TLATELOLCO TREATY TEXT TREATY FOR THE PROHIBITION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN (TREATY OF TLATELOLCO) Opened for signature at Mexico City: 14 February That the incalculable destructive power of nuclear 1967. weapons has made it imperative that the legal prohi- Entered into force: For each Government individu- bition of war should be strictly observed in practice if ally. the survival of civilization and of mankind itself is to Depositary Government: Mexico. be assured, That nuclear weapons, whose terrible effects are suf- Preamble fered, indiscriminately and inexorably, by military forces and civilian population alike, constitute, In the name of their peoples and faithfully interpret- through the persistence of the radioactivity they re- ing their desires and aspirations, the Governments of lease, an attack on the integrity of the human species the States which sign the Treaty for the Prohibition of and ultimately may even render the whole earth un- Nuclear Weapons in Latin America, inhabitable, Desiring to contribute, so far as lies in their power, That general and complete disarmament under effec- towards ending the armaments race, especially in the tive international control is a vital matter which all field of nuclear weapons, and towards strengthening the peoples of the world equally demand, a world at peace, based on the sovereign equality of States, mutual respect and good neighbourliness, That the proliferation of nuclear weapons, which seems inevitable unless States, in the exercise of their Recalling that the United Nations General Assembly, sovereign rights, impose restrictions on themselves in in its Resolution 808 (IX), adopted unanimously as order to prevent it, would make any agreement on one of the three points of a coordinated programme disarmament enormously difficult and would increase of disarmament “the total prohibition of the use and the danger of the outbreak of a nuclear conflagration, manufacture of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction of every type,” That the establishment of militarily denuclearized zones is closely linked with the maintenance of peace Recalling that militarily denuclearized zones are not and security in the respective regions, an end in themselves but rather a means for achieving general and complete disarmament at a later stage, That the military denuclearization of vast geographi- cal zones, adopted by the sovereign decision of the Recalling United Nations General Assembly Resolu- States comprised therein, will exercise a beneficial tion 1911 (XVIII), which established that the meas- influence on other regions where similar conditions ures that should be agreed upon for the denucleariza- exist, tion of Latin America should be taken “in the light of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations That the privileged situation of the signatory States, and of regional agreements,” whose territories are wholly free from nuclear weap- ons, imposes upon them the inescapable duty of pre- Recalling United Nations General Assembly Resolu- serving that situation both in their own interest and tion 2028 (XX), which established the principle of an for the good of mankind, acceptable balance of mutual responsibilities and duties for the nuclear and non-nuclear powers, and That the existence of nuclear weapons in any country of Latin America would make it a target for possible Recalling that the Charter of the Organization of nuclear attacks and would inevitably set off, through- American States proclaims that it is an essential pur- out the region, a ruinous race in nuclear weapons pose of the Organization to strengthen the peace and which would involve the unjustifiable diversion, for security of the hemisphere, warlike purposes, of the limited resources required Convinced: for economic and social development, Inventory of International Nonproliferation Organizations and Regimes TTlat-1 © Center for Nonproliferation Studies TLATELOLCO TREATY TEXT That the foregoing reasons, together with the tradi- 2. The Contracting Parties also undertake to refrain tional peace-loving outlook of Latin America, give from engaging in, encouraging or authorizing, rise to an inescapable necessity that nuclear energy directly or indirectly, or in any way participating should be used in that region exclusively for peaceful in the testing, use, manufacture, production, pos- purposes, and that the Latin American countries session or control of any nuclear weapon. should use their right to the greatest and most equita- ble possible access to this new source of energy in Definition of the Contracting Parties order to expedite the economic and social develop- Article 2 ment of their peoples, For the purposes of this Treaty, the Contracting Par- Convinced finally: ties are those for whom the Treaty is in force. That the military denuclearization of Latin Amer- Definition of territory ica — being understood to mean the undertaking en- tered into internationally in this Treaty to keep their Article 3 territories forever free from nuclear weapons — will For the purposes of this Treaty, the term “territory” constitute a measure which will spare their peoples shall include the territorial sea, air space and any from the squandering of their limited resources on other space over which the State exercises sover- nuclear armaments and will protect them against pos- eignty in accordance with its own legislation. sible nuclear attacks on their territories, and will also constitute a significant contribution towards prevent- Zone of application ing the proliferation of nuclear weapons and a power- Article 4 ful factor for general and complete disarmament, and 1. The zone of application of this Treaty is the That Latin America, faithful to its tradition of univer- whole of the territories for which the Treaty is in sality, must not only endeavour to banish from its force. homelands the scourge of a nuclear war, but must 2. Upon fulfillment of the requirements of article also strive to promote the well-being and advance- 28, paragraph 1, the zone of application of this ment of its peoples, at the same time co-operating in Treaty shall also be that which is situated in the the fulfillment of the ideals of mankind, that is to say, western hemisphere within the following limits in the consolidation of a permanent peace based on (except the continental part of the territory of the equal rights, economic fairness and social justice for United States of America and its territorial wa- all, in accordance with the principles and purposes set ters): starting at a point located at 35° north lati- forth in the Charter of the United Nations and in the tude, 75° west longitude; from this point directly Charter of the Organization of American States. southward to a point at 30° north latitude, 75° Have agreed as follows: west longitude; from there, directly eastward to a point at 30° north latitude, 50° west longitude; from there, along a loxodromic line to a point at Obligations 5° north latitude, 20° west longitude; from there directly southward to a point 60° south latitude, Article 1 20° west longitude; from there, directly west- ward to a point at 60° south latitude, 115° west 1. The Contracting Parties hereby undertake to use longitude; from there, directly northward to a exclusively for peaceful purposes the nuclear point at 0 latitude, 115° west longitude; from material and facilities which are under their ju- there, along a loxodromic line to a point at 35° risdiction, and to prohibit and prevent in their re- north latitude, 150° west longitude; from there, spective territories: directly eastward to a point at 35° north latitude, (a) The testing, use, manufacture, production or 75° west longitude. acquisition by any means whatsoever of any nuclear weapons, by the Parties themselves, Definition of nuclear weapons directly or indirectly, on behalf of anyone Article 5 else or in any other way, and (b) The receipt, storage, installation, deploy- For the purposes of this Treaty, a nuclear weapon is ment and any form of possession of any nu- any device which is capable of releasing nuclear en- clear weapons, directly or indirectly, by the ergy in an uncontrolled manner and which has a Parties themselves, by anyone on their be- group of characteristics that are appropriate for use half or in any other way. for warlike purposes. An instrument that may be used Inventory of International Nonproliferation Organizations and Regimes TTlat-2 © Center for Nonproliferation Studies TLATELOLCO TREATY TEXT for the transport or propulsion of the device is not tracting Parties; it shall hold regular sessions included in this definition if it is separable from the every two years, and may also hold special ses- device and not an indivisible part thereof. sions whenever this Treaty so provides or, in the opinion of the Council, the circumstances so re- Meeting of signatories quire. Article 6 2. The General Conference: At the request of any of the signatory States or if the (a) May consider and decide on any matters or Agency established by article 7 should so decide, a questions covered by this Treaty, within the meeting of all the signatories may be convoked to limits thereof, including those referring to consider in common questions which may affect the powers and functions of any organ provided very essence of this instrument, including possible for in this Treaty. amendments to it. In either case, the meeting will be (b) Shall establish procedures for the control convoked by the General Secretary. system to ensure observance of this Treaty in accordance with its provisions. Organization (c) Shall elect the Members of the Council and Article 7 the General Secretary. 1. In order to ensure compliance with the obliga- (d) May remove the General Secretary from of- tions of this Treaty, the Contracting Parties fice if the proper functioning of the Agency hereby establish an international organization to so requires. be known as the “Agency for the Prohibition of (e) Shall receive and consider the biennial and Nuclear Weapons in Latin America,” hereinafter special reports submitted by the Council and referred to as “the Agency.” Only the Contract- the General Secretary.