FMCT Follies

While the United States is willing to negotiate a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty (FMCT) through the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, it would prefer the Conference on Disarmament (CD) be the main venue, according to acting Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller. In a speech at the U.N. last week, Gottemoeller said:

The CD remains our preferred venue for negotiating an FMCT, since it includes every major nuclear-capable state and operates by consensus, ensuring everyone's national security concerns are protected.

A year ago the United States initiated consultations among the P5 and others on unblocking FMCT negotiations in the CD, and to prepare our own countries for what we expect would be a challenging negotiation.

This "P5 Plus" has potential to move FMCT forward. That said, our patience on this issue is not infinite and we will push for what is in the best interest of global security. We will work hard to convince others that commencement of negotiations is not something to fear.

View Gottemoeller's full speech.