Press release
10 June 2008
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty to be discussed in Stockholm
On Wednesday 11 June, the Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO), Tibor Tóth, will come to Stockholm. He will discuss the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) with Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt and Ambassador Henrik Salander.
"The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty is a very important agreement in the area of disarmament. The verification regime that is being developed to monitor compliance with the Treaty is one of a kind. Ensuring that the Treaty enters into force is currently perhaps one of the most important issues on the multilateral arms control and disarmament agenda," says Mr Salander.
If the CTBT were to enter into force it would hinder the development of new weapons systems and reduce the security policy significance of nuclear weapons in sensitive regions. It would also send out the very important signal that the international community is once again taking disarmament and arms control issues seriously.
Press briefing and photo opportunity
Time: Wednesday 11 June at 14.00
Place: Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Gustav Adolfs Torg 1
Background information on the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT)
By signing the CTBT, the parties to the Treaty undertake not to carry out any nuclear weapons tests.
The CTBT was opened for signature in 1996. A total of 178 states have signed the Treaty and 144 have ratified it (including Sweden). However, for the CTBT to enter into force, 44 states specifically listed in the Treaty must ratify it. Of these 44, nine have as yet to do so - Egypt, India, Indonesia, Israel, Iran, China, North Korea, Pakistan and the United States. (India, Pakistan and North Korea have not yet signed the Treaty either). The Treaty has, therefore, not yet entered into force.
The Hungarian Tibor Tóth is Executive Secretary of the organisation which is linked to the CTBT.
