The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference: Issues for Congress
Abstract
Member states of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) will meet in New York from May 2 to May 27, 2005, to review treaty implementation. These Review Conferences have taken place every 5 years since the treaty entered into force in 1970. In recent years, several developments have led many to believe that the nuclear nonproliferation regime needs to be strengthened: the discovery of the A.Q. Khan nuclear black market network; Iran's unreported nuclear activities, including secret uranium enrichment facilities; the withdrawal of North Korea from the NPT in April 2003; and the discovery of Libya's covert nuclear weapons program, renounced in December 2003. Brazilian Ambassador Sergio Duarte, who will chair the May Review Conference, suggested that the main difficulty facing the review conference will be how to balance a perceived need for greater controls with treaty provisions that ensure the right to peaceful applications of nuclear technology. While the conference is unlikely to make specific recommendations, it will likely discuss some proposals to strengthen the regime, including those from President Bush and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohamed ElBaradei. Developments in the last 2 years in the nuclear programs of Iran, North Korea, and Libya have been keenly watched Congress, as well as by the rest of the world. Recent congressional actions -- whether resolutions, funding legislation, and nonproliferation sanctions -- have played a role in U.S. nonproliferation policy, and, ultimately, bear on the success of the NPT and the nonproliferation regime. Those actions affect the U.S. record in nuclear disarmament, progress in diminishing the threat of terrorist access to nuclear weapons, and responses to the noncompliance of countries like Iran, Libya, and North Korea. The May conference may be of relevance to some pending legislation in the 109th Congress. This report will not be updated.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 08, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA474279
Entities
People
- Carl E. Behrens
- Sharon Squassoni
Organizations
- Library of Congress