Despite the recent announcement that the United States supports a fissile material cut-off treaty, the United States is still blocking adoption of a work program that would allow negotiations to begin.
The new President of the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, Ambassador U Mya Than of Myanmar, has urged the delegations “not in a position to go along with the A5 proposal” to “explain and make suggestions on ways and means to modify A5” in the upcoming informal plenary on the matter.
That pretty much means us. The United States and France are the only countries not record supporting the A5 proposal.
As I’ve mentioned before, the sudden announcement that we (still) support the negotiation of a Fissile Material Cut Off Treaty was a transparent and cynical election year move.
Disarmament Diplomacy has a nice history of the A5 proposal, with an emphasis on bridging the differences between the United States and China. Regular updates on the CD are available from Rhianna Tyson at the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.