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STORY: CTBTO / TUVALU THAILAND SIGNING
TRT: 2:01
SOURCE: CTBTO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /NATS
DATELINE: 26 SEPTEMBER 2018, NEW YORK CITY
1. Exterior, UN Headquarters
2. Wide Sopoaga Prime Minister of Tuvalu signing the Test-Ban-Treaty
3. Tilt up, Sopoga signing
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Lassina Zerbo, CTBTO Executive Secretary:
“If you take the history of nuclear weapon testing from nineteen forty five to when the treaty was opened for signature in in 1996 we moved from over 2000 nuclear test explosion to only six, but six too many.”
5. Photo op, Virasakdi Futradkul, Thailand’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs holding up the ratified CTBT instrument
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Lassina Zerbo, CTBTO Executive Secretary:
“So, the comprehensive Test-Ban-Treaty is playing a deterrent role, basically stopping countries from thinking that they would carry a nuclear test explosion without being detected.”
7. Various shots, Test-Ban-Treaty
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Lassina Zerbo, CTBTO Executive Secretary:
“I think today witnessing both the signature and the ratification gives an indication of the importance of the treaty, the importance of multilateral diplomacy and how close and closer are we getting entering into force of the CTBT.”
11. Med shot, Zerbo with Sopoaga
12. Tilt down, United Nations Treaty Area
At a side event of the 73rd General Debate at the United Nations in New York Tuesday (25 Sep) Thailand and Tuvalu made advances towards a world free of nuclear weapons. Thailand registered their ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and Tuvalu signed it.
The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, Virasakdi Futradkul deposited the instrument of ratification with the United Nations. Witnessing this was Dr. Lassina Zerbo, the Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). Zerbo says that the Test-Ban Treaty is playing a vital role in deterring nuclear explosions.
Zerbo said “If you take the history of nuclear weapon testing from nineteen forty five to when the treaty was opened for signature in in 1996 we moved from over 2000 nuclear test explosion to only six, So the comprehensive Test-Ban-Treaty is playing a deterrent role, basically stopping countries from thinking that they would carry a nuclear test explosion without being detected.”
By depositing the ratification with the United Nations Thailand has become the 167th country to ratify the CTBT.
In a ceremony later that afternoon, Enele Sosene SOPOAGA, OBE, Prime Minister of Tuvalu signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty making Tuvalu the 184th signatory to the CTBT.
Zerbo said “I think today witnessing both the signature and the ratification gives an indication of the importance of the treaty, the importance of multilateral diplomacy and how close and closer are we getting entering into force of the CTBT,”
In order for the CTBT to enter into force, eight countries must still ratify it: China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, Pakistan and the United States.
The CTBT bans all nuclear explosions everywhere, by everyone, and for all times. The organization has established an International Monitoring System (IMS) to ensure that no nuclear explosion goes undetected. With over 300 monitoring stations worldwide, the CTBTO can alert Member States within minutes of any suspicious event.
