UN/Treaties

Republicans have been critical of President Obama’s decision to consider the treaty.

Getting Congress to ratify the Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty is a “top priority” for President Obama's second term, the administration's top arms control negotiator said Wednesday. 

The remarks by Acting Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller are the strongest signal to date that the administration plans to launch a lobbying blitz on Capitol Hill like it did to secure passage of the New START treaty with Russia in 2010. Then-President Clinton signed the treaty in 1996, but it has lingered in the Senate since then.

“As we look towards ratification of this Treaty, we acknowledge that the process will not be easy,” Gottemoeller told the Geneva Center for Security Policy in Switzerland. “That said, the New START ratification process helped to reinvigorate interest in the topic of nuclear weapons and arms control on Capitol Hill. I am optimistic that interest will continue as we engage with members and staff on the [Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty].”

Your morning global affairs speed-read

An arms trade treaty that was put on ice before last year's election is back before the UN today. A conference of the world body will be striving for consensus over the next two weeks, and this time the Obama administration says it's squarely behind the effort. The Hill has the latest here. 

When in Rome: Vice-President Joe Biden is in Rome ahead of Pope Francis I's inaugural mass on Tuesday. Biden met with U.S. Ambassador to Italy David Thorne for breakfast and later with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano; he's also scheduled to meet Monday with Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski and Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez (R) and Georgetown University President John DeGioia are also part of the White House delegation.

Gab-fest: Iran and the P5+1 – the United States, Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany – are holding their second day of expert-level talks in Istanbul, Turkey today ahead of further political talks next month. 

Green Day: Ireland’s Prime Minister, Taoiseach Enda Kenny, delivers the keynote address at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce event honoring Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union. Kenny will meet with President Obama at the White House on Tuesday before heading to the traditional St. Patrick's Day lunch at the Capitol.

The world body is taking another shot at reaching consensus, and the administration says it's committed to getting it done.

House and Senate Democrats are pressuring President Obama to endorse an international arms trade treaty that is strongly opposed by the National Rifle Association (NRA).

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) are spearheading letters to Obama and his administration as the United Nations panel crafting the trade treaty prepares to meet from March 18-28, The Hill has learned.

“We write to urge you to support a strong, effective Arms Trade Treaty at the Final UN ATT Conference,” Grijalva wrote in a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry and U.N. ambassador Susan Rice that will be sent later this week. 

“The poorly regulated global trade in arms and ammunition continues to threaten the security and rights of millions of people around the world, exposing them to death, rape, assault and displacement. We encourage you to finalize a strong and effective Arms Trade Treaty to prevent the sale or transfer of conventional weapons used to perpetuate conflict, armed violence and human rights abuses worldwide.”

Tapping the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations would likely to prompt an angry Republican backlash in Congress.

The Senate passed a bill Monday to prevent nuclear proliferation in North Korea.

Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) introduced the North Korea Nonproliferation and Accountability Act, which passed by unanimous consent Monday evening before the Senate adjourned for the day.

Tehran has significantly ramped up its ability to produce potentially weapons-grade nuclear material, just as Iranian negotiators prepare for the latest round of negotiations with world leaders. 

John Kerry used his first major speech as secretary of State to make that case that failing to confront climate change means missing big economic opportunities — and worse.

“If we waste this opportunity, it may be the only thing our generation — generations — are remembered for. We need to find the courage to leave a far different legacy,” Kerry said in a wide-ranging address Wednesday at the University of Virginia.

Kerry again signaled that he hopes to use his role as top diplomat to promote green energy technologies, arguing they can provide a major boost to U.S. industries in the “next great revolution in our marketplace.”

Human rights groups are demanding that the United States take the lead on international standards for cross-border weapons sales.