MEDIA RELEASE:

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons this afternoon expressed grave concerns following reports of a nuclear test explosion in North Korea.

"Any nuclear testing is unacceptable and flies in the face of a long-standing international moratorium on testing of these most deadly of weapons," stated Associate Professor Tilman Ruff, Chair of ICAN Australia.

Assoc Prof Ruff was recently part of the Australian government delegation at the United Nations participating in the Preparatory Committee meetings around the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Two other ICAN Australia representatives, Dimity Hawkins and Dr Ruth Mitchell also attended the New York conference as non-government observers.

"It is time for the international community to raise the expectation of the USA and China to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and help bring this vital treaty into force. It is only through international agreements on measures such as the CTBT that we will see North Korea truly isolated and pressured into extinguishing their nuclear weapons programs," stated Assoc Prof Tilman Ruff.

"Today's nuclear test by North Korea, while not wholly unexpected, seriously flies in the face of the international progress around issues of nuclear weapons disarmament and non-proliferation," stated Dimity Hawkins, ICAN Australia Board Member. "Recent statements calling for a world free from nuclear weapons by US President Obama, the Russian President Medvedev and even our own Prime Minister Rudd, were largely supported by the world community at the NPT negotiations at the United Nations in New York just this month. North Korea is seriously out of step with the world view on these weapons and is endangering progress towards this goal."

In April, US President Obama said that his administration would "immediately and aggressively" seek ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) which would effectively create a global ban on nuclear testing. The USA and China, both nuclear weapons states, have failed consistently to ratify this treaty, which requires their participation and that of several other non-nuclear nations to be brought into force. In April 2009 Obama described nuclear weapons as "the most dangerous legacy of the Cold War."

"Unless there is serious progress towards abolishing nuclear weapons we can expect more nuclear tests and nuclear proliferation. The nine nuclear weapons states* must make the stated goal of a world free from nuclear weapons a reality," concluded Assoc Prof Tilman Ruff. "Our government should condemn North Korea's test and do everything in their power to pressure our allies to bring the CTBT into force."

For comment please call:
Assoc Prof Tilman Ruff - ICAN Australia Chair - 0438 099 231
Dimity Hawkins - ICAN Australia Board member - 0422 612 702
Teri Calder - ICAN media officer - 0425 230 679

* Nations with nuclear weapons are: the USA, Russia, France, China, the UK, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea.