Russell Whiting continues his commentary:
"Day two of the negotiations began with the remaining opening statements from participants. The representative of Morocco noted that genuine security for all is achieved through peaceful coexistence and dialogue rather than nuclear weapons, while Ethiopia added that the modernisation of nuclear weapons arsenals only adds to the threat they pose the world. Papua New Guinea, a state which has suffered from the effects of nuclear testing, highlighted the huge sums of money given over to nuclear weapons, something we at CND are acutely aware of as our own government presses ahead with the £205bn project to replace Trident.
After the general statements had concluded, delegates moved on to discuss the specifics of the treaty in more detail. More than 115 countries took part in the first day, but Japan, after stating it would attend but not participate, did not take its seat on day two. The chair set for the UK continued to sit empty in the chamber.
During the discussions a large number of states, including some of the driving forces behind the process, called for the treaty to make explicit reference to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the complementary nature of the ban. This once again lays bare the hypocrisy of the nuclear weapons states who hide behind the stalemate of the NPT process in order to shirk their disarmament responsibilities. There were also calls for references to be made to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and the contribution of Nuclear Weapon Free Zones around the world.
The Netherlands is the only NATO member state taking part in the talks, following a vote in the Dutch parliament. During a contribution on Tuesday its representative called for the treaty to be compatible with NATO posture and reiterated the calls made by boycotting states for a step by step approach to disarmament.
Chile was one of the states to raise the issue of the current legal status of nuclear weapons. Chile views them as illegal and wants to see a paragraph included to express this view and was supported in this by Mexico. Sweden also states that the illegality of the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons could be a driving force behind the treaty.
There was praise for the role of civil society in the process, with Trinidad and Tobago calling for this role to be recognised in the text of the treaty. Liechtenstein praised the way civil society had taken on the campaign for a treaty and helped bring about change. Civil society was again active on day two, with Hiroshima survivor Setsuko Thurlow addressing the delegates at the end of the session and CND Chair Dave Webb playing an active role in side events and meeting Labour’s Shadow Peace and Disarmament Minister Fabian Hamilton MP.
On Wednesday the negotiations will continue to look at the key elements of the treaty with more states setting out positions on what should be included. CND is also hosting a fringe meeting where Fabian Hamilton MP will discuss the likely impact the ban treaty will have on nuclear weapons policy in the UK."