Why is the treaty so important?

Answer: because it is the main disarmament treaty signed by all countries (except three: India, Pakistan, Israël) and it has become international law in 1970. France signed the treaty in 1992.

The NPT distinguishes so-called “nuclear countries” ( China, France, Russia, the UK and the USA) from other countries termed “non-nuclear” at the date of its coming into force, 1970. The former are committed to scrapping all their nuclear arms, the latter pledge themselves never to possess any.

Since 1970, the nuclear disarmament promise has been largely ignored. The NPT had arranged for a revision conference to be held after 25years (so in 1995) to decide what to do next: either a permanent treaty or to question the whole process. After months of negotiation and thanks to mobilizations all over the world, some satisfactory result has been obtained. In 1995 it has thus been decided that the NPT should be reinforced by a series of Principles and Objectives to promote non proliferation and nuclear disarmament and create a process of control of the member states' obligations.

It has been arranged to convene a Preparatory Committee (prepcom) every year and a Revision Conference (revcom) in 2000. This revcom, in 2000 was a success to further nuclear disarmament, largely because the demands of public opinion and of international law were relayed by some non nuclear States (Brazil, Egypt, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand and South Africa° who obtained unequivocal commitment from nuclear States for complete nuclear disarmament in 13 stages.

The 13 engagements accepted by the year 2000 Revision Conference by all the States who signed the NPT are :

1. The CTBT (Complete test Ban Treaty) must be signed without delay or condition.

2. Nuclear tests and all other nuclear explosions must be stopped.

3. The negotiation of a treaty on the ban of the production of fissile matter at the Geneva Conference of disarmament with the deadline of 2005.

4. The creation of a substructure of the Disarmament Conference to negotiate nuclear disarmament.

5. Any disarmament measure should be irreversible.

6. The renewal of the nuclear states' commitment to achieve total elimination of their nuclear weapons as it is stipulated in article6 of NPT.

7. The complete application of the nuclear disarmament treaties StartII and StartIII as well as the reinforcement of the ABM treaty.

8. The reinforcement of the tripartite agreement USA-Russia-AIEA.

9. The stages of nuclear disarmament will be conducted so as to guarantee international stability. The following rules will be observed : 1-Unilateral reduction efforts. 2- The measures taken will be transparent. 3-Reductions concerning non strategic nuclear weapons.4- Reduction of nuclear alert systems. 5- Reduction of the importance of nuclear arms in defence policies.6- The nuclear states will start eliminating their nuclear arms as quickly as possible.K

10. Cessation of the production of plutonium. Any fissile matter will be under control of the AIEA with possibilities of checks to ensure that this product does not return into military programs.

11. Renewed statement that the ultimate goal is a process of general and complete disarmament under international control.

12. Regular reports will be issued in the frame of the NPT by all member States concerning the observance of article n°6.

13. New means of control will be developed to ensure that the disarmament agreements are observed and a world without nuclear weapons is perpetuated.