Round Table of the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe

Participants of Luxembourg Forum Round Table to Make Urgent Proposals on Strengthening the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Regime in Anticipation of 2015 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons

On June 10, 2014, the two day’s round table of the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe opened in Geneva.

The meeting was attended by the following respected experts: Hans Blix, former Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency; Nikolay Laverov, member of Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences and RAS Academician; Rolf Ekeus, member of the Supervisory Council of the Luxembourg Forum and former OSCE's High Commissioner on National Minorities; Mark Fitzpatrick, Director of the Non-proliferation and Disarmament Program at International Institute for Strategic Studies in London; Robert Legvold, Director of the Euro-Atlantic Security Initiative; George Perkovich, Director of the Non-proliferation Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; William Potter, Director of the James Martin Center for Non-proliferation Studies; Jayantha Dhanapala, President of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs and former United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs; Paolo Cotta-Ramusino, Secretary General of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs; Ian Kearns, co-founder and Director of the European Leadership Network; Bernard Norlain, member of the Global Zero and member of the Executive Board for the European Leadership Network; Eugene Habiger, member of the Board of Directors of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (former Commander in Chief, U.S. Strategic Command); Tariq Rauf, Director of the Disarmament, Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Program at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute; Vladimir Dvorkin, Chairman of Luxembourg Forum Organizing Committee and other eminent experts in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation of the weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

The Luxembourg Forum experts have noticed with concern that the entire complex of key issues of nuclear non-proliferation has become a secondary matter in world policy for several reasons, including the marked aggravation in relations between the leading Western states and Russia triggered by the situation in Ukraine. However, these problems have not disappeared, and inattention can further complicate the chances of finding positive solution.

In this context the participants of the round table found it necessary to join their efforts to overcome the stagnation in strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation and to boost cooperation between leading countries in this domain regardless of the general political crisis and in spite of it.

“Even prior to the crisis related to Ukraine, the processes of further nuclear arms limitation and nuclear arms control was in complete deadlock”, - President of Luxembourg Forum Mr Viatcheslav Kantor pointed out in his opening address. “In spite of consistent fulfillment of the terms and conditions of the new Treaty on Strategic Offensive Reductions between the United States of America and the Russian Federation, no consultations and negotiations on nuclear arms control required by the Non-Proliferation Treaty have been held.

“The main reasons for this situation are related to the unforced obstacles to non-strategic nuclear weapon control, strategic precision-guided non-nuclear weapon control and missile defense control and to disagreements regarding how to settle regional crises. This situation puts the success of 2015 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons at the direct threat”, - Mr Kantor emphasized.

Based on the Conference outcome the experts will present the leaders of the major countries, to the UN and other official international bodies with joint coordinated proposals on reviving talks on nuclear arms control and further reduction, and on how to settle regional nuclear issues. Participants expressed their hope that such proposals from reputable organizations cannot be ignored by the responsible leaders of the world’s leading countries. Based on these proposals they may adjust their international security policy and promote the 2015 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Leading Luxembourg Forum experts proposed including in the Final Declaration a proposal addressed for the U.S. and Russia to complete the strategic arms reduction two years earlier, by 2016 instead of 2018, as was stipulated by the new Treaty. Adoption of this proposal by the U.S. and Russia could become an incentive to restore the negotiation process.

According to Mr Kantor it is advisable to focus the efforts of the Big Five nuclear powers on preparing their joint proposals to universalize the 1997 Additional Protocol prior to the 2015 Review Conference. It is important to keep this in mind during the P5+1 negotiation on the Comprehensive Solution with Iran. “Taking into account the last updates on the P5+1 negotiations with Iran in respect of the Comprehensive Solution, we believe that it is absolutely vital to formulate our view on its conditions and to support the claims to Iran in the context of this Solution”, – stated the Luxembourg Forum President.

The Forum’s experts believe that it is advisable to once again remind the United States Administration and the United States Congress of the necessity of finally ratifying the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty prior to the 2015 Review Conference, thereby increasing the chances of its success.

Moreover, the attendants proposed including in the Final Declaration a proposal to prepare a treaty prohibiting the space launch of any type of weapons, and development and testing of the means of space objects’ destruction by land-based weapons, airborne weapons and sea-based weapons.

Attendees will summarize all proposals received during the Conference and present them during the second day of the event. Upon the approval of the Final Declaration a conference is planned to be held for this document to be signed by all leaders of organizations and movements attending the round table.

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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’s Advisory Council includes 49 most reputable and world-renowned experts from 14 countries.

The Forum is one of the most representative non-governmental organizations uniting leading world experts on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, arms reduction and limitation. The Forum is headed by its President, Viatcheslav Kantor, PhD. The principal guiding bodies of the Forum are the International Advisory Council and the Supervisory Council.

The Forum’s priorities are to analyze threats imposed by nuclear arms proliferation and elaborate practical proposals and recommendations on ways to further reduce nuclear arms, strengthen nuclear and missile non-proliferation regime, counteract attempts to acquire nuclear weapons and technologies by unstable regimes and terroristic organizations, and resolve the Iranian and North Korean nuclear crises.