Memorandum of the Workshop of the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe

Memorandum of the Workshopof the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe

“Prospects for the 2010 NPT Review Conference”

April 8-9, 2010, Vienna

The participants of the Working Group have discussed the current state of the key issues of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. The most important forthcoming task is considered to be the successful outcome of the 2010 NPT Review Conference. The signing of the new START Treaty between Russia and the United States represents a significant contribution to its success. However, further efforts are needed to build on the success of the START talks and to sustain the momentum of nuclear disarmament as a principal condition of fortifying the NPT and its associated regimes and institutions. It is anticipated that the results of the Nuclear Security Summit will contribute to preventing the diversion of nuclear materials and technologies and thereby reduce the risk of nuclear terrorism and proliferation.

1. We consider prompt ratification of the new strategic arms reduction Treaty to be the next urgent goal of the USA and Russian legislative bodies.

2. We urge the leaders of Russia and the USA to proceed without delay in conducting consultations and negotiations on further nuclear disarmament agreements, in particular reductions and limitations of strategic and sub-strategic nuclear weapons.

3. We welcome the changes in the Russian and US nuclear doctrines which raise the nuclear threshold and diminish the role of nuclear weapons and encourage the nuclear weapon states to resolve the strategic problems which impede unequivocal nuclear no-first use commitments.

4. We propose that the United States and Russia start without delay consultations on sub-strategic nuclear weapons with the goal of withdrawing them to centralized storage on national territories for eventual elimination along with strategic nuclear weapons stockpiles.

5. We encourage the USA and Russia to initiate as soon as possible the engagement of Britain, France and China into the process of limitation and enhancing transparency of their nuclear arsenals.

6. An urgent step is the ratification and entry into force of CTBT. All states which have ratified the CTBT, in cooperation with the CTBTO Preparatory Commission, should assist the process of ratification of this Treaty by the USA, China and other key states.

7. We urge the governments currently blocking negotiations on the FMCT at the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva to change their position.

8. We consider universalization of the 1997 Additional Protocol to be an important means to increase confidence and security in peaceful use of nuclear energy, and encourage the 2010 NPT Review Conference to endorse this approach.

9. We appeal to the five NPT weapon states to submit on a voluntary basis all their enrichment and reprocessing facilities to IAEA safeguards to encourage universalization of the 1997 Additional Protocol.

10. All NPT State Parties should adopt national legislation and measures to give full effect to the obligations under the NPT.

11. We welcome the recent entry into force of the Central Asian and African NWFZs Treaties and urge all nuclear weapon states to adopt relevant protocols to these Treaties. We consider convening a conference on a nuclear weapons free zone in the Middle East with participation of all relevant parties as one means to achieve implementation of the 1995 NPT Review Conference resolution on the Middle East. Recognizing the differences between the nuclear problems of Iran and North Korea we consider their resolution to be of critical importance for the prevention of military conflict and ensuring the sustainability of the NPT.

12. We consider it necessary for the UN Security Council to adopt tougher non-military financial and economic sanctions in full accordance with Article 41 of the UN Charter. As a confidence building measure we support the process of exchanging LEU for research reactor fuel. We call on Iran to ratify and implement the 1997 Additional Protocol and abide by all other provisions of UN SC Resolutions and the IAEA request for full cooperation in resolving all outstanding issues which will bring Iran into full compliance with Safeguard Agreement with the IAEA. A positive response of Iran to these measures should lead to the easing of sanctions and increased cooperation with Iran on its economic development and legitimate political and security needs.

13. Russia, USA, China, Japan and South Korea should adopt a unified position with the goal of achieving DPRK implementation of its prior commitments to dismantle its military nuclear program and return to full compliance with its NPT obligations. It should also abide fully to UN SC resolutions on the subject of its missile program (Resolutions 1695, 1718, 1874). This approach should be supplemented by economic, political and humanitarian incentives to North Korea, including peaceful nuclear energy projects. The six party talks may serve as a useful starting point for a standing forum on regional security.

14. In view of the expanding scope of activities of IAEA a tangible increase of its budget is needed.

Members of the Supervisory and Advisory Councils of the International Luxembourg Forum

1.

Viatcheslav KANTOR

President of the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe; President of the European Jewish Congress; Ph.D. (Russia).

2.

Alexei ARBATOV

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

Hans BLIX

Ambassador (former Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency); Ph.D. (Sweden).

4.

Vladimir DVORKIN

Head of the Organizing Committee, International Luxembourg Forum; Principal Researcher of the IMEMO (RAS, former Director of the 4th Major Institute of the Ministry of Defense); Professor; Major-General, ret. (Russia).

5.

Rolf EKEUS

Chairman of the Governing Board, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (former High Commissioner on National Minorities at the OSCE); Ambassador (Sweden).

6.

Sergey OZNOBISHCHEV

Director of the Institute for Strategic Assessments; Professor of the Moscow State Institute for International Relations and the Higher School of Economics (former Chief of the Organizational Analytic Division, RAS); Ph.D. (Russia).

7.

George PERKOVICH

Vice President for Studies and Director of the Non-Proliferation Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Ph.D. (USA).

8.

WilliamPOTTER

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

9.

Vladimir SAZHIN

Senior Associate of the Department of the Middle East, Institute for Oriental Studies (RAS); Professor (Russia).