WILLAMSBURG -- For residents of a small Central Pennsylvanian town, yesterday was a normal day. Nancy Mansula was out walking her dog and the Mini-Mart down the road was entertaining business as usual.
But no more than a few blocks down the street, United Nations officials and 13 scholars from around the world ate a continental breakfast at Juniata College's Baker Peace Institute and prepared for a day-long seminar on international arms control.
Pierce S. Corden, deputy director of the U.N. Special Commission on Iraq, said the most important arms control moves in coming years will be the implementation of Strategic Arms Removal Treaties I and II, which limit the number of United States and Russian warheads.
And the fact that the treaties have already been signed may not matter. "There's a difference between being signed and being implemented," Corden said.
Other upcoming arms control changes include the Chemical Weapons Convention, which would restrict the use of chemical weapons, and the prohibition of nuclear testing, which is expected to be proposed sometime next year, Corden said. The Chemical Weapons Convention is currently awaiting Congressional approval.
Although the political situation between the United States and Russia has changed, many thousands of nuclear weapons still remain, Corden said. Since 1991, decisions were made to take some weapons, including B-52s, submarines and ballistic missles, out of the "alert use" status. Alert use signifies the weapons are in an operational position at all times.
"There are still many thousands of weapons that could be used at any moment," Corden said, adding both Russia and the United States are still dealing with an enormous amount of destruction capacity.
In 1945 and 1950, the United States only had access to two or three nuclear weapons, he said. Different types of arms include biological, chemical, nuclear and radioactive weapons, he said.
Kenza S. Elmandjra de Garcia Robles, professor of international relations at the Instituto Tecnologico Autonome de Mexico, said the U.S. nuclear arms strategy has changed because population centers and cities are targets, rather than enemy armies.
The two-week International Seminar on Arms Control and Disarmament, which involves the United Nations, the International Association of University Presidents and Juniata College's institute for peace and conflict studies, is designed to share skills needed to negotiate arms control agreements and to resolve disputes peacefully with developing nations.
Andrew Murray, director of the institute, said the groups chose the institute because it was just what they were looking for -- a quality facility in a town with no distractions.
"There is little to do here but work," he said.
