Page 115 - 100 Reflections that Crafted Geneva International_V-Petrovsky_private special edition

Bringing the Concept to Life

Negative Security Assurances

The item "Effective international arrangements to assure non-nuclear-
weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons" has been of
particular concern to non­nuclear-weapons States. In their view these
assurances might come in the form of either а "positive security assurance" in
which а nuclear-weapon State would commit itself to come to the assistance of
а non-nuclear-weapon State whose security was threatened by nuclear
weapons, or а "negative security assurance" in which а nuclear-weapon State
would commit itself not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against
non­nuclear-weapon States.

This question has been discussed mainly in the context of the Treaty on
the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) of 1968. During negotia-
tions on the NPT in the Eighteen Nation Disarmament Committee, the non-
nuclear-weapon States felt that, given the obligations they were to assume pur-
suant to the Treaty, the nuclear-weapon States should take steps to assure their
security. The Soviet Union and the United States, joined by the United King-
dom, offered instead to take action in the context of the United Nations.
Security Council resolution 255 (1968) was adopted on the heels of the NPT.
In it and in declarations made by the three Powers, the Soviet Union, United
Kingdom and United States affirmed that they would provide assistance in ac-
cordance with the Charter to any non-nuclear-weapon State party to the NPT
that was а victim of an act of aggression or threat of aggression in which nuclear
weapons were involved. However, at the Conference of Non­nuclear-weapon
States in 1968, а Declaration was adopted which expressed the view of many
non-nuclear-weapon States that Security Council resolution 255 (1968) fell
short of the required credible and effective guarantees. Other non­nuclear-
weapon States reiterated that the only real guarantee against the use of nuclear
weapons lay in nuclear disarmament.

At the First Review Conference of the Parties to the NPT in 1975, the
non-nuclear-weapon States again called for binding international commit-
ments by the nuclear-weapon States to strengthen their security. The issue was
considered at all three special sessions of the General Assembly devoted to dis-
armament (1978, 1982, and 1988), and the Committee on Disarmament
established an ad hoc working group on the item in 1979; the Conference on
Disarmament re-established it practically every year.

In July 1987, Nigeria submitted to the Conference on Disarmament а
proposal for the immediate conclusion of effective international arrangements
to assure non-nuclear­weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear

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