[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 32 (Monday, March 8, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1263-S1264]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 446--COMMEMORATING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TREATY 
              ON THE NON-PROLIFERATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS

  Mr. CASEY submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                               S. Res. 446

       Whereas the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear 
     Weapons, done at Washington, London, and Moscow July 1, 1968, 
     and entered into force on March 5, 1970, has limited the 
     spread of the most dangerous weapons across the globe for 40 
     years;
       Whereas the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear 
     Weapons (also known as the

[[Page S1264]]

     NPT) is the cornerstone of the global nuclear 
     nonproliferation regime;
       Whereas 189 members of the United Nations have acceded to 
     the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, only 
     three states have never signed it, and only one, North Korea, 
     has declared its withdrawal from the Treaty;
       Whereas more countries have ratified the Treaty on the Non-
     Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons than any other arms control 
     or nonproliferation agreement in history;
       Whereas the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear 
     Weapons commits non-nuclear weapon states that want to 
     benefit from the peaceful application of nuclear technology 
     not to develop nuclear weapons and commits the 5 recognized 
     nuclear weapon states to take measures to achieve, at the 
     earliest possible date, the elimination of their nuclear 
     weapon stockpiles;
       Whereas the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear 
     Weapons assigns to the International Atomic Energy Agency the 
     responsibility of maintaining a safeguards system to verify 
     that non-nuclear weapons states party to the Treaty are not 
     diverting nuclear technology from peaceful uses to nuclear 
     weapons or other nuclear explosive devices;
       Whereas, as of December 15, 2009, only 94 countries and one 
     regional organization had brought into force an Additional 
     Protocol to their Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the 
     International Atomic Energy Agency;
       Whereas President John F. Kennedy stated that nuclear 
     weapons pose ``the greatest possible danger'' to the United 
     States and warned that the United States could soon face a 
     world in which there were 15-20 nuclear weapon states, but 
     today, as a result of the global norms and mutual assurances 
     established by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear 
     Weapons, the world has only 9 presumed nuclear weapons 
     states;
       Whereas United States policies and bilateral and 
     multilateral treaties have reduced the number of nuclear 
     weapons in the world from a Cold War high of approximately 
     70,000 to approximately 24,000, and the United States has 
     reduced its stockpile of nuclear weapons from a high of 
     32,000 warheads and bombs to fewer than 10,000 today;
       Whereas, at the fifth Non-Proliferation Treaty Review 
     Conference, in 1995, states party to the Treaty on the Non-
     Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons agreed to extend the Treaty 
     indefinitely;
       Whereas the seventh Non-Proliferation Treaty Review 
     Conference, in 2005, failed to respond collectively on a 
     number of issues, including noncompliance, nuclear programs 
     in Iran and North Korea, the withdrawal clause, nuclear 
     terrorism, clandestine nuclear supply networks, negative 
     security assurances, nuclear disarmament, the nuclear fuel 
     cycle, and enforcement mechanisms;
       Whereas, on September 24, 2009, a United Nations Security 
     Council summit chaired by President Barack Obama unanimously 
     adopted United Nations Security Council Resolution 1887, 
     which reaffirms the Security Council's commitment to the 
     Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, calls on 
     states not yet signatories to accede to the Treaty, urges 
     full compliance with the Treaty by member states, including 
     members facing ``major challenges'' with their obligations, 
     and sets goals to strengthen the Treaty on the Non-
     Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons at the 2010 Review 
     Conference;
       Whereas the eighth Non-Proliferation Treaty Review 
     Conference will take place May 3-28, 2010, in New York to 
     discuss disarmament, security assurances, nonproliferation, 
     peaceful uses of nuclear energy, the nuclear fuel cycle, the 
     mandate of the International Atomic Energy Agency, safety and 
     security of nuclear material, universality, Nuclear Weapons-
     Free Zones, export controls, and the Treaty's withdrawal 
     clause; and
       Whereas the eighth Review Conference presents an 
     opportunity to refocus states party to the NPT on the danger 
     that the spread of nuclear weapons poses, to discuss 
     potential ways to deal with countries that continue to pose a 
     nuclear security threat, and to find common solutions so as 
     to further reduce the number of nuclear weapons in the world 
     and enable increased use of nuclear energy while improving 
     safeguards to ensure that illicit nuclear programs are not 
     occurring: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) reaffirms its support for the Treaty on the Non-
     Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to prevent the spread of 
     nuclear weapons, to further reduce the number of nuclear 
     weapons, and to promote the sharing of nuclear energy 
     technology for peaceful purposes;
       (2) urges the President to work to achieve universality in 
     adherence to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear 
     Weapons;
       (3) encourages the President to work with international 
     partners of the United States and states party to the Treaty 
     on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to have the Model 
     Additional Protocol to Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements 
     become the global standard for safeguards and a requirement 
     for nuclear commerce;
       (4) urges the President to ensure that the International 
     Atomic Energy Agency has the necessary resources, personnel, 
     and technology to conduct its oversight responsibilities as 
     they relate to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear 
     Weapons; and
       (5) encourages the President to work with other states 
     party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear 
     Weapons to strengthen enforcement mechanisms and develop 
     collective responses to any notification of withdrawal from 
     the Treaty.

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