Provisions
A Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty [FMCT] would strengthen nuclear non-proliferation norms by adding a binding international commitment to existing constraints on nuclear weapons-usable fissile material. The proposed treaty would ban the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. It would not apply to plutonium and HEU for non-explosive purposes.It would also not apply to non-fissile materials, like tritium, and it would not address existing stockpiles.Status
After consultations by Ambassador Shannon, the Conference on Disarmament (CD) reached consensus in 1995 on a mandate for an ad hoc committee to negotiate a cutoff agreement. But internal Conference agenda disputes, including most recently disputes over landmines and nuclear disarmament, prevented the formation of this negotiating committee to date. Finally, on 11 August 1998 the CD decided by consensus to establish a committee to negotiate a FMCT.Chronology
In a 27 September 1993 speech before the UN, President Clinton called for a multilateral convention banning the production of fissile materials for nuclear explosives or outside international safeguards. In December 1993 the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 48/75L calling for the negotiation of a "non-discriminatory, multilateral and international effectively verifiable treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices." The Geneva based Conference on Disarmament (CD) on 23 March 1995 agreed to a mandate for a committee to begin negotiations on the cutoff treaty.Texts
Primary documents, including treaty text and associated memoranda, statements and other related material.Documents
Chronological archive of official factsheets, announcements, briefings speeches and other related material.News
Chronological archive of news reports, commentary analysis and other related material.Related Resources
- A Step-by-step Approach to a Global Fissile Materials Cutoff Steve Fetter and Frank von Hippel Arms Control Today, Vol. 25, No. 8.
Fissile Materials: Scope, Stocks and Verification Disarmament Forum two . 1999
- Editor's Note Kerstin HOFFMAN
- Background Rebecca STEVENS
Prospects- A FMCT: Can We Get from Here to There? Lewis A. DUNN
- Fissile Material Treaty: Negotiating Approaches, Tariq RAUF
Scope- FMCT: Some Significant Divisions in the Scope Debate, Victor BRAGIN & John CARLSON
- The FMCT and Cuts in Fissile Material Stockpiles, Frank N. von HIPPEL
Verification and Transparency- Verification of a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty, Annette SCHAPER
- Reconciling IAEA Safeguards Requirements in a Treaty Banning the Production of Fissile Material for Use in Nuclear Weapons or Other Nuclear Explosive Devices, Thomas E. SHEA
- Transparency and Fissile Materials, Frans BERKHOUT & William WALKER
- Fissile Materials Bibliography Scott CANTOR, Katie CRANE & Haynes COONEY
- Banning Fissile Material for Weapons Production UN Centre for Disarmament Affairs and the NGO Committee on Disarmament -- panel discussion October 26, 1995
- The Proposed Fissile-Material Production Cutoff: Next Steps, by Brian G. Chow, Richard H. Speier, Gregory S. Jones, (1995 RAND)
- Fissile Material Containment Efforts: An Overview -Kalpana Chittaranjan, IDSA Strategic Analysis July 1997
- Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty: A Critique -Savita Datt IDSA Strategic Analysis February 1997
- Will China agree to a fissile material production cutoff? Union of Concerned Scientists Summer 1995
- NUCLEAR WEAPONS GRADE FISSILE MATERIALS: THE MOST SERIOUS THREAT TO U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY TODAY? Guy B. Roberts INSS Occasional Paper 8 January 1995