McKinnon Welcomes Ratification of Test Ban Treaty

Foreign and Trade Minister Don McKinnon today welcomed the news that France and the United Kingdom had ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) on 6 April.

"The news is immensely satisfying," Mr McKinnon said.

"It confirms the commitment of France and the UK to end nuclear testing for all time - an objective New Zealand has worked towards for decades."

France and the UK are the first nuclear weapons states to ratify the treaty which was adopted in New York in September 1996. New Zealand signed the Treaty in September 1996 and plans to ratify later this year after enactment of the relevant legislation. New Zealand is also working intensively with other state's signatories to set in place the worldwide monitoring network to verify that the test ban has been lifted.

Several other countries have already ratified the Treaty, with further ratifications expected over the course of this year.

"I urge those countries which have not yet signed the Treaty to do so immediately," Mr McKinnon said.

"I hope that many more ratifications will take place in the near future, so that we can be confident the nuclear testing era is over forever."