“All nuclear tests and any other nuclear explosions shall be banned” is the key phrase in the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty that was proposed by the UN General Assembly and opened for signature in September 1996. Ukraine, which marked the 10th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster last year, was one of the first countries to sign this document.
As of today, the leaders of 177 states have signed the treaty and 138 countries have ratified it. Ukraine confirmed this treaty on Feb. 23, 2001, and appointed the National Space Agency of Ukraine (NKAU) as the main liaison point between the Preparatory Commission (Prepcom) for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) and other member states.
Last Tuesday the Preparatory Commission, in conjunction with the NKAU, conducted an exercise in the Chornobyl exclusion zone, in which 40 representatives from 20 countries took part. The aim of the exercise was to improve worldwide nuclear test control procedures. The program included teaching inspectors to handle equipment in field conditions, readying equipment into operation, and drawing up recommendations to improve working documents on conducting spot checks.
