THE FMCT: Potential Treaty Elements and Perspectives on the Treaty

At present, all nations of the world, with the exception of India, Israel and Pakistan, are Parties to the Treaty for the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (the NPT). The NPT is under strain, however, arising from three areas: a small number of non-nuclear weapon States are using the NPT to cloak apparent weapon ambitions; three States remain outside of the NPT; and progress in relation to the obligations of the NPT States under Article VI of the NPT has been very limited. The vision originally put forward for the FMCT has never been sufficient to make progress towards its negotiation. Today's needs go beyond the scope originally foreseen. In addition, a new treaty banning the production of fissile material for use in nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices would create opportunities to prevent future threats of proliferation and terrorism. A future FMCT incorporating nine elements would contribute to meeting today's needs and manifesting tomorrow's opportunities. It would reinforce and extend the international non-proliferation regime and serve to begin a parallel nuclear disarmament regime. This paper will present the nine elements proposed and discuss their negotiability and the impact of such a treaty.