CANWFZ Treaty Enters into Force
CNS statement on formal entry into force on March 21, 2009 of the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (CANWFZ) Treaty.
The James Martin Center for Nonproliferation
Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies is delighted at the
news of formal entry into force on March 21, 2009 of the Central Asian
Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (CANWFZ) Treaty. For almost a decade before the
Treaty's signing in September 2006, CNS staff members had the opportunity
to render timely assistance to the five Central Asian states in their efforts to
create this nuclear-weapons-free zone.
CNS Director William Potter
welcomed the formal entry into force of the Central Asian NWFZ Treaty. While it
might not be a perfect treaty, Potter noted, the Central Asian states should be
congratulated for negotiating an accord that advances disarmament,
nonproliferation, and environmental restoration in the region. He also praised
the treaty for requiring all parties to adopt the IAEA Additional Protocol.
The Central Asian NWFZ joins three other active NWFZs covering Latin
America and the Caribbean, the South Pacific, and Southeast Asia. Momentum also
is building for a fifth zone, covering Africa, and only two more ratifications
are required before the Treaty of Pelindaba enters into force.
