Bangladesh ratifies CTBT, becomes first in South Asia

Bangladesh ratifies CTBT, becomes first in South Asia
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

DHAKA, MARCH 7: Bangladesh on Tuesday became the first South Asian nation to ratify the CTBT after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina signed an executive order ratifying the treaty days ahead of U S President Bill Clinton's visit here.

Announcing this to the media, Foreign Secretary C M Shafi Sami said that instrument of ratification of CTBT would be deposited to the UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, in New York effecting Bangladesh's ratification of the treaty.

By taking the "landmark decision" to ratify the treaty, the Minister said, the nation would become the 28th state of the 44 states whose ratification is necessary for the treaty to enter into force.

He said Bangladesh, which was a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, was the first country from South Asia to have ratified the CTBT.

By ratifying the treaty, Bangladesh has reaffirmed its deep commitment to a complete and general disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation in particular, Shafi said.

"This will also make a major contribution in the global efforts toward nuclear disarmament and for the sake of peace and stability," he said adding Bangladesh hoped that its ratification would inspire other countries to sign the treaty.

He, however, said Dhaka's ratification of CTBT had no relation with the forthcoming visit of Clinton to Bangladesh.