Stop nuclear testing now

Two countries now stand in the way of a complete, world-wide ban on nuclear weapons tests. China and Russia continue to hold back their support for a treaty against testing.

It would bar testing in the air, under the ground, under water and even in outer space. It would ban nuclear tests of nuclear and thermonuclear devices, including very large ones and very small ones, no matter how small.

In short, the world is on the verge of taking the next logical step towards nuclear disarmament, and only two governments stand in the way.

This step is being considered in Geneva, by the 38-member United Nations Conference on Disarmament. There is little doubt this conference takes too long to come to obvious decisions.

Still, it hopes that diplomats and governments will work rationally to reduce and remove the most terrible weapons from international stockpiles.

For more than a year it has been struggling with the nuclear problem. The five nuclear powers have been among the most obstructive participants at the Geneva talks. They have waffled and agonized and justified nuclear testing for too long.

China and France, of course, have outraged many and made the conference's work much harder and more drawn-out. The full-scale underground testing by these two nations as talks on a test ban continued is scandalous behavior.

In fairness, it must be stated that Britain, Russia and the United States also have compounded the problem. Their politicians and generals have demanded the right to conduct tests of small nuclear devices, as if there was some difference in the principle involved.

While all this is going on, France and then America committed themselves, however reluctantly, to a total test ban. Attention now shifts directly to Moscow, and even more to Beijing. China has shown massive arrogance in its recent nuclear weapons testing.

It has not tried in any manner to justify them, except with the questionable claim they are an "internal affair" of the country.

Beijing rulers undoubtedly face the same pressures from the military as other nuclear powers. This is why it is important China show it can control its generals, work with the rest of the world, and halt the tests.

If all five nuclear powers agree to a ban, the Conference on Disarmament can assure an end to tests by the end of next year. Surely this is the least the world can expect.

-- The Bangkok Post