CTBTO Annual Report 2002 (Arabic Ed.)

The establishment of the International Monitoring System (IMS), which consists of a worldwide network of 321 seismic, hydroacoustic, infrasound and radionuclide stations and 16 radionuclide laboratories, continues to be developed steadily and securely. During 2002, 23 additional stations were certified as meeting the technical requirements of the Commission, bringing the total number of certified facilities at the end of 2002 to 47. Thus at the end of 2002, 46% of the stations in the IMS, including two Antarctic stations, were completed and met or substantially met the Commission's specifications. Since the beginning of 2003, 3 additional stations have been certified, bringing the total to 50 certified facilities. A further 80 stations are under construction or in the stage of contract negotiation. The International Data Centre (IDC) in Vienna continues to receive, store and distribute data from a growing number of IMS stations. It routinely analyses data and provides bulletins to States Signatories on a regular basis. It also continues to be engaged in development and testing of additional processing capabilities required at entry into force of the Treaty. On the part of States Signatories, thus far around 50 National Data Centres (NDCs) have been established and a total of 465 users from 66 countries have been nominated to access IMS data and IDC products. We will continue to assist States Signatories in establishing and operating their NDCs. The year 2002 was also the year in which the first large scale field experiment in on-site inspection (OSI) was conducted. More than 25 surrogate inspectors, from 17 States Signatories and the PTS staff, performed a simulation of inspection activities, including helicopter over-flight, in a remote part of Kazakhstan. The results of the experiment will greatly help to build up the OSI regime. During 2002, experts from all over the world continued to study and discuss the Treaty verification regime. Activities organized by the Commission, such as training courses and workshops, were held not only in Vienna but also in Africa, North and Central America, Asia and elsewhere in Europe, and more than 400 persons attended. It is grateful to Canada, China, Finland, Jamaica, Kenya, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States of America for successfully hosting these events to meet the great interest of CTBT experts throughout the world. While the primary purpose of the verification regime is to ensure compliance with the Treaty, the verification technologies are also useful for civil and scientific purposes. Scientific communities are expressing great interest in IMS data and IDC products, which could be of significant value for a variety of studies and would benefit not only individual States but also humankind as a whole. During the year, two events focusing on the promotion of civil and scientific applications of the verification technologies were organized upon the initiative and with the assistance of the Governments of Australia, Japan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The PTS would be pleased to continue to support this endeavour. On 11 June 2002, the Commission acceded to the 1986 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties between States and International Organizations or between International Organizations. This will promote clarity, predictability and stability in the legal relations involving the Commission, and that the recognition of the status of the Commission has been further enhanced and broadened. On 18 September 2002, the relationship agreement between the Commission and the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL) was signed. With the conclusion of this agreement, the cooperation between the Commission and OPANAL, which share the objective of enhancing international peace and security, has been strengthened. Since the end of 2002, CTBT has had ratification by an additional State. As of 11 March 2003, the CTBT had 166 signatures and 98 ratifications. Thus the Treaty is obtaining the status of universality. Recently States decided to convene the next Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (Article XIV conference) from 3 to 5 September this year in Austria