{"id":32293,"date":"2017-09-25T17:17:06","date_gmt":"2017-09-25T17:17:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2017\/09\/25\/nato-denounces-effectiveness-of-un-nuclear-weapons-ban\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:38:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:38:23","slug":"nato-denounces-effectiveness-of-un-nuclear-weapons-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/europe\/2017\/09\/25\/nato-denounces-effectiveness-of-un-nuclear-weapons-ban\/","title":{"rendered":"NATO denounces effectiveness of UN nuclear weapons ban"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2015 NATO announced Sept. 20 that the alliance has \u201cregret that the conditions for achieving disarmament are not favorable today,\u201d effectively denouncing the United Nation\u2018s newly touted treaty banning nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NATO believes the treaty could create greater divisions and divergences among states when unity against proliferation and security threats are more necessary than ever. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe ban treaty, in our view, disregards the realities of the increasingly challenging international security environment,\u201d said the North Atlantic Council, the decision-making body for NATO. \u201cAllies\u2018 goal is to bolster deterrence as a core element of our collective defence and to contribute to the indivisible security of the Alliance. As long as nuclear weapons exist, NATO will remain a nuclear alliance. Thus we would not accept any argument that this treaty reflects or in any way contributes to the development of customary international law.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dozens of countries signed the treaty Wednesday amid increased tension over North Korea\u2019s nuclear tests, according to The Associated Press<\/a>. The treaty will be operational 90 days after 50 countries ratify it, though the United States, Britain, France and other nuclear countries boycotted the event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said<\/a> \u201ca Comprehensive-Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) that is in force would be a milestone on the road to a world free of nuclear weapons.\u201d Since the CTBT\u2018s adoption in 1996, 183 states have signed it, with 166 further ratifying it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, for the CTBT to enter into force, all 44 states that had formally participated in the 1996 Conference on Disarmament and possessed nuclear capabilities at the time must ratify it. North Korea, Pakistan and India have not signed the CTBT, and China, France, the U.S., Egypt and Israel have yet to ratify it. <\/p>\n\n\n\t