The United States will attend December’s Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons, which will highlight the far-reaching, catastrophic effects that nuclear explosions could cause, according to a Nov. 7 State Department announcement. The statement underscored U.S. efforts to work toward the worldwide elimination of nuclear weapons, but rejected the notion of negotiating disarmament at the forum, which is scheduled to run Dec. 8-9. “The United States is committed to seeking the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons,” the statement reads. “As we have said previously, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is the focus of our efforts on disarmament, as well as on nonproliferation and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. However, this conference is not the appropriate venue for disarmament negotiations or pre-negotiation discussions and the United States will not engage in efforts of that kind in Vienna.”
The announcement comes about a week after a group of arms control advocates co-authored a letter sent to top Obama Administration officials and more than two weeks after a U.S. representative to the United Nations cautioned against moving nuclear weapons into humanitarian law circles. The State Department’s announcement acknowledges the importance of the humanitarian discussion, and the opportunity for the U.S. to emphasize steps taken toward complete disarmament. “Following a careful review of the agenda, as well as discussions with the conference host Austria, the United States concluded there were real prospects for constructive engagement with conference participants. The United States fully understands the serious consequences of nuclear weapons use and gives the highest priority to avoiding their use,” the announcement states. “We look forward to presenting the U.S. perspective at the Vienna Conference. This event will be a useful opportunity to highlight the significant progress the United States has made and the resources it devotes to create conditions under which nuclear weapons are never again used.”
