United Nations - UN Secretary-General Mr Kofi Annan has officially called for a conference on the nuclear test ban treaty, a requirement if the accord failed to go into force three years after it was open to signature, the United Nations said. The meeting, to be chaired by Japan, will take place in Vienna, Austria, from October 6th to 8th under terms of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which calls for a conference to speed up approvals if the legislatures of 44 nations with nuclear capabilities did not ratify the convention.
The treaty bans all explosions in the environment, whether in the atmosphere, space or underground, regardless of size. All five declared nuclear powers - the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China - signed the treaty, but only Britain and France have ratified it.