Washington: The United States would launch an aggressive diplomatic effort to pursue countries like India, Pakistan and Israel to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and thus bring it into force, President Barack Obama's new trouble-shooter for non-proliferation said on Monday.
Testifying before Senate Foreign Relations Committee, former Democrat Congress woman, Ellen Tauscher from California said, if confirmed for the post of Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, she would work towards the ratification of CTBT.
"I share the administration's commitment to obtaining the Senate's advice and consent to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and to launch a diplomatic effort to bring states that have not signed the treaty on board so that it can be brought into force," she said.
So far China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan and the US have not ratified CTBT.
Ratification of CTBT, she argued is one way to persuade countries to permanently end nuclear testing and curb the proliferation of nuclear weapons. She said, the Obama Administration has developed a nuclear non proliferation strategy based on multiple fronts.
The Obama Administration is working to organize a global summit on securing nuclear materials in 2009, Tauscher said.
It will be important to strengthen US threat reduction programs around the world to reduce the threat from unsecured weapons, components and other materials that terrorist organizations or other non-government actors could use to further their ends, she said.
"A Q Khan's nuclear black market network proves how important it is to work harder to strengthen US and multilateral export controls and to implement United Nation Security Council Resolution 1540 more effectively," she said.
"I want to work with you to expand and institutionalize these non proliferation tools, including our efforts to interdict shipments of weapons of mass destruction through the Proliferation Security Initiative," she added.
Tauscher said, in this position she would work towards achieving verifiable Fissile Material Cut off Treaty.
"In my view, such a treaty is a critical step toward containing the growth of military nuclear programs around the world. The best way to stop terrorists from getting their hands on nuclear weapons is to secure bomb-making fissile materials at their source," she said.
North Korea's nuclear test represents a grave threat to regional and international security, she said, "We must continue to focus special attention on the urgent challenges that North Korea and Iran pose to the international non-proliferation regime."
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