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The 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (commonly referred to as the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty — or NPT) opened on May 3 at UN Headquarters in New York and will run through May 28. Opening day saw speeches from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The 189 nations that are treaty members meet every five years to discuss new ways to implement and enforce the NPT. Of the world’s independent nations, only four countries are not treaty members: India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel all of which have nuclear arsenals or weapons programs, though Israel has not officially acknowledged its nuclear arsenal. The Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan, signed the NPT in 1968, but since being expelled from the UN in 1971, the world body has not considered Taiwan eligible for membership in UN nonproliferation treaties.
VOA News reported on May 3 that Iranian President Ahmadinejad, who spoke for more than half an hour, kicked off the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference with a lengthy diatribe against the United States and other Western powers who are trying to bring sanctions against Iran because of its uranium fuel enrichment program. Ahmadinejad said the possession of nuclear bombs is not a source of pride, but is "disgusting and shameful."
"And even more shameful is the threat to use or to use such weapons, which is not even comparable to any crime committed throughout history," the Iranian continued.
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The UN Nuclear Disarmament Conference
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