Southampton nuclear non-proliferation experts to brief diplomats at the UN

Experts from the University of Southampton's Mountbatten Centre for International Studies will be travelling to New York this weekend to brief diplomats at the United Nations starting a review of the operations of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.

Representatives from over 150 states are meeting from Monday 8 April until Friday 19 April to discuss issues regarding nuclear non-proliferation in advance of a major review of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty in 2005. The international politics experts from the Mountbatten Centre have recently published a comprehensive study of the last review of the treaty conducted in 2000, and will be presenting copies to those attending the meeting at the UN.

The study aims to clarify the text of the document produced following the 2000 review. It also assesses the impact of current political realities on its implementation, and makes recommendations on what actions might facilitate the implementation process.

Professor John Simpson, Director of the Mountbatten Centre, is one of the team travelling to New York. He said: "We hope that by clarifying the text of what is an enormously complicated but important document, we can help the state representatives meeting at the UN to better understand the implications of what was decided back in 2000. Also to make practical suggestions for steps that might promote or facilitate implementation of the commitments made by the international community in 2000."