Declaration of the Round Table of the International Luxembourg Forum “Towards Progress In Nuclear Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation”

TOWARDS PROGRESS IN NUCLEAR ARMS CONTROL, DISARMAMENT AND

NON-PROLIFERATION

DECLARATION

June 10-11, 2014, Geneva

We, the participants from fourteen organizations at the Round Table convened by the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe hereby express our deep concern over the current state of international security, nuclear disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation.

We recognize that the current crisis in and over Ukraine has greatly aggravated relations between Russia and the West but we assess that the deadlock in nuclear disarmament and arms control had emerged already by 2011.

We believe that the primary reason for this deadlock was the widening divergence of views of Russia and the United States/NATO on issues concerning strategic stability. In particular, they differ over such important issues as the role of new ballistic missile defense systems, strategic conventional precision-guided arms, strategic and non-strategic nuclear weapons, the impact of other nuclear armed states and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and missile technologies on strategic stability, as well as regional conventional balances.

This grave situation is further exacerbated by divergences of security perceptions and priorities among other important global and regional players.

We urge that the current Ukrainian crisis be resolved without delay through multilateral efforts at de-escalation of violence and ceasefire under comprehensive OSCE monitoring, Ukrainian state reconstitution, including political dialogue between the central government and rebellious regions under encouragement and mediation by the OSCE and other relevant international organizations and states.

The situation in Ukraine and other aforementioned developments underscore the importance of maintaining and enhancing arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation arrangements. Urgent efforts should be made to revive bilateral and multilateral cooperation on these issues.

Having discussed these issues at the Round Table in Geneva we hereby propose that this process be facilitated by a package of short-term but substantive steps, which should be launched by key states without further delay:

· Preserving the key nuclear arms control and non-proliferation treaties and regimes, foremost the NPT, the New START, and the INF Treaty.

· Accelerating the implementation of the New START Treaty by carrying out the reductions to agreed ceilings by 2016 instead 2018, and thus improve the prospects for a follow-on START treaty envisioning substantial further reductions, and finding a compromise on the issues of ballistic missile defenses, sub-strategic nuclear arms and strategic conventional weapons.

· In preparation for a successful outcome of the 2015 NPT Review Conference we recommend the full implementation of the 2010 NPT Review Conference Action Plan and recommendations including in particular:

· Reducing the role of nuclear weapons in military doctrines of all nuclear armed states as well as of military alliances.

· Promoting the acceptance of the Additional Protocol to IAEA comprehensive safeguards agreements as the verification standard in connection with the NPT facilitated by the joint efforts of the non-nuclear and nuclear-weapon states at the forthcoming 2015 Review Conference.

· Strengthening multinational approaches to the nuclear fuel cycle through assurances of supply of fuel cycle services on a non-discriminatory basis to all states utilizing the peaceful uses of nuclear energy under IAEA comprehensive safeguards and the Additional Protocol.

· Promoting the full implementation of the resolution on the establishment of a zone free of nuclear weapons, and other weapons of mass destruction, and their delivery systems, in the Middle East, as adopted at the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference, and the convening of a conference on the establishment of the zone as mandated.

· Encouraging the early conclusion of a comprehensive agreement between the P5+1 and Iran in accordance with the Joint Plan of Action agreed in November 2013, to provide confidence in the exclusively peaceful use of nuclear energy in Iran in accordance with the NPT under the IAEA Comprehensive Safeguards and the Additional Protocol.

· Urging the early entry into force of the CTBT by encouraging the remaining eight Annex II states – China, DPRK, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, Pakistan, the United States - to sign and ratify the Treaty as soon as possible.

These proposals are presented to the political leaderships of relevant states and international organizations.

Members of the Round table of the International Luxembourg Forum on Preventing Nuclear Catastrophe

Affiliation is for identification purposes only.