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Talks at the UN to reaffirm nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament goals failed on Friday, according to the leader of the talks, after four weeks of negotiations held amid low expectations.
The New arab reports that Vietnam’s Do Hung Viet, the president of the conference, said that “despite our best efforts… it is my understanding that the conference is not in a position to achieve agreement on its substantive work.”
“I do not intend to put the document forward for adoption,” he added.
Negotiators were reviewing the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the cornerstone of nuclear weapons control, amid fears of a renewed arms race. Previous reviews in 2013 and 2022 were also unsuccessful.
With expectations low, participants negotiated over a repeatedly reviewed and watered-down text, which they ultimately failed to adopt.
Experts pointed out that even in the absence of a review agreement for the third time in a row, the treaty continues to exist, but with diminished legitimacy.
The latest version of the text seen by AFP on Friday merely stated that Tehran must “never” develop nuclear weapons.
The paragraph was in brackets, signalling persistent disagreement, despite the removal of the reference to Iran’s “non-compliance” with its obligations that appeared in the first draft.
Also gone were expressions of concern about North Korea’s nuclear program, or even any mention of the “denuclearization” of the Korean Peninsula.
Also gone was the direct call on the United States and Russia to begin negotiations on a successor to the New START treaty limiting Russian and American arsenals, which expired in February.
