Chile ratifies Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty

Chile deposited its instrument of ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) with the Secretary-General of the United Nations on 12 July 2000. Chile is the sixtieth State signatory to have ratified the Treaty and the thirtieth of the 44 States listed in the Treaty to do so.

To enter into force, the Treaty has to be ratified by the 44 States named under Article XIV that formally participated in the work of the 1996 Conference on Disarmament and that possess nuclear power or research reactors. Chile is contributing two auxiliary seismological stations, two radionuclide stations, two infrasound stations and one hydroacoustic station to the international network of monitoring stations that the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) is establishing or upgrading to verify compliance with the Treaty.

The auxiliary seismological stations at Easter Island and Limon Verde will require minor upgrades to meet the specifications of the International Monitoring System. Contracts for site surveys for the two radionuclide stations in Punta Arenas and Easter Island, as well for the hydroacoustic station at Juan Fernandez Island, are under negotiation.

Site surveys for both infrasound stations, on Easter Island and Juan Fernandez Island, have been completed. All radionuclide, hydroacoustic and infrasound stations are scheduled for installation in 2001. Under the CTBT, the network of 321 monitoring stations - known as the International Monitoring System (IMS) - will record data necessary to verify compliance with the Treaty using four complementary technologies. The stations will be capable of registering vibrations from a possible nuclear explosion underground, in the seas and in the air, as well as detecting radioactive debris released into the atmosphere. The monitoring stations will transmit, via satellite, the data to the International Data Centre (IDC) within CTBTO Preparatory Commission in Vienna, where the data will be used to detect, locate and characterize events. These data and other IDC products will be made available to the signatory States for final analysis.

The 60 States that have ratified the Treaty are: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Lesotho, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mali, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Senegal, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Uzbekistan. To date, 155 States have signed the Treaty. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty bans any nuclear weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion anywhere in the world. Drafted in the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva and adopted by the General Assembly on 10 September 1996, the Treaty was opened for signature on 24 September 1996 at the United Nations in New York.

For further information on the CTBTO, please see www.ctbto.org or contact: 
Annika Thunborg, Chief, Public Information   
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