward "a nuclear-weapon-free world."

Gottemoeller said she and her Russian counterpart would hold a second meeting in Moscow after the U.N. meeting ends.

And she pledged her "best efforts" to meet the goals set by the U.S. and Russian leaders to report on progress by July and to reach agreement before the current strategic arms-control treaty expires in December.

She said there are currently 190 countries that are parties to the NPT and the U.S. is encouraging the three holdouts — India, Pakistan and Israel — to join the treaty, and North Korea to come back.

[Mediocrates]

Well thank the lord Denmark, Monaco and Botswana signed it.

[Reffo]

Under no circumstances, no matter what threats are uttered or promises made, should Israel consider signing the NPT.

[Yala]

They won't. In 4 years Obama will be long gone but Israel is forever

[takeo]

OK, if Israel won't than Pakistan, India, North-Korea and Iran shouldn't either.
In that case no need to pressure Iran on anything. No double standards. I think the Obama-administration is ready to end double standards in US foreign policy. Either you work towards respecting the NPT, or you don't.
If you see the popularity of Obama I think he'll last for more than 4 years. I hope so. The Obama-policy is refreshing and a new start, as some withing the administration said "let's push the reverse button and erase the last 8 years".

[Sanket]

Iran shouldn't either. In that case no need to pressure Iran on anything. No double standards.

Iran has signed the NPT. Didn't i tell you ? Seems like you don't live to remember what we say.
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India will not sign the NPT.

[takeo]

Iran has signed the NPT. Didn't i tell you ? Seems like you don't live to remember what we say.
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India will not sign the NPT.

Yes, but it can withdraw. In that case there's no more difference between Iran, North-Korea, India and Päkistan, or any other country which didn't sign the treaty.

[Sanket]

Yes, but it can withdraw. In that case there's no more difference between Iran, North-Korea, India and Päkistan, or any other country which didn't sign the treaty.

Why do you keep on proving that you are stupid.

Iran has already signed the NPT and china revealed Iran's nuclear secrets.

China reveals Iran's nuclear secrets to UN

[takeo]

Why do you keep on proving that you are stupid.

Iran has already signed the NPT and china revealed Iran's nuclear secrets.

China reveals Iran's nuclear secrets to UN

Any nation has the right to withdraw.

[Reffo]

Iran has signed the NPT. Didn't i tell you [Takeo]? Seems like you don't live to remember what we say.

Once a country signs the NPT, they are entitled to get assistance and benefits for doing that and that's exactly what Iran got for many years. So, if Iran would withdraw now, it would be equivalent to breaking a contract .... in other words, they would get their cake and eat it too. That's why withdrawing from the NPT is not a LEGAL option, once a country signs up, they are required to keep their side of the bargain and steer away from developing their own nuclear weaponry...

India will not sign the NPT.

Good and I hope that India too will not sign it because that's the only legal way that they would be able to keep their nuclear deterrence...

[Sanket]

Any nation has the right to withdraw.

Ya. But Iran had signed a paper under which it could not carry such activities. And china revealed it.

If Iran wants to treat the NPT like toilet paper, then she should expect the same in return.....

[Golem of Prague]

Any nation has the right to withdraw.

And has Iran withdrawn from the NPT? Because if not, what's your point here?

[Sanket]

And has Iran withdrawn from the NPT? Because if not, what's your point here?

I want to see Iran withdrawing from the NPT. That would be fun to watch....

[Toadstool46]

Anything Iran signs or agrees to has no integrity and holds about as much water as a paper bag.

Takeo.. of coarse you would like Obama, but he is nothing more than someone to read the teleprompter. He doesn't even know this himself but he will learn.