THIS year will be 鈥渕ake or break鈥� for the international treaty designed to limit the spread of nuclear weapons, as the gulf between the 鈥渉aves鈥� and the 鈥渉ave-nots鈥� grows ever wider.
So says a report by the British American Security Information Council (BASIC) based in London and Washington and the UK-based Oxford Research Group. They warn that without a breakthrough in May, when the 188 signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty are due to meet 鈥渢he NPT may be declared bust鈥�.
Non-nuclear states argue that the weapons states, particularly the US, have failed to live up to their commitment to disarm. Last year鈥檚 preparatory meeting ended in disarray without even agreeing an agenda for reviewing the treaty (New 杏吧原创, 15 May 2004, p 5).
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鈥淭he UN hasn鈥檛 even managed to arrange the chairs at the table to discuss disarmament鈥�
For the last eight years the UN 鈥渉asn鈥檛 even managed to arrange the chairs around the conference table鈥� to discuss disarmament, the report says.
There are even signs that the Bush administration is preparing to abandon disarmament promises it made at the last NPT review five years ago on the grounds that the security situation has changed in the light of 9/11. This is 鈥渄isturbing to say the least鈥�, says BASIC鈥檚 Nigel Chamberlain.