US to push countries to sign CTBT

The United States would launch an aggressive diplomatic effort to pursue countries like India, Pakistan and Israel to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and thus bring it into force, President Barack Obama's new trouble-shooter for non-proliferation said today.  

Testifying before Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Ellen Tauscher, former Democrat Congresswoman from California, said if confirmed for the post of Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, she would work towards the ratification of CTBT.  

"I share the administration's commitment to obtaining the Senate's advice and consent to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and to launch a diplomatic effort to bring states that have not signed the treaty on board so that it can be brought into force," she said in her testimony.  

So far China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan and the US have not ratified CTBT.  

Ratification of CTBT, she argued is one way to persuade countries to permanently end nuclear testing and curb the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

She said the Obama Administration has developed a nuclear nonproliferation strategy based on multiple fronts.