Blix Issues Disarmament Report
an article by Julie Friedlander

An important event that occurred in the past month was the release of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission report. An NGO summary of the report is presented at http://www.wmdreport.org/ngoreport.htm and very timely because progress has been slow in recent years in the effort towards controlling global weapons of mass destruction. This is why the Swedish-funded Commission headed by Hans Blix is much needed.

The June 1, 2006 Commission report focuses primarily on the threat of nuclear weapons. Currently it is vital to consider that the world has as many as 27,000 nuclear weapons remaining. The report discusses the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as well as additional treaty commitments that are needed to rectify this enduring threat.

The report had many recommendations for countering nuclear, biological and chemical weapons proliferation. WMDC recommendation 28 for instance states that, "All states that have not already done so should sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty unconditionally and without delay"
(http://www.wmdcommission.org).

It is important to take the recommendations given on these matters in a serious and urgent way in order to ensure peace and security. It is not enough just to carry on with our existing treaties such as the NPT. There is still much to be done regarding "enhancing the effectiveness of the nuclear non-proliferation regime"
(Recommendation 3, WMDC) as well as other treaties by working to increase universality, enforcement, and verification measures. In a time when talk of Iran and North Korea bring us back to the subject of proliferation we must remember how crucial the issue of disarmament is to maintaining a culture of peace.

For more information about the disarmament and the WMDC report check out the following websites: www.reachingcriticalwill.org and http://www.wmdcommission.org.

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In addition to the original article, Sir Joseph Rotblat: A Legacy of Peace (1908-2005), this discussion also links to another article, Blix Issues Disarmament Report.

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