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Bahamas to
Ratify Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty, says Acting PM |
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NASSAU,
The Bahamas – Acting Prime Minister and Minister
of Foreign Affairs the Hon. Brent Symonette
addresses the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Band
Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) workshop
opening session on Monday, November 26, 2007, at
the Wyndham Nassau Resort and Crystal Palace
Casino, Cable Beach. (BIS photo: Raymond A.
Bethel)
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November 26, 2007: NASSAU, Bahamas – The Bahamas
is set to ratify its position as a signatory to the
Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty, designed to rid the
world of nuclear weapons, Acting Prime Minister the Hon
Brent Symonette announced Monday, November 26, 2007.
He was addressing a regional workshop co-hosted by the
Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear
Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) and the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs. It is being held November 26 – 28, at the
Wyndham Nassau Resort and Crystal Palace Casino, Cable
Beach.
The workshop is intended to build upon previous regional and
sub-regional international co-operation workshops held in
Peru in 2000, Jamaica in 2002, Guatemala in 2005 and Mexico
in 2006.
The workshop seeks to enhance understanding of the
Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) among the
states in the region, promote its signature and ratification
and facilitate the establishment of the verification regime,
amongst other matters.
The Bahamas signed the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty
on February 4, 2005, and, according to Minister Symonette,
he would deposit the Instrument of Ratification with the
United Nations Secretary General. |
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“The Bahamas would
further welcome any guarantees of partnership to benefit
from best practice and technical assistance to establish a
National Data Centre in order to be in a position to benefit
from the International Data Centre and the civil and
scientific applications it distils, from the Treaty’s
verification technologies,” said Minister Symonette, who is
also the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign
Affairs.
The year 2006 marked the 10th anniversary of the
Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty open for signature.
Since then, the CTBT has been considered a cornerstone of
the non-proliferation of the nuclear weapons regime.
The Treaty has 177 State Signatories, with 140 countries who
have ratified. Thirty-four of the 44 States listed in Annex
2 of the Treaty, whose ratification is required for entry
into force, have ratified the Treaty.
Minister Symonette noted that, with The Bahamas virtually on
the opposite side of the world from Hiroshima and Nagasaki
and from continents and regions engulfed in armed conflict,
it is difficult for Bahamians to understand the horror and
depth of human loss and suffering, as well as environmental
desecration caused by atomic weapons and war.
“Yet, this is the magnitude and imperative of our task as we
seek again, through this regional workshop, to bring the
Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty into force with
universal compliance,” Minister Symonette said.
He hoped that the workshop, taking place in The Bahamas and
the region, which is a comparative haven of peace, will come
to be regarded as a significant turning point in expelling,
once and for all, the contradictions between national
political policies, human survival, and the threats of
intensified international terrorism from the diversion of
nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons technology.
“The CTBT is a cornerstone of the international regime on
the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, and therefore,
integral to its effectiveness,” Minister Symonette said.
He also commented on the issue of transhipment of hazardous
waste through Caribbean waters, because of its overriding
importance to the sub-region.
“This waste composed of radioactive materials raises serious
concerns for human health and development, given fragile
marine and island eco-systems, and by extension, the
livelihoods of many persons derived there from,” Minister
Symonette said.
“Thus, it bears re-stating that the important link between
an effective non-proliferation regime, and the attainment of
an enduring global peace and stability cannot be over-emphasised
in relation, also, to the viability of global, economic and
social development,” Minister Symonette said.
Source: Bahamas Information Systems |
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