Russian Upper House Ratifies Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

The Russian Federation Council on Wednesday ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), Russian media reported.

The CTBT was discussed behind doors and supported almost unanimously by deputies of the upper house of parliament, the Itar-Tass news agency reported, quoting participants at the discussion. The treaty was approved by the State Duma, or the lower house of parliament, last month.

The CTBT will come into force only after the last of its 155 participants, including the U.S., Russia, France, Britain, China, India, Pakistan and other nuke-potential states, hand in their ratification charters to the United Nations.

The United States, which has the world's largest and most advanced nuclear arsenal, has not approved the treaty. The U.S. Senate rejected it in late 1999.

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