Political India: Engaging America

From The Hindu

A top Obama administration official has warned that though “a single country,” Pakistan, “has been standing in the way of launching negotiations” for the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT), the United States' “patience won't last forever.”

Speaking to media after the opening session of the Conference on Disarmament (CD) in Geneva, Switzerland, Rose Gottemoeller, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance stopped short of naming Pakistan explicitly, but alluded to that country when she remarked, “Frankly, I'm a bit puzzled as to why the blockage.”

While Ms. Gottemoeller underscored the U.S.' renewed emphasis on nuclear non-proliferation following the passage of the New START Treaty in December in the Senate and the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference last May, she expressed disappointment with the lack of progress on FMCT saying, “A single country has been basically concerned about the start of negotiations.”

In the face of such resistance the work of the CD had stalled since its plenary session in June 2009, Ms. Gottemoeller argued, warning that if it did not get back to work the Conference itself would “wither on the vine.”

The Assistant Secretary described specifically the U.S.' efforts to engage with a number of delegations on how to move the negotiations forward, saying, “I for one hope that Pakistan will take these as serious efforts to bear in mind what their concerns are, but also to advance what was a consensus decision in 1864 of this entire organization.”

Laura Kennedy, U.S. Permanent Representative to the CD, added, “I would also again call attention to the fact that in terms of our dialogue with Pakistan, Secretary Clinton herself had inaugurated a wide-ranging strategic dialogue with Pakistan.”

Ms. Kennedy noted that the U.S. officials “certainly do discuss the full range of strategic issues with Pakistan on a very comprehensive, high-level basis,” touching upon the role of Ellen Tauscher, Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, in particular.

Last year Ms. Tauscher had issued similarly strong statements pressing Pakistan to end its opposition to the FMCT. Speaking at the NPT Review Conference she had said, “I think everyone shares the disappointment that the U.S. shares that there is a country that is blocking the programme of work that was a very hard fought agreement... to move forward ... to begin negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty.”

Ms. Tauscher added that the U.S. joined with its friends and allies in “trying to persuade that country to step away and let the programme of work go forward because it would be a long negotiation.”

On this occasion Ms. Gottemoeller was however emphatic that the CD was the ideal forum for any country with concerns about the FMCT to work with others and arrive at a consensus view. Ms. Gottemoeller said, “Every country, of course, makes decisions about joining in an arms control treaty based upon calculations of its national interest.”

However, she added, because the CD was based on “consensus rule,” any country in negotiation of the FMCT that did not see its interests being supported had full opportunity within the context of the CD not to join up with the final consensus.

In this sense “We see negotiation of a FMCT best conducted in the CD... [and] all countries should feel confident that if we begin negotiations of a FMCT... they will have full opportunity to ensure that their interests are well represented.”

Explaining that a consensus was required in order to launch formal negotiations under the framework of the CD, M. Gottemoeller warned, “If we are not able to accomplish that, and I think many delegations feel this way, patience will run out and delegations will be looking for other options to pursue negotiation of a FMCT.”