DOCSLIB.ORG

Its History and Future Role

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Its History and Future Role Fritz W. Schmidt THE ZANGGER COMMITTEE: ITS HISTORY AND FUTURE ROLE by Fritz W. Schmidt Dr. Fritz W. Schmidt is the current Chairman of the Zangger Committee and Director for Nuclear Nonproliferation in the Austrian Federal Chancellery. He has dealt with nonproliferation matters since 1971 and has participated in every NPT review conference to date. This article is partly based on a paper he presented with William Dickson, the former Secretary of the Zangger Committee, to a workshop on “universal reporting” in September 1993 at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. he following article is in- and the linkage between its para- states party to the NPT. The text of tended to provide some in- graphs 1 and 2. this model agreement was published T sight into the development of as IAEA Document Information international nuclear export controls HISTORY OF THE ZAC Circular 153 (hereafter “INFCIRC/ under the Treaty on the Non-Prolif- 153”). eration of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The text of Article III of the NPT Immediately after the committee It deals with the history of the formulated the twin obligations for finished its work, a number of ma- Zangger Committee (ZAC), the safeguards and export control rather jor supplier countries—some already Trigger List, the ZAC’s practices generally. Thus, there was a need to party to the NPT, some only intend- and procedures, and its future work. interpret this language into concrete ing to become members—met in In the history section, the article also details and further clarify the respec- March 1971 under the chairmanship touches upon parallel nonprolifera- tive requirements. of Swiss Professor Claude Zangger tion developments in order to set the In 1970, the IAEA (being en- on a very informal and confidential ZAC in context, and refers to the trusted by the NPT with the safe- basis in Vienna to discuss how to relations of the ZAC to the Nuclear guards task) set up a committee to implement Article III.2 and fulfill Suppliers Group (NSG) and to the develop a model safeguards agree- its obligations. This group, which International Atomic Energy Agency ment that would satisfy the obliga- became known as the “Zangger (IAEA). The concluding section, tions of Article III.1. The Safeguards Committee,” agreed that its decisions which proposes the return of full- Committee formed in 1970 fulfilled would not be legally binding upon scope safeguards into Article III.2, its task in a rather short period of its members but would serve as a reflects the personal views of the au- intense activity and drafted a model basis for harmonized unilateral thor. The proposal is intended to cre- that—after approval by the Board of policy declarations. ate an awareness among experts that Governors and the General Confer- The group defined its objectives eventually could lead to a reconfir- ence of the IAEA—became the basis as: mation of the understanding of the for all bilateral safeguards agree- 1. to reach a common understand- wording of Article III of the NPT ments between the IAEA and the ing on what constituted nuclear ma- individual non-nuclear weapon 38 The Nonproliferation Review/Fall 1994 Fritz W. Schmidt terial, and equipment or material not party to the NPT, it was decided ditions of supply should be added especially designed or prepared for to require safeguards by the IAEA to those in the NPT and the Zangger the processing, use, or production on the nuclear material “in accor- Committee memoranda (which re- of special fissionable material; and dance with its [IAEA’s] safeguards quired non-explosive use assurances, 2. to consider procedures in rela- system,” leaving open whether this safeguards, and retransfer approval tion to exports of nuclear materials meant the “old” (facility-related) rights). In 1976, these countries es- and certain categories of equipment (INFCIRC 66/Rev.2) or the “new” tablished a set of guidelines and cri- and material in the light of the com- NPT-type “full-scope safeguards” teria known as the “London Suppli- mitment of states pursuant to Ar- system (INFCIRC/153).1 Initially, ers Guidelines” that identified two ticle III.2 of the NPT with a view to only a very few countries adopted a further conditions of supply: establishing a common understand- governmental policy of requiring 1. to apply physical protection ing as to the way in which each state full-scope safeguards for such ex- measures on nuclear material on the would interpret and implement this ports. Thus, INFCIRC/66 safe- basis of the recommendations in commitment. guards became the standard to be IAEA document INFCIRC/225; and In particular, the objective was to applied in recipient non-nuclear 2. to agree that any facility that draw up a list of commodities that weapon states not party to the NPT. was built on the basis of the know- should be subject to export control Why this solution was adopted, how of supplied technology (“know- on a common international basis. and what implications it had will be how clause”) would be put under One guiding principle of the group dealt with later. safeguards. was that these self-imposed restric- The Committee further agreed to In addition, the guidelines of the tions should not disturb fair inter- exchange information about actual London Group introduced the term national commercial competition. It exports or the issuance of licenses “sensitive facilities,” for which a was also agreed that each item on for exports to any non-nuclear transfer of technology should be the list should have a specific nuclear weapon states not party to the NPT handled particularly cautiously. Two end-use rather than a “dual-use” suit- through its system of annual returns, categories in the Trigger List (re- able for other conventional indus- which are circulated on a confiden- processing facilities and isotope trial uses. tial basis among the membership separation facilities) were under- In 1972, a consensus on the ba- each year in April. stood to fall within this category. sic understandings (“Expurgated The London Group adopted the ba- Version” of 9/27/72) was reached. Early Shock to the NPT’s sic “Trigger List” of the ZAC, but However, due to delays in securing System added a few new items—such as heavy the participation of the Soviet water production plants—and clarified Union, the Committee waited two India’s detonation of a nuclear the entries for zirconium tubes and years before making the under- device in May 1974 not only caused isotope separation equipment.2 standings public in two separate a tremor in the earth but also in the memoranda both dated August 14, foundations of the nonproliferation THE TRIGGER LIST 1974. The first memorandum cov- regime. Was the NPT inappropriate, ered exports of “source and special inadequate, or even a failure? The term “Trigger List” was cho- fissionable material” (Article III.2a), India was not an NPT party, and sen because the export of items listed and the second covered exports of the Treaty was still too young to be on it “trigger” IAEA safeguards on “equipment or material especially blamed for being unable to prevent the source or special fissionable designed or prepared for the technology transfer from a NPT material produced, processed, or processing, use or production of party. But the explosion led to in- used in the equipment or material special fissionable material” (Article creased concern about the conditions in question. The ZAC Trigger List, III.2b). Both are referred to collec- for permitting nuclear exports. Fol- as first issued in 1974, referred tively as the “Trigger List.” lowing preliminary consultations in mainly to complete facilities in the As to the question of which safe- 1974, seven major supplier coun- nuclear fuel cycle, with the excep- guards should be triggered by ex- tries met in 1975 with the goal of tion of reactors, where several typi- ports to non-nuclear weapon states defining what, if any, additional con- cal components were explicitly men- The Nonproliferation Review/Fall 1994 39 Fritz W. Schmidt tioned (for the contents of the first Mod. 2, February 1984). While, in the past, several coun- list see Appendix). Attached to the 3. In 1985, amendments were tries held the view that conversion Trigger List was an annex clarify- made in the annex to clarify the cov- facilities would not fall under the ing and defining the items in some erage of fuel reprocessing plants definition of Article III.2 (as they detail. (INFCIRC/209/Mod. 3, August do not deal with special fissionable In line with technological devel- 1985). material but only with source mate- opments, the Trigger List has un- 4. In 1990, clarifying amend- rial—natural uranium), a technical dergone several changes since 1974. ments were adopted for isotope sepa- working group set up by the NSG These changes strengthened the cov- ration plant equipment at gaseous showed that most of the components erage over certain areas that were diffusion enrichment plants of conversion facilities are consid- initially only roughly structured or (INFCIRC/209/Mod. 4, February ered to be dual-use items and that referred to only “complete” facilities. 1990). only a few would warrant entry on At the time of the development of 5. In 1992, an amendment was the ZAC Trigger List. the initial list, it was understood that introduced to further clarify plants It is also worthwhile to consider this would be enough to hinder clan- for the production of heavy water, whether these components are only destine developments in most coun- deuterium and deuterium com- to be used in the front end or also tries. With the further advance of pounds, and associated equipment in the back end of the conversion technology development worldwide (INFCIRC 209/Rev.1/Mod.1, May process, where gaseous-enriched and with further experience in the 1992).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Nordic Countries and the European Security and Defence Policy
    bailes_hb.qxd 21/3/06 2:14 pm Page 1 Alyson J. K. Bailes (United Kingdom) is A special feature of Europe’s Nordic region the Director of SIPRI. She has served in the is that only one of its states has joined both British Diplomatic Service, most recently as the European Union and NATO. Nordic British Ambassador to Finland. She spent countries also share a certain distrust of several periods on detachment outside the B Recent and forthcoming SIPRI books from Oxford University Press A approaches to security that rely too much service, including two academic sabbaticals, A N on force or that may disrupt the logic and I a two-year period with the British Ministry of D SIPRI Yearbook 2005: L liberties of civil society. Impacting on this Defence, and assignments to the European E Armaments, Disarmament and International Security S environment, the EU’s decision in 1999 to S Union and the Western European Union. U THE NORDIC develop its own military capacities for crisis , She has published extensively in international N Budgeting for the Military Sector in Africa: H management—taken together with other journals on politico-military affairs, European D The Processes and Mechanisms of Control E integration and Central European affairs as E ongoing shifts in Western security agendas Edited by Wuyi Omitoogun and Eboe Hutchful R L and in USA–Europe relations—has created well as on Chinese foreign policy. Her most O I COUNTRIES AND U complex challenges for Nordic policy recent SIPRI publication is The European Europe and Iran: Perspectives on Non-proliferation L S Security Strategy: An Evolutionary History, Edited by Shannon N.
    [Show full text]
  • Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties To
    NPT/CONF.2020/PC.III/7 Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Review Distr.: General Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the 25 April 2019 Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Original: English Third session New York, 29 April–10 May 2019 National Report Pursuant to Actions 5, 20, and 21 of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) 2010 Review Conference Final Document Report submitted by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Introduction This is a draft document which we share with a wide audience to gather feedback on what we are doing well and what we could do differently. We will then produce a final version of the report for the Review Conference next year. The report outlines our commitment to achieving our long-term goal of a world without nuclear weapons by highlighting our efforts on disarmament, verification and safeguards. We firmly believe the best way to achieve this is through gradual nuclear disarmament, negotiated using a step-by-step approach within existing international frameworks, taking into account current and future security risks. The NPT has been so successful because it addresses the concerns of the Non-Nuclear Weapon States whilst also taking into account the security climate that provides the context for the Nuclear Weapons States’ possession of nuclear weapons. We have already achieved substantial reductions in our nuclear weapon stockpile. We believe developing effective measures for verifying nuclear disarmament will be vital for enabling the fulfilment of the goals of Article VI of the NPT. The UK believes that a Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement plus an Additional Protocol is the universal verification standard and we support the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) continued efforts to strengthen the international safeguards system across the world.
    [Show full text]
  • Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the 13 March 2018
    NPT/CONF.2020/PC.II/WP.12 Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the 13 March 2018 Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Original: English Second session Geneva, 23 April–4 May 2018 Procedures in relation to exports of nuclear materials and certain categories of equipment and material under article III (2) of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Working paper submitted by Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and United States of America as the members of the Zangger Committee The co-sponsors propose that the Preparatory Committee submit to the 2020 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons the following language for inclusion in the final document of the Review Conference: That the Review Conference: (a) Note that a number of States parties meet regularly in an informal group known as the Zangger Committee in order to coordinate their implementation of article III (2) of the Treaty related to the supply of nuclear material and equipment. To this end, those States parties have adopted two memorandums, A and B, which include a list of items triggering International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards, for their exports to non-nuclear-weapon States not parties to the Treaty, as set forth in IAEA document INFCIRC/209, as amended.
    [Show full text]
  • Approved 1540 Committee Matrix
    APPROVED 1540 COMMITTEE MATRIX The information in the matrices originates primarily from national reports and is complemented by official government information, including that made available to inter-governmental organizations. The matrices are prepared under the direction of the 1540 Committee. The 1540 Committee intends to use the matrices as a reference tool for facilitating technical assistance and to enable the Committee to continue to enhance its dialogue with States on their implementation of Security Council Resolution 1540. The matrices are not a tool for measuring compliance of States in their non-proliferation obligations but for facilitating the implementation of Security Council Resolutions 1540 (2004), 1673 (2006), 1810 (2008), 1977 (2011), 2055 (2012) and 2325 (2016). They do not reflect or prejudice any ongoing discussions outside of the Committee, in the Security Council or any of its organs, of a State's compliance with its non-proliferation or any other obligations. Information on voluntary commitments is for reporting purpose only and does not constitute in any way a legal obligation arising from resolution 1540 or its successive resolutions. Matrix entries are only indicators of fact and not indicators of the degree of compliance under resolution 1540 (2004) and its successor resolutions. Thus: An “X” in any data field signifies only that the 1540 Committee considers that a State has taken the steps required, and/or has provided specific references to the applicable legal basis or executive behaviour as evidence of such steps. An “X” against any data field does not necessarily signify that a State has met in full its 1540 obligations for that data field.
    [Show full text]
  • Press Statement the Chairman of the Nuclear Non
    Press Statement The Chairman of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Exporter’s Committee is pleased to note that 11 March 2001 marked the 30th anniversary of the first meeting of the group. Known as the Zangger Committee, in honor of its first Chairman Prof. Claude Zangger, the Committee was formed following the coming into force of the NPT, to serve as the "faithful interpreter" of its Article III.2, to harmonize the interpretation of nuclear export control policies for NPT Parties. The Committee has been focussing on what is meant in Article III.2 of the Treaty by "especially designed or prepared equipment or material for the processing, use or production of special fissionable material." The Zangger Committee maintains a Trigger List (triggering safeguards as a condition of supply) of nuclear-related strategic goods to assist NPT Parties in identifying equipment and materials subject to export controls. Today the Zangger Committee has 35 members including all the nuclear weapons states. Its Trigger List includes illustrative examples of equipment and materials judged to be within the understandings of the Committee. The Trigger List and the Zangger Committee’s understandings are published by the IAEA in the INFCIRC/209 series. At this time the current Chairman of the Zangger Committee, Dr. Fritz Schmidt of Austria, would like to recognize the important contributions that all members of the Committee have made to strengthening the Committee’s understandings and the nuclear nonproliferation regime. In particular, the Committee recognizes its previous Chairmen Dr. Claude Zangger of Switzerland and Ilkka Mäkipentti of Finland; and the U.K.
    [Show full text]
  • NUCLEAR LAW BULLETIN No. 46
    NUCLEAR LAW BULLETIN No. 46 Contents Detailed Table of Contents Studies and Articles Case Law and Administrative Decisions National Legrslative and Regulatory Actrvrtres International Regulatory Activitres Agreements Texts Bibliography ThlS BulletIn ulcludeo a supplement December 1990 Nuclear Energy Agency Orgamsakan for Economic Co-operahon and Development Pursuant to article I of the Convention ugncd m Pdns on 14th December 1960 and u hlch came mm force on 30th September 1961. the Organ~satwn for F.conom~c Gopcrat~on and Development (OECD) shall promote pols~cs deagned - to achwe the hlghat sustamahk economw growth and employment and a nrmg standard of lwmg m Member countna whde mamtammg linanaal stablIlt, and thus to mntnhute to the ckvclopment of the world economy - to contnbutc to sound cconom~c cxpansmn m Member as well as non-member countnes tn the prams of ec~norn~c development and - to contnbute to the expansmn of world trade on a mululateral nondwnmmatory basis m accordance wth mtcntatmnal obbgattons The ongmal Member countnes of the OECD are Austna Beigmm Canada Denmark France the Federal Rcpubbc of Germany, Greece Iceland Ireland Italy Luxembourg the Netherlands Norway, Portugal Spam Sweden Swttzerland Turkey the Umted Kmgdom and the Umted Stata Tbe followmg countnes became Members subsequentI) through accewon at the data mdtcated hereafter Japan (28th Apnl 1964) Finland (28th Januan 1969) Autraba (7th June 1971) and New Zealand (29th May 1973) The Soaabst Federal Repubbc of Yugoslavia takes part m some of the work of the
    [Show full text]
  • NPR 1.1: the Nuclear Suppliers Group
    The Nuclear Suppliers Group by Tadeusz Strulak Ambassador Tadeusz Strulak served as Chairman of the Nuclear Suppliers Group meeting in 1992. He has been an ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, and is currently an Advisor to the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs. This article is adapted from a paper prepared for a workshop on "The New Role of International Organizations in Nonproliferation" held at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, August 27-29, 1993. Nuclear Export Control: The Early Stages Article III.2 of the NPT) should govern the exports of these items to non-nuclear weapon states not party to the NPT. The question of nuclear export control arose as early as the These requirements obligated nuclear suppliers: exports themselves. Suppliers first sought safeguards and a) to obtain the recipient's assurance excluding uses of the assurances of the peaceful use of exported items in the exported items for a nuclear explosion; 1950s. They sought these assurances through the b) to subject those items, as well as the material on the implementation of bilateral agreements. At that time, the Trigger List produced through their use, to IAEA application of safeguards was entrusted to the International safeguards; Atomic Energy Agency after its creation in 1957, and to c) to ensure that Trigger List items are not re-exported to Euratom, which safeguarded exports to its member states. a third party unless the third party recipient meets the conditions of a) and b). The parties who signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation These requirements and the Trigger List were of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in 1968 agreed "..
    [Show full text]
  • NPR73: NPT Export Controls and the Zangger Committee
    FRITZ SCHMIDT Report NPT Export Controls and the Zangger Committee FRITZ SCHMIDT Fritz Schmidt is the Chairman of the Zangger Committee and Director for Nuclear Nonproliferation in the Austrian Federal Ministry for Economy and Labor. He has dealt with nonproliferation matters since 1971 and has participated in every NPT review conference to date. While the opinions expressed in this viewpoint are not necessarily shared in toto by all members of the Zangger Committee, they do reflect the views of the Austrian Federal Ministry and elements of its policy for future activities in international fora. s required by Art. VIII.3, the Review Conference and coordination of export policies among all interested of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear states parties, and how the Zangger Committee could help AWeapons (NPT) was held from April 24 to May increase cooperation between suppliers and recipients. A 19, 2000, “to review the operation of this Treaty” since new and increasingly important element in these consid- the last conference in 1995 “with a view to assuring that erations is the role the International Atomic Energy Agency the purposes of the Preamble and the provisions of the (IAEA) should play in the framework of NPT export con- Treaty are being realized.”1 At the NPT Review and Ex- trols. In particular, IAEA information-collection activities tension Conference in 1995 (NPTREC), the parties de- could provide a way to reduce the burdens that export cided without a vote to extend the Treaty indefinitely. As controls currently place on individual states. part of the indefinite extension package, they adopted de- cisions on “Strengthening the Review Process for the THE ROLE OF EXPORT CONTROLS IN THE Treaty” and on “Principles and Objectives for Nuclear NPT FRAMEWORK Non-Proliferation and Disarmament.”2 The principal goal of the NPT, specified in Articles I The focus of this viewpoint is on export control require- and II, is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.
    [Show full text]
  • 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
    NPT/CONF.2000/17 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation 18 April 2000 of Nuclear Weapons Original: English New York, 24 April-19 May 2000 Multilateral nuclear supply principles of the Zangger Committee Working paper submitted by Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, Romania, the Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America as members of the Zangger Committee Introduction proliferation and disarmament” stated that “transparency in nuclear export controls should be 1. Previous Review Conferences of the Parties to the promoted within the framework of dialogue and Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons cooperation among all interested States party to the (NPT), when reviewing the implementation of the Treaty.” Treaty in the area of export controls, have repeatedly 3. Attached to this working paper are the statements noted the role of the Zangger Committee. The of previous NPT Review Conferences referring to the Committee, also known as the “NPT Exporters Zangger Committee. Committee”, essentially contributes to the interpretation of article III, paragraph 2, of the Treaty and thereby offers guidance to all parties to the Treaty. Zangger Committee The Committee and its work were mentioned in final documents or in Committee reports of Review Article III, paragraph 2 Conferences from 1975, 1985, 1990 and 1995. 2. The purpose of the present working paper is to 4.
    [Show full text]
  • Nuclear Legislation in OECD and NEA Countries © OECD 2016
    N uclear Legislation in OECD and NEA Countries Regulatory and Institutional Framework for Nuclear Activities Greece Nuclear Legislation in OECD and NEA Countries © OECD 2016 Greece I. General Regulatory Regime ................................................................. 2 1. Introduction ............................................................................................... 2 2. Mining regime ............................................................................................. 3 3. Radioactive substances, nuclear fuel and equipment ........................................ 3 4. Nuclear installations .................................................................................... 3 a) Licensing and inspection, including nuclear safety ....................................... 3 b) Emergency response ............................................................................... 4 5. Trade in nuclear materials and equipment ...................................................... 5 6. Radiation protection .................................................................................... 5 7. Radioactive waste management .................................................................... 7 8. Nuclear security .......................................................................................... 7 9. Transport ................................................................................................... 8 10. Nuclear third party liability ..........................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Public Statement Plenary Meeting of the Nuclear Suppliers Group Bern, Switzerland, 22–23 June 2017
    PUBLIC STATEMENT PLENARY MEETING OF THE NUCLEAR SUPPLIERS GROUP BERN, SWITZERLAND, 22–23 JUNE 2017 The twenty-seventh Plenary Meeting of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), 1 chaired by Ambassador Benno Laggner of Switzerland, was held in Bern, Switzerland, on 22 and 23 June 2017. The President of the Swiss Confederation, H.E. Ms. Doris Leuthard, welcomed the Participating Governments on behalf of the Swiss Government and reaffirmed Switzerland’s commitment to the work of the Group at a time when the principle of nuclear non-proliferation continued to be at the centre of international stability. The President highlighted the central role of the NSG in international efforts against the spread of nuclear weapons and its contribution to the international nuclear non-proliferation architecture with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) at its centre. The NSG took stock of developments since the last meeting in Seoul in 2016. Participating Governments reiterated their firm support for the full, complete and effective implementation of the NPT as the cornerstone of the international non-proliferation regime. Within the framework of the NSG’s mandate, the Group exchanged information on and expressed its concerns regarding continued global proliferation activities and reaffirmed its determination to continue to cooperate closely in order to deter, hinder and prevent the transfer of controlled items or technology that could contribute to nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. The Participating Governments reconfirmed their commitment to UNSCRs 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009), 2087 (2013), 2094 (2013), 2270 (2016), 2321 (2016) and 2356 (2017), which strongly condemned the DPRK‘s nuclear tests.
    [Show full text]
  • Nuclear Nonproliferation and Arms Control Primer Prepared for the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’S Nuclear Future
    PNNL-20432 Prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC05-76RL01830 Nuclear Nonproliferation and Arms Control Primer Prepared for the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future LS Williams May 2011 PNNL-20432 Nuclear Nonproliferation and Arms Control Primer Prepared for the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future LS Williams May 2011 Prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC05-76RL01830 Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Richland, Washington 99352 PNNL-20432 Although the list of U.S. nuclear nonproliferation and arms control is too extensive to be described fully in these pages, the subset of arms control and nonproliferation initiatives that are most relevant to managing the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle includes the following: Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG): The NSG is a group of 46 nuclear supplier states—including the United States—“that have voluntarily agreed to coordinate their export controls governing transfers of civilian nuclear material and nuclear-related equipment and technology to non-nuclear weapon states.”1 These states agree to forego exports of nuclear material and technology to states that fail to join or comply with international nuclear nonproliferation regimes such as the NPT and nuclear weapon free zone agreements (e.g., North Korea, Pakistan). Fissile materials, nuclear reactors, reprocessing and enrichment technology are among the controlled items in the NSG Guidelines. In addition to other nonproliferation commitments, recipient states must commit not to transfer these imports to a third country without the supplier’s permission, and must ensure adequate physical security measures to prevent theft or unauthorized use.
    [Show full text]