Viewpoint : Verifying a Fissile Material Production Cut - off Treaty

Dr. Victor Bragin has been involved in the development of a fissile material cut-off treaty since 1994, first as Safeguards Analyst at the International Atomic Energy Agency, and since January 1996 as Safeguards Adviser at the Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office (ASNO). Mr. John Carlson is Director-General of ASNO, and is a statutory officer responsible directly to the Australian Foreign Minister. Mr. John Hill is Head of the International Safeguards Section at ASNO, where his focus is on the Strengthened Safeguards System. This paper reflects the views of the Australian Safeguards and NonProliferation Office and does not necessarily represent Australian government policy. The Conference on Disarmament (CD) in Geneva has recently decided to establish an Ad Hoc Committee for the negotiation of a fissile material cutoff treaty (FMCT). Such a treaty would prohibit the production and, most likely, the acquisition of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. This decision represents an important opportunity. An FMCT would serve both nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation objectives, as a logical complement to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).