Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Treaty signed 1968 to limit the spread of nuclear weapons. Under the terms of the treaty, those signatories declared to be nuclear powers (China, France, Russia, the UK, and the USA) pledged to work towards nuclear disarmament and not to supply military nuclear technology to non‐nuclear countries, while other signatories pledged not to develop or acquire their own nuclear weapons. The treaty was renewed and extended indefinitely May 1995.

Only 13 countries have not signed the treaty, but three of these (Israel, India, and Pakistan) were widely believed to have developed a nuclear capability although not to have produced any viable devices. In 1998 both India and Pakistan became nuclear powers, after successful testing of weapons. South Africa voluntarily dismantled its six nuclear bombs before signing the treaty in 1991, and Argentina and Brazil abandoned their bomb programmes when democratic governments came to power in the 1980s. The treaty is enforced by the United Nations (UN) and an international crisis was provoked by North Korea's refusal to allow inspection of its civilian nuclear plants by UN inspectors 1993. Similar difficulties were encountered by UN inspectors in Iraq in the wake of the Gulf War 1992, although the Iraqis eventually allowed inspections to take place, and again in 1998. Iran is estimated to be 5–15 years away from nuclear capability. In September 1997 Russia agreed to stop producing plutonium for use in nuclear weapons by 2000, and the USA agreed to pay the $150 million cost of converting Russian nuclear weapons to civilian equipment. In June 2000, Russia and the USA each agreed to destroy 34 tonnes of weapon grade plutonium over the next 20 years, which has the potential to create tens of thousands of nuclear weapons. It was also announced that a joint military early warning centre for nuclear weapons was planned to be built in Moscow.