Us-Uk Mutual Defense Agreement Renewal And The Npt
EDM number 1407 in 2003-04, proposed by Llew Smith on 24/06/2004.
That this House notes the proposed 10-year extension to the 1958 United Kingdom-United States Agreement for Cooperation on the uses of Atomic Energy for Mutual Defence purposes, as amended, suggested in Cm 6261 as presented to Parliament on 21st June; believes that the extension of this bilateral treaty undermines United Kingdom and United States' commitments under Article 1 of the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), for which they are depository states, which states each nuclear-weapon State Party to the Treaty undertakes not to transfer to any recipient whatsoever nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices or control over such weapons or explosive devices directly, or indirectly; is concerned that the government does not see a potential conflict of interest between the MDA and the United Kingdom commitment to the NPT as stated by Lord Bach in the House of Lords on 22nd June, at column 1119; recalls the comment by the NPT review conference, Main Committee on 8th May 1995 that among states parties there are variations in the interpretation of certain aspects of Articles I and II which need clarification, especially regarding the obligations of nuclear-weapon states parties among themselves ... which may have resulted in transfer of nuclear weapons in violation of the spirit and objective of (NPT) Article I; and therefore calls for a debate in Government time in advance of possible ratification of the treaty, as amended.
This motion has been signed by a total of 51 MPs.
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