2010 NPT RevCon agenda within sight…

On the opening day of the NPT PrepCom, the chair ambitiously announced that he would seek a decision on one of the keys tasks of the meeting: an agenda for the 2010 NPT RevCon (the second key task is agreeing to substantive recommendations to the RevCon). More than an inconsequential procedural step, the agendas to NPT conferences in recent years have become hotly disputed and politicized items. Governments frequently interpret the composition of the agenda as a statement of political value.

At the 2005 RevCon, NPT delegations were unable to begin their substantive deliberations for nearly three weeks due to disputes over the agenda, and in particular, US insistence that the agenda omit references to past NPT outcomes.

The proposed agenda for the 2010 RevCon is reportedly based on the agenda of the 2000 RevCon, incorporating appropriate technical updates. According to sources, the chair was compelled to drop the addition of language calling for the review to take into account developments subsequent to 2000 – likely out of concern that this would permit the RevCon to single out specific cases of non-compliance. As of Tuesday, a single delegation continued to object to the adoption of the agenda as it stands.

A key sticking point in 2005, the agenda in 2000 provided a mandate for review of the Treaty taking into account the decisions and resolution adopted in 1995. It also provided for two subsidiary bodies: one to deal with practical disarmament steps and the other to deal with implementation of the 1995 resolution on the Middle East. In addition to these two topics, during the present review cycle delegations have requested other subsidiary bodies to deal with security assurances and with withdrawal from treaty (the latter was considered by a subsidiary body in 2005).

Especially in light of the numerous statements expressing renewed optimism and welcoming the recent high level attention to nuclear disarmament from many nuclear weapon states, the quick and painless adoption of the RevCon agenda would be a good sign that governments will be able to seriously work toward achieving substantive agreement in 2010.