On Monday, June 20 started the first international conference on the nuclear weapons ban treaty in Vienna and the Greens’ anti-nuclear spokesperson and the deputy mayor of Waidhofen, Martin Litschauer, was there. Litschauer: “The Vienna Conference on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Treaty is more than symbolism.”
WAIDHIFE/THAYA. “Putin’s nuclear threats make the NPT more important than ever. I am pleased that the first conference of Contracting States in Vienna is taking place at the right time,” said Martin Litschauer, anti-nuclear energy spokesperson for the Greens, at the first conference of the Contracting State of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Energy Weapons ( TPNW), which will take place from April 21 to 28, June 23 in Vienna.
Litschauer points to a failed argument by NATO, whose member states have not yet signed the treaty: “Nuclear deterrence as a guarantee of peace cannot be proven historically. It failed to prevent the Yom Kippur War, the Falklands War, and the current Russian invasion of Ukraine. The fact that NATO severely criticized the treaty ultimately shows how seriously it takes it and the disarmament potential it has. The TPNW is definitely more than mere symbolism, but it sparks a serious debate on an almost forgotten topic in times of nuclear threat.”
Austria is still quite isolated
The TPNW is legally binding and prohibits its acceding States from, among other things, testing, developing, producing, possessing, stockpiling, transferring, using and threatening nuclear weapons. With the exception of Austria, Ireland and Malta, no EU country is among the contracting states. The reason given is NATO’s strong opposition to the treaty. With Honduras, the TPNW reached the required threshold of 50 ratifications in October 2020. Austria was one of the first countries to sign the treaty in September 2017 and ratified it at the National Council in 2018.
Missing the “big ones”
Unsurprisingly, the nine nuclear powers the US, Russia, Britain, China, France, India, Israel, Pakistan and North Korea are absent as member states. “However, this does not diminish the importance of the treaty, on the contrary: strong alliances are now needed to increase political pressure. Looking away is not a solution, the red button is always ready and the danger is permanent. NATO must also be aware of this and show their commitment despite being NATO members”, concluded Litschauer.