In a speech to the Conference of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in New York, Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Verhagen called on countries to sign the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which bans nuclear tests for both military and civil purposes.

‘The cause of non-proliferation has been gaining momentum,’ said Mr Verhagen. ‘Success is now within reach. We must not fail to deliver.’

The CTBT was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1996. It will enter into force once it has been ratified by the 44 countries that possessed nuclear reactors at the time of the treaty’s adoption. Mr Verhagen urged the nine countries that have not yet signed to take their moral responsibility.

The minister reminded his listeners that even in our time the danger posed by nuclear weapons has not receded. He called Iran’s refusal to stop enriching uranium ‘provocative and irresponsible’ and characterised a recent nuclear test carried out by North Korea as ‘a threat to international peace and security’.

The CTBT has been signed by 192 countries, 150 of which have also ratified it. The Netherlands provides financial support to the organisation that oversees the implementation of the treaty.

Read the Statement by Verhagen



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