CONTENTS:

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:

1. World
2. Africa
3. Americas
4. Asia Pacific
5. Europe
6. Middle East
7. South Asia
8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare
9. Finance
10 Human Rights
11. Law and Legal Issues
12. Transportation
13. Weapons of Mass Destruction
14. Recently Published

FEATURE ARTICLE:
Opening the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

1. World

May 7 marked the 60th anniversary of Germany's unconditional surrender and the end of World War II in Europe, celebrated as V-E Day on May 8.

As the seventh review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty ends its first week without an agreed agenda, North Korea appears to be rapidly increasing its preparations for a nuclear weapons test, possibly timed to take place at the end of the NPT meeting.

The World Health Organization held a conference on the health aspects of the Asian tsunami. After reviewing the response and its outcome they have called for future disaster preparedness to focus more on health and psychological trauma, reduce duplication of tasks, and better coordinate civilian-military contributions.
http://www.who.int/hac/events/tsunamiconf/en/index.html

The International Crisis Group has developed an online Early Warning web page that compiles public information for conflict prevention and management.
http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=3397&l=1

2. Africa

Burundi President Ndayizeye signed a decree creating a civilian disarmament program. A Burundi court has sentenced four senior police officers to death for the 2001 murder of World Health Organization representative Kassi Manlan, who had been apparently investigating embezzlement of malaria funds. Nine others were sentenced to prison.

In Ivory Coast ethnic fighting between Guere and Dioula at the beginning of the week left 15 people dead and 4,000 displaced. To help calm tensions, the UN peacekeeping mission has held a reconciliation meeting from various ethnic groups and traditional leader, and has increased joint patrols.

Kenya hosted a UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate meeting. The UN delegation praised Kenya counter-terrorism cooperation and said they are considering establishing a financial control unit.

Liberians registering to vote in the October elections have faced threats in rebel areas of the north.

Nigerian aid distributed by oil firm ChevronTexaco has been contributing to conflict in the Niger Delta. ChevronTexaco reviewed their program and found it was inadequate, expensive, fueled local tension, and led to corruption. Instead, they will begin working with regional councils to specify and develop local projects.
http://www.chevrontexaco.com/news/current_issues/nigeria.asp
http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/business/article01

Republic of Congo Ninjas will disarm. Their leader, Pastor Ntumi, has announced they will become a political party.

As Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Ghedi began addressing a rally in a football stadium, a security guard dropped a grenade, which exploded and killed 15 people, while injuring more than 30. US marines visited Maydh village on the Somaliland coast to question residents about wanted terrorists.

Togo's Constitutional Court has confirmed Faure Gnassingbe as the winner of last month's presidential election, despite known irregularities, and he has been sworn in. The opposition rejected the decision and will not join a transitional government. The flow of refugees seeking haven from post-election violence has slowed. Emergency teams are visiting the refugees in Benin and Ghana.

Uganda's parliament has backed a referendum on returning to multiparty democracy by a huge margin. Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels launched two attacks in the north in which at least 20 people, many in a refugee camp, were hacked to death or shot.

3. Americas

Canadian prosecutors have decided not to appeal against the acquittal of Sikh separatists Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri in connection with the 1985 Air India bombings, for insufficient evidence. For background, see
https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2005/040305.html#FeatureArticle

Chilean judge Juan Guzman has retired. He led the legal proceedings against former military dictator General Augusto Pinochet.

Domenica's ruling Labor Party narrowly won the national election.

In Haiti, two foreign businessmen - an Indian and a Russian - have been kidnapped in two separate incidents, becoming the first foreign hostages since President Aristide's exile in February 2004.

Mexico City Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will be able to run in next year's presidential campaign now that the government has dropped its attempted prosecution, for alleged contempt of court connected with a land dispute.

Peru's President Alejandro Toledo has been found guilty of electoral fraud by a congressional commission, but the commission is split, with some refusing to sign the report and some disputing the findings. No recommendation for action has been made and the matter now goes to the congress.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation's "Efforts to Hire, Train, and Retain Intelligence Analysts" are the topic of an Inspector General Audit Report, which finds continued problems.
http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/igwhnew1.htm
http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/pressrel05/05042005.htm

In New York City, two explosives went off outside the British consulate, causing minor property damage. The devices were novelty grenades packed with gunpowder and apparently detonated by hand. A suspect is being questioned. The UN and other international organizations stepped up security measures as a precaution.

Also in New York the Freedom Tower, being constructed in place of the World Trade Center twin towers destroyed on 9/11, must be redesigned to address security concerns, including particular vulnerability to vehicle attacks connected with the heavy traffic nearby.

Researchers at Columbia University and the University of Edinburgh report that pregnant women who witnessed the attacks passed on low levels of the stress hormone cortisol to their babies.
http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/jc.2005-0550v1

Venezuela has requested the extradition of Luis Posada Carriles; a terrorist connected with a Cuban airliner bombing and other attacks, from the US. The US denies he is in the country.

4. Asia Pacific

Burma's capital, Rangoon, suffered three nearly simultaneous bombings in a shopping area. Eleven people were killed and 150 injured. The ruling military junta blamed ethnic and pro-democracy opponents, which have denied involvement.

Indonesian soldiers and rebels of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) exchanged fire, killing a 7-year old child in the crossfire.

Papua New Guinea (PNG) police have demanded that the contingent of some 150 Australian police, sent in to help improve law and order, leave the country. They are also unhappy with pay and facilities. The police commissioner will review these demands. The agreement to grant the Australians immunity is also being challenged, as unconstitutional.

Uzbekistan ended a week of angry demonstrations by banning the protestors. The week started with a group of about 60 people getting in to the US embassy, sparking angry protests calling for justice for farmers whose land had been confiscated by the government and release of demonstrators who had been violently removed and imprisoned. Uzbekistan has taken a harder line against demonstrators since the fall of neighboring Kyrgyzstan's government in March.

5. Europe

Bulgaria will withdraw its 450 troops from Iraq in stages, by the end of the year.

Italy's Supreme Court upheld the decision to quash the convictions of three former members of the Ordine Nuovo neofascist group. They had been sentenced to life in prison for the 1969 Piazza Fontana massacre, in which a bomb blast killed 16, injured 58, and was the beginning of a series of attacks in the 1970s and 80s.

Russian security forces seized an explosives-laden truck in Chechnya. They believe it was intended for terrorist attacks in connection with the celebrations marking the end of World War II. The truck also contained a quantity of liquid cyanide and another poison, and was primed for remote detonation.

British Prime Minister Blair has won a third term in government. His majority was greatly reduced, largely due to fallout from the unpopular war in Iraq. Vociferous anti-war critic George Galloway, who had been thrown out of the Labor Party, won election against the Labor candidate.

In Northern Ireland, the mainstream protestant Ulster Unionist party suffered dramatic losses to the Democratic Unionist party. Ulster Unionist and Nobel Price laureate David Trimble lost his seat and has resigned as party leader. Until recently, the DUP, led by Ian Paisley, was considered more of the "lunatic fringe" than a legitimate political movement, and this election could further damage the shaky peace process. Sinn Fein, the leading republican party, gained ground.

6. Middle East

Bahrain's risk of escalating sectarian violence is reviewed in a new International Crisis Group report that addresses discriminatory practices and failure to deliver promised reforms.
http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?l=1&id=3404

Egypt's outlawed Muslim Brotherhood held large anti-government protests, leading to the detention of at least 400 members and four leaders. There were several violent clashes.

In the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, Palestinians voted in local elections. Fatah gained the largest share of votes, but Hamas made large gains.

Iraq's parliament approved six new ministers to fill the blanks in the cabinet, but Hashim al-Shible, a Sunni Arab, turned down the human rights ministry. Bringing Sunnis into the government is part of a strategy to undermine the insurgency, but the upsurge in violence since the government was formed on April 28 has killed more than 250 people. Despite political progress, the rowing carnage could lead to Shia reprisals that heretofore have been contained. Attacks in the past week included executions, car bombings, gunfights, suicide bombs, and kidnappings, mostly directed against Iraqis. Meanwhile, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction has launched a criminal inquiry into the conduct of US officials handling of reconstruction funds. US officials have been unable to account for nearly $100 million.
http://www.cpa-ig.com/news.html

Israel had delayed the handover of West Bank towns and prisoner releases until militant groups are disarmed.

Kuwait's parliament failed to pass the final reading of the government-backed law to give women the right to vote and run in municipal elections - the latest polls will begin next week.

Lebanon is preparing for parliamentary elections later this month. Opposition leader Michel Aoun has returned after 14 years in exile. Rallies have been held in support of the release of militia leader Samir Geagea, considered a political prisoner by his supporters. The UN verification team is satisfied, and welcomed noticeable progress in Syria's withdrawal, but condemns the recent spate of terrorist attacks.

Oman jailed 31 suspected Islamic militants to various prison terms for setting up an illegal organization and attempting to raise funds and membership, with the goal of establishing an Islamic government in place of Sultan Qaboos.

In the West Bank, a shootout killed one Israeli soldier and an Islamic Jihad member on May 2. On the 5th, a 14- year-old and a 15-year-old boy were both shot dead by Israeli soldiers. The two boys were among a group of stone-throwers. The Israeli commander of the operation has been suspended for unreasonable conduct.

7. South Asia

Afghan and US forces engaged in deadly clashes against insurgents in the south, killing more than 60 rebels. At least one Afghan policeman was also killed, while nine Afghan soldiers were killed by an explosive and ambush in Kandahar.

In Indian-administered Kashmir's, the chief minister's nephew was shot dead by suspected militants, who have targeted two other relatives of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed earlier this year. Clashes between the Indian army and separatists near the line of control killed six suspected militants, while militants in Pattan killed a local official and three guards.

Nepal's Maoist rebel leader, Prachanda, acknowledged serious disagreements with his second-in-command, Baburam Bhattarai, but the degree of the rift is unclear. King Guanendra has freed communist party leaders, an indication that he is gradually restoring normality now that emergency measures have been relaxed. Maoist rebels are suspected in the shooting death of Narayan Pokharel, president of the local branch of the World Hindu Council.

8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare

SANS has released a new list of critical internet security vulnerabilities:

CipherTrust released analysis of international emails, finding that on average of 157,000 new zombies are identified each day. The US is still the leading originator of spam (56.77 percent) but has declined, while China has increased, now releasing more than 20 percent of new zombies.
http://www.ciphertrust.com/company/press_and_events/article.php?id=0000455

Senegalese police have arrested eight people, led by a Nigerian posing as the son of late Democratic Republic President Kabila, in connection with an email advance-fee (Nigeria letter) fraud that has extorted funds from at least one US and one Norwegian national.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4509837.stm

Time Warner reported that one of its computer backup tapes was lost en route to Iron Mountain storage facilities, placing the personal data of 600,000 employees at risk.
http://money.cnn.com/2005/05/02/news/fortune500/security_timewarner/?cnn=yes

Research firm Aite reports that the US is most prone to identity theft among developed countries, suffering a rate seven times higher than in the UK or elsewhere in Western Europe and Japan where the crime is a non-event.
http://www.aitegroup.com

British credit agency Callcredit has become the first to include a deceased persons check as part of a standard credit report.
http://www.callcredit.plc.uk/

The Anti-Phishing Working group reports that combined attacks of increasing complexity are rapidly increasing, including a tenfold increase in the number of phishing sites hosting keylogging software.
http://www.antiphishing.org/

The US National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) is asking for public comment on a draft publication, "Recommendation for Key Management" that provides general guidance and best practices for managing cryptographic keying material as well as guidance on policy and security planning requirements for US government agencies. The report is available at
http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/drafts.html
Comments should be sent to

9. Finance

The US Treasury designated the Elehssan Society and all its branches as a charitable front for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).
http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/js2426.htm

The Bahrain Monetary Agency (BMA) launched its new insurance rulebook, bringing it in line with the principles and standards set by the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS. It addresses both conventional and Islamic insurance (takaful / retakaful), making Bahrain one of the few countries to have a comprehensive set of regulations for Islamic insurance firms.
http://www.bma.gov.bh/cmsrule/index.jsp?action=article&ID=1495

Armenia has moved closer to establishing a Financial Intelligence Unit following an international conference to support their efforts.
http://www.osce.org/yerevan/item_1_14144.html
http://www.cba.am/engleft1.asp?leftmenu=3

Riggs Bank shareholders approved the merger with PNC Financial Services Group, an action forced by reduced value largely prompted by its failure to report suspicious activities related to massive money laundering operations. For background, see:
https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2004/051604.html#FeatureArticle

US President Bush renewed export sanctions against Syria.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/05/print/20050505-11.html

10. Human Rights

The UN Committee Against Torture has opened its 34th session (2-21 May). It is examining reports from Albania, Bahrain, Canada, Finland, Switzerland, Togo and Uganda. The US report , long delayed, was also submitted, including reports of detainee abuse and insistence that the US follows UN rules against torture.
http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cat/cats34.htm

Chile's Supreme Court suspended the deadline set earlier for investigating human rights abuses under the former Pinochet dictatorship. Instead of ending investigations on July 25, there will be additional time to investigate more than 150 cases.

Iran's judicial leader, Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahrudi, criticized police interrogators for doing things like the US did in Abu Ghraib, in violation of the constitution, Islam, and international law.

World Press Freedom Day was marked on May 3. Around the world were many rallies in favor of press freedom. There was also a grim reminder of the journalist death toll: Last year, 56 were killed, 19 missing, and 124 jailed.
http://www.worldpressfreedomday.org/
http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=1432
http://www.osce.org/item/14097.html
http://www.rsf.org

11. Law and Legal Issues

Yevgeny Adamov, a nuclear physicist and former Russian atomic energy minister, was arrested in Switzerland on a US money laundering indictment related to diverting nuclear security funds.

Abu Faraj al-Libbi, a leading member of al Qaeda in Pakistan, has been captured during military operations in northwest Pakistan.

Hasan Ali Ayesh, a Palestinian who became a US citizen, was convicted of naturalization fraud. His citizenship was revoked and he was sentenced to five years probation. He will next face a deportation hearing. Ayesh had been the subject of a terrorism task force investigation into structured financial transactions.
http://www.ice.gov/graphics/news/newsreleases/articles/violator050305.htm
http://www.usdoj.gov/tax/usaopress/ 2004/txdv04ayeshmillerindictment03-05-04.pdf

Maria Brogan, Patricia O'Kane and Lawrence Claxton have gone on trial in Northern Ireland for allegedly sending money to a Florida, US, gun smuggling operation. Previously, four people were convicted in the US.

Larry Franklin, a Pentagon analyst, was charged with passing classified military information about Iraq to officials of the Pro-Israel lobby group AIPC.

Ayman Sabawi Ibrahim, a nephew of Saddam Hussein, was arrested near Tikrit in connection with supporting the insurgency. He was number 36 on the US list of 55 most-wanted regime members.

Sean Gerard Hoey, in custody in Northern Ireland on terror charges, will face murder charges over the 1998 Omagh bombing by the Real IRA, in which 29 people were killed.

Abu Rideh, one of 17 foreign men detained in the UK without charge, has been arrested for failing to wear the electronic tag imposed under a control order connected with his release after the Law Lords ruled the detentions were illegal.

Mohammed Shalhoub, a member of Islamic Jihad, was arrested in the West Bank as a suspected suicide bomber.

Alan Norman Tanquary and Jesus Hernandez were arrested in Colombia on arms trafficking charges but have, over protest, been handed over to the US embassy who claims that as part of anti-drug operations the two men are entitled to immunity.

Martin Wiese was sentenced to seven years in prison for planning to bomb a Jewish community center in November 2003.

Maher Ahmed Zeydan, a dual Canadian-Syrian citizen, was detained on arrival in Syria, after years of exile and expectation of amnesty. Canada has issued a formal demand for details as to his detention and when they will be allowed a consular visit.

12. Transportation

The US Transportation and Security Agency's screener training and performance was reviewed in a new Government Accountability Office (GAO), which reports some steps have been taken but critical technical services and internal controls have not been implemented, nor are there internal performance measurements.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-457

Edmund Hawley has been nominated to head TSA. If approved, he will be the fourth director in the three years since the agency was formed.

Another report from GAO finds that the Department of Energy has made limited progress in implementing the Megaports Initiative to stop illegal shipments of radioactive or nuclear materials at foreign seaports. Challenges include international cooperation in high-priority ports, financing, operational and technical issues.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-375

The International Maritime Bureau issued two alerts in the Weekly Piracy Report:

13. Weapons of Mass Destruction

"Securing the Bomb 2005" builds on three previous reports by Harvard experts commissioned by the Nuclear Threat Initiative. If finds that while the United States and other countries laid important foundations for an accelerated effort to prevent nuclear terrorism in the last year, sustained presidential leadership will be needed to win the race to lock down the world?s nuclear stockpiles before terrorists and thieves can get to them.
http://www.nti.org/e_research/cnwm/overview/cnwm_home.asp

Washington Post reporter John Mintz obtained unreleased reports from the White House Homeland Security Council and the Energy Department in which the "U.S. Called Unprepared For Nuclear Terrorism: Experts Critical of Evacuation Plans".
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/02/AR2005050201454.html

Malta's House of Representatives ratified the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Additional Protocol allowing more intrusive IAEA inspections.

Saint Kitts and Nevis has ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, bring the number of countries that have ratified it to 121.

The US Defense Department will resume anthrax vaccinations under emergency use authorization.
http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2005/nr20050503-2901
html http://www.fda.gov/cber/vaccine/anthraxeua.htm

Acambis has made further progress with smallpox vaccine and has requested government investment to ensure sufficient emergency capacity.
http://www.acambis.com/default.asp?id=1305
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2005/05/06/vaccine_makers_seek_aid_to_stay_prepared/

The World Health Organization released its first report on the Roll Back Malaria campaign, saying it is too early to see whether their efforts will reduce the one million deaths from malaria each year.
http://www.rbm.who.int/cgi-bin/rbm/rbmportal/custom/rbm/home.do

The polio outbreak in northern Nigeria spread to Saudi Arabia in December and has now reached Indonesia.

14. Recently Published

Reza Aslan, "No God but God: The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam" Random House

Tom Barry, et al, "A Global Good Neighbor Ethic for International Relations" International Relations Center
http://www.irc-online.org/content/ggn/0505ggn.exec.php

Philip Caputo, "Acts of Faith" Alfred A Knopf (fiction)

Linda Greenhouse, "Becoming Justice Blackmun: Harry Blackmun's Supreme Court Journey" Times Books

Flynt Leverett, "Inheriting Syria: Bashar's Trial by Fire", Brookings Institution Press,
http://www.brookings.edu/press/books/inheritingsyria.htm

Chris Lowney, "A Vanished World: Medieval Spain's Golden Age of Enlightenment" Free Press

Gary Schroen, "First In: An Insider's Account of How the CIA Spearheaded the War on Terror in Afghanistan" Random House Note author interview from National Public Radio.
http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/authors/results.pperl?authorid=60388
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4626666

Scott Simon, "Pretty Birds", Random House (fiction)

FEATURE ARTICLE: Opening the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is an international treaty designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology; promote cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy; and achieve nuclear, general and complete disarmament. To achieve this, NPT establishes a system of safeguards to verify compliance through inspections conducted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and encourages other countries from developing nuclear weapons by offering cooperation for equal access and use of peaceful nuclear technologies.

NPT was opened for signature in 1968 and entered into force in 1970. Today, 187 Parties have joined the Treaty. Signatories including the five States (China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, and the United States) that are officially recognized as possessing nuclear weapons. Other countries with nuclear weapons include India, Israel, North Korea and Pakistan.

Every five years there is a review conference of the treaty. The seventh review opened in New York on May 2 and will continue to the 27. This article summarizes the opening day and will be followed up with another summary at the end of the meeting.

IAEA, as the supervisory body for NPT, opened the conference with a discussion of the balance between security and development. Director General Mohamed El-Baradei explained: " We should be clear: there is no incompatibility between tightening controls over the nuclear fuel cycle and expanding the use of peaceful nuclear technology. In fact, by reducing the risks of proliferation, we could pave the way for more widespread use of peaceful nuclear applications".

As of this writing, the conference agenda has still not been agreed, but Mr. Baradei's remarks summarize many of the general discussion points. He identified nuclear fuel cycle activities involving uranium enrichment and plutonium separation as the "choke point" in preventing weapons development and called for a moratorium on new fuel-cycle facilities while international controls are negotiated. In addition to addressing this critical issue, he called for six additional changes:

Although this provided a useful beginning to the weeks of discussion that will follow, it was UN Secretary General Annan who offered the inspiration. His address to the Conference follows herewith:

In 1945, the year that the United Nations was founded, our world entered the nuclear age with the horrific explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Soon after, the Cold War was upon us, and the threat of nuclear annihilation hung over humankind. That dangerous epoch may have ended, but nuclear threats remain. Indeed, in the five years since you last met, the world has reawakened to nuclear dangers, both new and old.

I firmly believe that our generation can build a world of ever-expanding development, security and human rights ? a world "in larger freedom". But I am equally aware that such a world could be put irrevocably beyond our reach by a nuclear catastrophe in one of our great cities.

In the chaos and confusion of the immediate aftermath, there might be many questions. Was this an act of terrorism? Was it an act of aggression by a state? Was it an accident? These may not be equally probable, but all are possible.

Imagine, just for a minute, what the consequences would be. Tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people would perish in an instant, and many more would die from exposure to radiation.

The global impact would also be grave. The attention of world leaders would be riveted on this existential threat. Carefully nurtured collective security mechanisms could be discredited. Hard-won freedoms and human rights could be compromised.

The sharing of nuclear technology for peaceful uses could halt. Resources for development would likely dwindle. And world financial markets, trade and transportation could be hard hit, with major economic consequences. This could drive millions of people in poor countries into deeper deprivation and suffering.

As shock gave way to anger and despair, the leaders of every nation represented here at this conference - as well as those who are not here - would have to ask: How did it come to this? Is my conscience clear? Could I have done more to reduce the risk by strengthening the regime designed to do so?

In our interconnected world, a threat to one is a threat to all, and we all share responsibility for each other's security. If this is true of all threats, it is particularly true of the nuclear threat.

We are all vulnerable to the weakest link in nuclear security and safety and in our efforts to promote disarmament and prevent proliferation. And we all bear a heavy responsibility to build an efficient, effective, and equitable system that reduces nuclear threats.

Thirty five years ago, our forebears found the wisdom to agree to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to prevent proliferation and advance disarmament while assuring the right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Ever since, it has been a cornerstone of global security, and has confounded the dire predictions of its critics.

Nuclear weapons have not spread to dozens of States. Indeed, more States have given up their ambitions for nuclear weapons than have acquired them. States have joined nuclear-weapon-free-zones, and I welcome recent progress to establish a new one in Central Asia. The global non-proliferation norm has been firmly established ? and it has been reaffirmed in your last two review conferences.

A watchful eye has been kept on the supply of materials necessary to make [nuclear weapons]. Many States have been able to enjoy the benefits of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

We have also seen steps, such as the recent Moscow Treaty, to dismantle weapons and reduce stockpiles.

Important multilateral action has also been taken to reduce the risk of nuclear terrorism. In resolution 1540, the Security Council has affirmed the responsibility of all states to secure sensitive materials and control their export. And I am sure you take heart, as I do, from the decision of the General Assembly, last month, to adopt the Convention on Nuclear Terrorism.

But we cannot afford to be complacent. The plain fact is that the regime has not kept pace with the march of technology and globalization, and developments of many kinds in recent years have placed it under great stress.

International regimes do not fail because of one breach, however serious or unacceptable. They fail when many breaches pile one on top of the other, to the point where the gap between promise and performance becomes unbridgeable. As you meet to review the NPT, your urgent task is to narrow that gap.

Excellencies,

I have no doubt that we will hear many truths about this conference.

Some will stress the need to prevent proliferation to the most volatile regions. Others will argue that we must make compliance with, and enforcement of, the NPT universal.

Some will say that the spread of nuclear fuel cycle technology poses an unacceptable proliferation threat. Others will counter that access to peaceful uses of nuclear technology must not be compromised.

Some will paint proliferation as a grave threat. Others will argue that existing nuclear arsenals are a deadly danger.

But I challenge each of you to recognize all these truths. I challenge you to accept that disarmament, non-proliferation and the right to peaceful uses are all vital. I challenge you to agree that they are all too important to be held hostage to the politics of the past. And I challenge you to acknowledge that they all impose responsibilities on all States.

If you are to rise to these challenges, action is required on many fronts.

First, you must strengthen confidence in the integrity of the treaty, particularly in the face of the first withdrawal announced by a State. Unless violations are directly addressed, the most basic collective reassurance on which the treaty rests will be called into question.

Second, you must ensure that measures for compliance are made more effective, to maintain confidence that States are living up to their obligations. For example, universalization of the Model Additional Protocol is long overdue. It has to be made the new standard for verifying compliance.

Third, you must act to reduce the threat of proliferation not only to States, but to non-state actors. As the dangers of such proliferation have become clear, so has the universal obligation for all States to establish effective national controls and enforcement measures.

Fourth, you must come to grips with the Janus-like character of nuclear energy. The regime will not be sustainable if scores more States develop the most sensitive phases of the fuel cycle and are equipped with the technology to produce nuclear weapons on short notice ? and, of course, each individual State which does this only will leave others to feel that they must do the same. This would increase all the risks ? of nuclear accident, of trafficking, of terrorist use, and of use by states themselves.

To prevent that, you must find durable ways to reconcile the right to peaceful uses with the imperative of non-proliferation. States that wish to exercise their undoubted right to develop and use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes must not insist that they can only do so by developing capacities that might be used to create nuclear weapons. But, equally, those same States should not be left to feel that the only route to enjoying the benefits of nuclear energy is a domestic fuel cycle capability.

A first step must be to expedite agreement to create incentives for states to voluntarily forego the development of fuel cycle facilities. I commend the IAEA and its Director-General, Mohamed ElBaradei, for working to advance consensus on this vital question, and I urge all States to do the same.

Excellencies,

These steps would materially reduce the risk of the use of nuclear weapons. But, ultimately, the only guarantee that they will never be used is for our world to be free of such weapons.

If we are truly committed to a nuclear weapon free world, we must move beyond rhetorical flourish and political posturing, and start to think seriously how to get there.

Some of the initial steps are obvious. Prompt negotiation of a fissile material cutoff treaty for all states is vital and indispensable. All States should affirm their commitment to a moratorium on testing, and to early entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty. The High-Level Panel has also wisely endorsed the recommendation that all nuclear weapon states should de-alert their existing weapons, and give negative security assurances to the non-nuclear weapon States.

But you must go further. Many states still live under a nuclear umbrella, whether of their own or an ally. Ways must be found to lessen, and ultimately overcome, their reliance on nuclear deterrence.

An important step would be for former Cold War rivals to commit themselves - irreversibly - to further cuts in their arsenals, so that warheads number in the hundreds, not in the thousands. We can only hope to achieve such major reductions if every State has a clear and reliable picture of the fissile material holdings of every other State, and if every State is confident that this material in other States is secure.

The obligation therefore falls on all States ? nuclear and non-nuclear alike ? to increase transparency and security. Indeed, unless all States recognize that disarmament, like non-proliferation, requires action from everyone, the goal of general and complete disarmament will remain a distant dream.

We must, at the same time, take heed of the fact that the attitude of States to the NPT is unavoidably linked to broader questions of national, regional and global security. The more we work to resolve regional conflicts, the less incentives States will have to go nuclear. The more confidence States have in our collective security system, the more prepared they will be to rely on a strengthened non-proliferation regime, rather than on deterrence. And thus the nearer we will be to the vital goal of universal membership of the treaty.

In my report, "In larger freedom", I have offered Member States a vision of a revitalized system of collective security for the 21st century. When world leaders meet here in September, they must take bold decisions and bring that vision closer to reality.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

This is an ambitious agenda. But the consequences of failure are too great to aim for anything less. At the same time, the promise of success is plain for all to see: a world of reduced nuclear threat, and, ultimately, a world free of nuclear weapons.

Our world will not come close to this vision if you accept only some of the truths that will be uttered during this conference. As custodians of the NPT, you must come to terms with all the nuclear dangers that threaten humanity.

Indeed, the detonations at Hiroshima and Nagasaki long ago made your burden abundantly clear. As J. Robert Oppenheimer, one of the fathers of the first bomb, warned: "The peoples of this world must unite, or they will perish?The atomic bomb has spelled [this] out for all men to understand."

Thank you very much.

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