Islands’ Nuclear Case Pending
The International Court of Justice will聽rule on聽a聽complaint the Marshall Islands brought against India, Pakistan and Britain for not abandoning nuclear weapons.
The United Nations鈥 top court said聽it will render a聽decision early next month in a聽case the Marshall Islands brought against India, Pakistan and Britain “for not abandoning the nuclear arms race.”
The Republic of the Marshall Islands, part of Micronesia, was the location聽for聽dozens of nuclear tests between 1946 and 1958.
The government of the archipelago, according , is calling for the three nuclear powers to take 鈥渁ll necessary measures鈥 to carry out “what it considers their obligations with regard to the non-proliferation treaty on nuclear weapons.”
A聽1968 treaty 鈥 ratified by London but not Islamabad or New Delhi 鈥 “requires countries to pursue in good faith the negotiations on measures for nuclear disarmament,” says the UK-based publication . “The Marshall Islands contends that India and Pakistan also face this obligation under customary international law.”
The RMI filed its complaint with聽the International Court of Justice聽in 2014聽against a total of nine countries possessing nuclear weapons. The others are the United States,聽China, North Korea, France, Russia and Israel.
Eastern Eye reports that the聽complaint cannot be heard against the other six countries unless they give聽the International Court of Justice “the green light.”
Learn more about the Marshalls and the nuclear testing in Civil Beat’s series The Micronesians.
