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Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) |
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The nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty came into force in 1970, following widespread international concern about the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation and the spiraling nuclear weapon stocks of those states that had developed them. It is a binding multilateral treaty with the goal of general and complete nuclear weapons disarmament.
The UK is one of five states that had already acquired nuclear weapons before the treaty was signed – the other nuclear weapon states are the United States, Russia, China and France. The treaty establishes that those states without nuclear weapons agree not to acquire them and those with nuclear weapons agree to disarm. It also gives states the right to develop civil nuclear power. The UK does not have any right to possess nuclear weapons under the treaty; instead it is legally bound to disarm.
Three states, Israel, India and Pakistan did not sign the NPT. They stayed outside the treaty framework and have developed nuclear weapons. North Korea signed the treaty but withdrew from it in 2003.
Article VI of the treaty provides for nuclear disarmament:
Each of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a Treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.
13 practical steps
The final document of the NPT Review Conference in 2000 agreed 13 practical steps which further committed progress on disarmament. Steps 6 and 9 agreed:
6. An unequivocal undertaking by the nuclear-weapon States to
accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals leading to
nuclear disarmament to which all States parties are committed under
Article VI.
9. Steps by all the nuclear-weapon States leading to nuclear
disarmament in a way that promotes international stability, and based
on the principle of undiminished security for all:
- Further efforts by the nuclear-weapon States to reduce their nuclear arsenals unilaterally
- Increased
transparency by the nuclear-weapon States with regard to the nuclear
weapons capabilities and the implementation of agreements pursuant to
Article VI and as a voluntary confidence-building measure to support
further progress on nuclear disarmament
- The
further reduction of non-strategic nuclear weapons, based on unilateral
initiatives and as an integral part of the nuclear arms reduction and
disarmament process
- Concrete agreed measures to further reduce the operational status of nuclear weapons systems
- A
diminishing role for nuclear weapons in security policies to minimize
the risk that these weapons ever be used and to facilitate the process
of their total elimination
- The engagement as
soon as appropriate of all the nuclear-weapon States in the process
leading to the total elimination of their nuclear weapons
In addition to the 13 steps, the five declared nuclear weapon states signed a final document giving ‘an unequivocal undertaking to accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals’.
Replacing Trident will commit the UK to owning nuclear weapons until at least 2050 which, since the NPT came into force in 1970, would mean 80 years of non-compliance with its disarmament obligation.
Full text of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
Full text of the final document of the NPT Review Conference 2000
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Nuclear Weapon States