Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone

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A Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone, or NWFZ is defined [1] by the United Nations as an agreement, generally by internationally recognized treaty, to ban the use, development, or deployment of nuclear weapons in a given area. Additionally, this agreement has mechanisms of verification and control to enforce its obligations.

NWFZs are conceived as incremental measures toward total nuclear disarmament, and have steadily grown in number since the first, governing Antarctica. Today, there are eight recognized zones which have been achieved or are in the process of acceptance:

Antarctic Treaty, for the Antarctic territory
Treaty of Tlatelolco, governing Latin America and the Caribbean
Treaty of Bangkok, governing ASEAN states
Treaty of Pelindaba, governing the continent of Africa
Treaty of Rarotonga, over the South Pacific
Central Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone, over Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan
Mongolian Nuclear-Weapons-Free Status, covering Mongolia
Treaty on the Final Settlement With Respect to Germany, covering East Germany

There are also a number of proposed agreements, covering the Middle East, the Korean Peninsula, Central Europe, and South Asia.

A difficulty with the Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone concept is defining suitable zone areas, such that zone neighbours are not considered nuclear threats. For example it is reported that no African Arab state will ratify the Treaty of Pelindaba until Israel, which is just outside the zone, renounces its nuclear weapons program. [2]

[edit] See also

Nuclear-free zone
Seabed Arms Control Treaty (bans the emplacement of nuclear weapon systems on the ocean floor)
Outer Space Treaty (bans placing nuclear weapons in orbit of Earth or otherwise stationing them in outer space)