U.S. State Department officials gave their assurances Tuesday that the United Nations Security Council resolution the administration is preparing to strengthen the global moratoria on nuclear explosive testing will be legally nonbinding and is not an attempt to bypass the U.S. Senate, as congressional Republicans have argued.
Rose Gottemoeller, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, said at the Stimson Center that the proposed Security Council resolution is intended to encourage ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), “the longest sought, hardest fought prize in the history of arms control.” The U.S. will not propose a resolution imposing legally binding prohibitions on nuclear explosive testing, she vowed.
The U.S. Senate rejected CTBT ratification in 1999, leaving the United States today one of eight nations that must still ratify the treaty for it to enter into force. Now, the Obama administration is discussing with Security Council member states a nonbinding resolution to bring that effort back into focus.
“The resolution we have in mind would in no way be a substitute for entry into force of the CTBT, which would require, among other things, ratification by the United States with the advice and the consent of the U.S. Senate,” Gottemoeller said.
Instead, the resolution is meant to provide momentum for entry into force, with each state fulfilling its internal procedures for ratification. Gottemoeller did not offer details on the specific language the resolution would employ, saying diplomatic negotiations with the other 14 Security Council members are ongoing.
Adam Scheinman, special representative of the president for nuclear nonproliferation, said the resolution is “in a somewhat advanced state of negotiation; we hope to have it completed and issued before the end of the month.”
