Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, speaking at the 12th conference on facilitating the entry into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), yesterday, said that the failure to put the treaty into force creates obstacles to further nuclear disarmament. “The absence of progress in this regard creates serious obstacles in the sphere of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. It is difficult to work out new accords at a time when already existing treaties cannot operate in a full-fledged manner even a quarter of a century after they were concluded,” the Russian Foreign Ministry quoted Ryabkov as saying on its website, reported TASS.
The CTBT opened for signature in 1996 and 170 countries have signed and ratified it but 8 of 44 countries that the treaty listed as having to sign and ratify it before it can enter into force have not. The United States, China, Egypt, Israel and Iran have signed it but not ratified it while India, Pakistan and North Korea have not signed it.