by William M. Reilly
UNITED NATIONS, May 7 (Xinhua) -- The list of speakers representing nations attending the 2010 Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) at the UN Headquarters in New York has been exhausted and delegates have begun discussing the 40-year old accord.
Representatives from 189 NPT State Parties will be negotiating behind closed doors to hammer out possible outcome documents, among other things, which are expected to be released at the end of the three-week conference.
It is no easy job for negotiators because the 2005 Review Conference failed to produce a consensus on an outcome document.
But first, the spotlight focused Friday on the professional observers of the conference, the roughly 1,500 representatives of non-governmental organization.
They ranged through Nobel Laureate Jody Williams, Nobel Women's Initiative; Taniguchi Sumiteru, Japan Confederation of A-and H- Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo); Chris Ford, Hudson Institute; Rebecca Johnson, Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy, to former UN Undersecretary-General for Disarmament Jayantha Dhanapala, now with Pugwash.
The latest full day of debate by member states, Thursday, was interrupted by a commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II, which saw the introduction of and first use of nuclear weapons.
"It is fitting, today, that we commemorate the war's end at a moment when nations are gathered to advance the cause of peace," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a commemorative special session of the General Assembly, citing the five-yearly review conference which had been meeting in the General Assembly hall.
"The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is also a document of hope, a vision for a nuclear-weapon-free world," he said. "Thank you for helping us to remember the past, so that we may better shape our future."
Although the Second World War continued in Asia until August 1945 beyond May's end of fighting in Europe, the General Assembly unanimously resolved in March to hold a special solemn meeting in the second week of May "in commemoration of all victims of the war. "
The topics state parties to the NPT are now expected to discuss in working groups over the next three weeks include universality of the treaty, nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, promoting and strengthening safeguards, advancing the peaceful use of nuclear energy, nuclear safety and security, regional disarmament and non-proliferation, implementation of the 1995 Middle East resolution and withdrawing from the NPT.
Also on the agenda strengthening the review process, promoting ways of engaging civil society in strengthening the NPT and promoting disarmament education.
The treaty has been signed by almost all of the 192-members of the United Nations. The Holy See, the Vatican, is a non-member state of the treaty. It is in the United Nations as an official observer and a signatory of the treaty.
India and Pakistan, did not sign on. Since the treaty went into effect in 1970, they became states with nuclear weapons. Israel also did not sign on. Although it has never officially declared it was a nuclear weapon state.
To further confuse the count, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea was a signatory to the treaty but Pyongyang said a few years ago after setting off a couple of nuclear explosions it was quitting the accord.
Many members take DPRK to task for not going through the formalities the treaty dictates a state must go through to leave the agreement.
State members of the treaty hopefully will emerge after the nearly four-week session with a consensus document. But while reality dictates less than success, there is hope for a statement at least expressing the shared positions of all 155 member states attending.
The treaty is the most widely ratified accord on arms control. Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, described it in his opening remarks as one of the seminal accords of the 20th century.
It is based on the three pillars of nonproliferation, disarmament and the right to peaceful use of nuclear energy. It is generally agreed there needs to be a balanced approach on the three issues.
Ambassador Libran Cabactulan of the Philippines, president of the conference, sees positive steps on disarmament through recent statements by world leaders, citing U.S. President Barack Obama's commitment in Prague last year to work towards meaningful disarmament.
Cited, was last month's START accord with Russia, to strengthen the NPT, to eliminate the spread of nuclear weapon technology and to pursue ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
Only one of the nations at the current conference -- they are held every five years -- used its opening remarks to announce it would ratify the CTBT, and that was Indonesia.
Most nations have said they support the Middle East, CTBT ratification and control of fissile materials.
But, the test for success of the review will be documents issued at the close, May 28.
Anne Penketh of the British-American Security Information Council gives only a three in 10 chance for a final document with extensive commitments.
"One that avoided the main issues and any definitive commitments, but reflected a shared desire to see greater cooperation, is more likely," she said. "But more likely still is no final document. Crucially, Iran is expected to reject language on treaty compliance, which would prevent consensus on an issue at the heart of many states' objectives."
However, Penketh said there were nine out of 10 chances for an agreement by the five nuclear weapons states, Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- the five permanent, veto- wielding, members of the UN Security Council.
"Watch the language to see whether they move beyond (or retreat from) 2000 Review Conference commitment to "an unequivocal undertaking by the Nuclear Weapon States to accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals," she said. "In the likely absence of a final document, this could be the most important on- going commitment coming out of the conference."
