The Joint Seminar of the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe and Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs

Background
Attendees
Agenda
  • Background
  • Attendees
  • Agenda

The Joint Seminar of the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe and Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs was held in Rome on June 12, 2008. The full name of the seminar - "Reviewing the Results and Looking on the Prospects of the PrepCom for the 2010 NPT Review Conference".

Viatcheslav Kantor, President of the Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe, commented that, "Long-term experience shows that discussions and agreements in this arena help greatly to further understanding and cooperation among leading powers in matters of international security. However, to date, the treaty and regulatory framework for nuclear disarmament has disintegrated. We believe that the leading powers - U.S. and Russia - should make a positive change in this area."

The first panel of the seminar was followed up by a press conference that addressed important issues relating to the Preparatory Committee for the 2010 NPT Review Conference, various acute problems of strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime and the increasing concern about international security of nuclear materiel. The one-day seminar is being held at the Sofitel Hotel in Rome.

In response to a question addressing the issue of Iran, Luxembourg Conference's Mr. Alexei Arbatov said: "We must use a carrot and stick approach to the issue. Financial and economic sanctions must be set in place as well as positive guarantees in case Iran is ready to cooperate with the international community. If Iran obtains nuclear military capability, it could lead to a domino effect for the whole Middle East region."

Professor Hans Blix, former Chairman of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission, said: "Diplomatic efforts seem to be effective in finding a solution to the problems raised in the case of North Korea. It may be useful to learn from this experience for the Iranian issue. The Bush Administration says that it is keeping all options on the table. However, such allusions to military action may well be counterproductive. Economic pressures may be meaningful and, for instance, offering support for Iran to join the World Trade Organization may provide a positive incentive for Iran to meet the concerns of the world regarding the enrichment program that it is pursuing."

Professor Paolo Cotta-Ramusino, Secretary General of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, said: "Iran does not have any nuclear weapons and all of its activities in this field are under the control of the International Atomic Energy Agency ("IAEA"). There are some issues that are not finalized yet, but alternatives to a diplomatic solution are very dangerous and unrealistic and they will create chaos which would be almost unstoppable."

Arbatov added: "Nuclear weapons necessitate the production and availability of highly enriched unranium ("HEU"). HEU is what nuclear terrorists are looking for and there are over 1,500 tons of HEU currently in existence. Reducing the large stockpiles HEU could possibly kill two birds with one stone by de-enriching the HEU stockpiles and offering it for peaceful nuclear energy instead of new national enrichment plants."

The Conference is focusing on the significantly increased dangers of nuclear weapons falling into the hands of rogue states and terrorist organizations. This continues to be the world's primary threat to regional and global security. The Seminar, in tradition of the Luxembourg Forum meetings, will work out specific breakthrough proposals to counter these threats to civilization which will be forwarded to Heads of State and heads of the international security institutions.

List of the Joint Seminar Participants of the Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe and Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs
«Reviewing the Results and Looking on the Prospects of the PrepCom
for the 2010 NPT Review Conference
»
(June 12, 2008, Rome)

  • 1.

Uzi
ARAD

Director of the Institute for Policy and Strategy at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya; Adviser to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee; Professor (Israel).
  • 2.

Alexei
ARBATOV

Head of the Center for International Security of the IMEMO (RAS); Scholar-in-Residence of the Carnegie Moscow Center (former Deputy Chairman of the Defense Committee of the State Duma, Federal Assembly - Russian Parliament); Corresponding member, RAS (Russia).

  • 3.

Vladimir
BARANOVSKIY

Deputy Director of the IMEMO; Corresponding Member (RAS).

  • 4.

Sergey
BATSANOV

Ambassador, Director of the Geneva Office of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs (Russia).

  • 5.

Hans
BLIX

Ambassador, former Chairman of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission, former Director General of the IAEA; Ph.D (Sweden).

  • 6.

Francesco
CALOGERO

Professor of Theoretical Physics of the Department of Physics, University of Rome "La Sapienza" (former Secretary General of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, Italy).

  • 7.

Anatoliy
DIAKOV

Director of the Center for Arms Control, Energy and Environmental Studies of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology; Ph.D. (Russia).

  • 8.

Jayantha
DHANAPALA

President of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, Senior Adviser to the President of Sri Lanka.

  • 9.

Vladimir
DVORKIN

Principal researcher of the IMEMO (RAS, former Director of the 4th Major Institute of the Ministry of Defense); Professor, Major-General, ret. (Russia).

  • 10.

Mark
FITZPATRICK

Senior Fellow for Non-Proliferation of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (UK).

  • 11.

Carlo
JEAN

President of the Society for the Management of Nuclear Plants «SOGIN» (former Military Adviser to the President of Italy); General, ret. (Italy)

  • 12.

Sergei
OZNOBISHCHEV

Director of the Institute for Strategic Assessments; Professor of the Higher School of Economics (Russia).

  • 13.

George
PERKOVICH

Vice President for Studies, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Ph.D. (USA).

  • 14.

William
POTTER

Director of the James Martin Center for Non-Proliferation Studies and Professor of Non-Proliferation Studies, Monterey Institute of International Studies; Ph.D. (USA).

  • 15.

Paolo Cotta
RAMUSINO

Secretary General of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs (Italy).

  • 16.

Roald
SAGDEEV

Distinguished Professor of Physics and Director of the "East-West" Center at the University of Maryland; Director Emeritus of the Russian Space Research Institute; Academician (RAS, Russia/USA).

  • 17.

Vladimir
SAZHIN

Senior Associate of the Department of the Middle East, Institute for Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Professor.

  • 18.

Carlo
SCHAERF

Professor of Physics of the University of Rome "Tor Vergata" (Italy).

9.00 - 10.00 - Opening of the Seminar

Vladimir Dvorkin - Principal researcher of the IMEMO (RAS, former Director of the 4th Major Institute of the Ministry of Defense); Professor, Major-General, ret. (Russia).

Paolo Cotta-Ramusino - Secretary General of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs (Italy).

Jayantha Dhanapala - President of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs (Sri Lanka).


10.00 - 13.15 - I session.

Chairman - Alexei Arbatov, Head of the Center for International Security of the Institute for World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS).


10.00 - 11.00 - The State of the Nuclear Disarmament and NPT Regime (Problems of the Treaty Implementation, Article VI of the NPT, Problems of the START, CTBT, ABM, INF)

Hans Blix - Chairman of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission (Sweden).

George Perkovich - Vice President for Studies - Global Security and Economic Development, Director of the Nonproliferation Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (USA).


11.00 - 11.30 - Coffee break.


11.15 - 12.30 - Situation in the Middle East and other regions, causing proliferation concern (problems of Iran, North Korea, India-Pakistan, security concerns, the strive for countries to acquire nuclear weapons: incentives and possibilities)

Paolo Cotta-Ramusino - Secretary General of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs (Italy).

Vladimir Baranovskiy - Deputy Director of the IMEMO (Russia).

Mark Fitzpatrick - Senior Fellow for Non-Proliferation, International Institute for Strategic Studies (UK).


12.30 - 13.15 - Nuclear Proliferation and the Problem of Terrorism.

Francesco Calogero - Professor of Theoretical Physics of the Department of Physics, University of Rome "La Sapienza" (Italy).

Carlo Shaerf - Professor of Physics of the University of Rome "Tor Vergata" (Italy).


13.15 - 14.00 - Press conference.


13.15 - 14.45 - Lunch.


14.45 - 15.45 - II session.

Chairman - Sergei Oznobishchev, Director of the Institute for Strategic Assessments (Russia).


14.45 - 15.15 - Inalienable and Equal Right of all NPT Parties to Promote Research, Production and Use of Nuclear Energy for Peaceful Purposes (Pursuant to Articles I, II, III (sub-section 3) and IV) and the Problems of Nuclear Fuel Cycle Control

Anatoliy Diakov - Director of the Center for Arms Control, Energy and Environmental Studies of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (Russia).

15.15 - 15.45 - Strengthening the NPT Regime. Further Enhancement of the IAEA Comprehensive Safeguards. Universalism of the IAEA 1997 Additional Protocol

William Potter - Director of the James Martin Center for Non-Proliferation Studies and Professor of Non-Proliferation Studies, Monterey Institute of International Studies (USA).


15.45 - 16.00 - Coffee break.


16.00 - 18.00 - III session.

Chairman - Vladimir Dvorkin, Principal researcher of the IMEMO (RAS); Professor, Major-General, ret. (Russia).


16.00 - 16.30 - Creation of "Positive Incentives": the Prospects for Regional Security Systems and the Nuclear Weapon Free Zones (Enhancing Safeguards and Expandability)

Sergey Batsanov - Director of the Geneva Office of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs (Russia).


16.30 - 18.00 - Proposals for the Preparatory Committee for the 2010 NPT Review Conference

General debate.


18.00 - 18.30 - Concluding Remarks

Roald Sagdeev - Director of the "East-West" Center at the University of Maryland; Academician (RAS, Russia/USA).

Jayantha Dhanapala - President of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs (Sri Lanka).


18.30 - Adjournment of the Seminar.


19.00 - Reception.