Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT)Discussions concerning the banning of all nuclear tests began in the UN Conference on Disarmament in 1982. The matter was prepared for a long time and finally in 1996, the UN General Assembly accepted the proposal for the comprehensive banning of nuclear testing. India, Bhutan and Libya were the only countries who objected to the decision. As of June 2009, 180 states have signed the treaty. The treaty comes into force when 44 states specified in the treaty have signed and ratified the treaty. Nuclear tests are made to ensure a nuclear weapon is functional. Thus the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) limits the proliferation of nuclear weapons effectively. An organisation (Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization) has been established on the basis of the treaty. Its task is to develop necessary systems for the verification of the nuclear test ban. One such system is 321 monitoring stations placed around the world. These stations record seismic signals, hydroacoustic signals (the sounds of explosions under the sea), infrasound signals (the sounds of explosions in the atmosphere) and monitor radionuclides in the atmosphere dispersed from explosions. Page updated 06/06/2009
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