Moscow [Russia], October 17: The Russian parliament is preparing to vote on a measure that will authorize withdrawal from a key international treaty banning nuclear weapons testing, deputies said in Moscow on Monday.
The relevant legislation will go to the vote in the Duma on Tuesday, in the first of three readings that will lead to Russia withdrawing from the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). The second and third readings are due to take place this week as well. While Russia has ratified the treaty, the United States has not, and the treaty has never gone into force.
President Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow must be in a position to conduct tests, in the way that Washington can. Russia has made clear officially that it will not conduct tests unless the US does so. Russia has repeatedly tested nuclear-capable intercontinental weapons, but without nuclear warheads. It has withdrawn from a number of disarmament treaties. The CTBT was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1996. All countries have abided by its provisions, apart from North Korea. The CTBT organization in Vienna operates a global network of monitoring stations capable of verifying nuclear tests based on pressure waves and nuclear and chemical traces. (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune