International Luxembourg Forum Supervisory Council Meeting.

Luxembourg Forum Supervisory Council Discusses New Approaches to Arms Control and Promoting Non-Proliferation Regime

On December 12-13, 2011, the Supervisory Council of the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe met in Moscow to summarize the Forum’s results for the year, analyse developments in nuclear arms reduction and control and nuclear arms non-proliferation, and formulate key action guidelines for the Forum in 2012. The meeting discussed pressing issues regarding the development of relations between Russia and the U.S. and NATO, including further reduction of nuclear arms under the next START treaty, overcoming the European missile defence system crisis, developments in the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programmes, and preventing the threat of nuclear terrorism.

The meeting was attended by Supervisory Council members: Moshe Kantor, President of the Luxembourg Forum; William Perry, former U.S. Secretary of Defense, Professor at Stanford University; Hans Blix, former IAEA Director General, Chairman of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission; Rolf Ekeus, Chairman of the Governing Board, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute; Nikolay Laverov, Vice President of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Anatoly Antonov, Deputy Defence Minister of the Russian Federation; Nikolay Spassky, Deputy Director General, the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom; Alexey Arbatov, Head of the Centre for International Security of the Institute for World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Sciences; Vladimir Dvorkin, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the International Luxembourg Forum, Chief Researcher of the Institute for World Economy and International Relations, Major-General, ret.; and Sergei Oznobishchev, Director of the Institute for Strategic Assessments.

The Supervisory Council approved the Forum’s efforts in 2011 and welcomed the outcomes of the joint Luxembourg Forum-SIPRI conference held this June 13-14 in Stockholm. Meanwhile, they noted that developments following the conference have caused growing concerns regarding the future of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

So far, Russia and the U.S. have failed to reach an agreement concerning cooperation in the sphere of designing Europe’s missile defence system. This has led to higher tension and a lack of confidence between Russia and NATO, which was reflected in several countermeasures planned by Russia. Likewise, the prospects of further disarmament and the viability of existing treaties do not seem promising without progress in creating a joint missile defence system. Therefore, approving the European missile defence architecture and information system integration could be the first step towards overcoming existing contradictions.

Disagreements between the great powers on measures for dealing with the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programmes have undermined their cooperation in promoting the nuclear non-proliferation regime. This was demonstrated by the recent disturbing IAEA report regarding Iran’s nuclear activity, which gave rise to disagreements on IAEA’s valuation and possible sanctions on the part of the UN Security Council and certain states.

On the back of escalating instability at the global and regional levels, the Forum’s Supervisory Council members recommend paying close attention to the active search for new areas of cooperation, primarily in the sphere of promoting nuclear arms non-proliferation and strengthening anti-terror efforts.

The Supervisory Council members reported that the next Luxembourg Forum meeting is scheduled for 2012 in Berlin and will mark five years since the Forum’s founding.

The Supervisory Council presented its recommendations to heads of state, international organisations, and leading decision-makers dealing with nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.

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The International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe was established pursuant to a decision of the International Conference on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe, held in Luxembourg on May 24-25, 2007. The Forum is one of the largest non-governmental organisations uniting leading, world-renowned experts on non-proliferation of nuclear arms, arms reduction and limitation.

The Forum’s priorities are:

· To facilitate the process of arms limitation and reduction and counteract growing threats to the nuclear non-proliferation regime and erosion of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), including the escalating danger of nuclear terrorism and attempts by certain states to gain access to nuclear materials and technologies

· To promote international peace and security through new approaches and provide decision-makers with practical solutions to critical issues of non-proliferation and arms control

The principal guiding bodies of the Forum are the International Advisory Council (IAC) and the Supervisory Council (SC).

The Forum is headed by its President, Viatcheslav Kantor, PhD.