Iceland: We Won’t Sign Nuclear Weapons Ban Until Others Do, Too

Iceland’s position on signing an international ban on nuclear weapons remains unchanged from last year: the country will not sign on with such a ban until the countries that have nuclear weapons do.

Eyjan reports that member states were once again given the opportunity to sign on with the ban, which 60 nations have already signed.

When reporters asked Minister of Foreign Affairs Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson if Iceland was going to be one of those countries, his response was clear: countries with nuclear weapons must be pressured into signing the ban before Iceland will sign.

“Iceland’s position regarding nuclear weapons is clear, and this policy is to aim for a nuclear weapons-free world, where all nuclear weapons are disposed of in a precise and methodical manner,” the Minister said in part in a statement. “It is, however, the position of the Icelandic government that while nuclear powers refuse to sign the ban, the ban is effectively worthless.”

The position should come as no surprise. Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson was of much the same mind last year, and this position carried over to the current administration as well.