Summary

On April 21, the lower house of the Russian parliament, the Duma, voted by 298 votes to 74 to approve the ratification of the Comprehensive Test ban Treaty (CTBT). The approval was unconditional and formal accession is expected to take place soon after the Federal Assembly gives its blessing to the move. Russia will join France and the UK as nuclear-weapon state parties. China is expected to follow suit, but US ratification efforts are still reeling from the October 1999 rejection of the Treaty by the Senate. The accord, signed in September 1996, will enter into force upon its ratification by all 44 states listed as possessing nuclear facilities. Russia will be the 30th of these states to accede. Three of the listed countries... India, Pakistan and North Korea... have yet to sign the Treaty.

Comment and Reaction in Russia

Foreign Ministry statement: "The ratification of CNTBT [Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty] by the State Duma is yet another confirmation of our country's consistent course of enhancing the regime of nuclear weapons non-proliferation, disarmament, and strengthening strategic stability in the world.

The community of nations has traversed a long path to achieve a comprehensive ban on nuclear tests. The road from the Moscow Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Tests in Three Environments [the Partial Test Ban Treaty, PTBT] of 1963 to CNTBT took almost 40 years.

Along with the recent ratification by both chambers of Russia's Federal Assembly of the START II Treaty our country, as a great nuclear power, by ratifying CNTBT demonstrates its responsibility to the entire world community... On the eve of the opening of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference it is necessary to particularly stress the role of CNTBT as a key factor of strengthening the regime of nuclear weapons non-proliferation.

We are convinced that the speediest entry into force of CNTBT and the imparting to it of a universal nature is equally in the national interests of Russia and the whole of mankind. In conditions of a comprehensive ban on nuclear tests and the accession to it of all states with a potential to develop nuclear weapons, an insurmountable barrier will be erected to any attempts to spread or qualitatively improve nuclear weapons. We again urge all countries that have not yet signed or ratified the CNTBT to do it as quickly as possible so that the aims proclaimed by it would become a reality...in the near future."

Source: Foreign Ministry Statement, Document 335-21-4-2000, April 21.

Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov: "This is an important step towards preventing the spread of nuclear weapons. ...[It represents] a serious claim by the new Russian leadership to an active foreign policy in the field of disarmament... The ball is now in the court of the United States."

Sources: Russia is putting pressure on US over arms pacts, New York Times, April 22; Russian Duma adopts nuclear test ban pact, Washington Post, April 22.

Alexander Kotenkov, President-elect Putin's Representative in the Duma: "If we decide to end the moratorium we can still go ahead with tests. The treaty comes into effect only after all [44 listed] parties have ratified it..."

Source: Statement by the President, The White House, April 21.

Gennady Raikov, Leader, Pro-Kremlin People's Deputies Group: "Russia has now adopted an aggressive stance in the area of nuclear disarmament, actively pushing this process which is vitally important for mankind... This will help Russia in arms talks with the Americans, taking away their main trump card, which has been Russia's repeated failure to ratify nuclear treaties... If the Americans go ahead with building anti-missile defenses, they will find themselves isolated under the fire of public opinion..."

Source: Russian Duma set to approve nuclear test ban pact, Reuters, April 21; Russia's test ban vote puts US on defensive, Chicago Tribune, April 22.

Deputy Andrei Kokoshin, national security aide to former President Yeltsin: "These votes are a very clear demonstration of the willingness of Mr. Putin and of the Parliament to save arms control at a critical moment when we see dangers to the regime of negotiations started by the Soviet Union and the United states in the 1960s..."

Source: Russia is putting pressure on US over arms pacts, New York Times, April 22.