Topic: Peaceful Development of Nuclear Energy and Control of Fissile Material
Country: France
Delegate Name: Katelyn Coghlan
School: Saline High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All France position papers GLIMUN 2010 committees
France has been classified as one of the world’s five “Nuclear Weapons Sates”. This title, given to them under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, means that they recognizably have a stockpile of nuclear warheads. Sources estimate this pile to be around 300 strong, and the world’s third largest.
In 1996 and 1998, France signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which banned all explosions in all environments including military testing. Although many countries have signed this treaty, it has not yet been taken into effect. France is not known to have any harmful chemical or biological weapons.
France has always made historical steps in nuclear technology. In 2006, the French president, Jacques Chirac said that “France would be willing to use nuclear weapons against a state attacking France via terrorist means”. He also made a reference to having weaponry stock piled in case the country is ever in this situation. Two years later, the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, said that he was going to cut back on their nuclear pane-based arsenal weapons by 33%.
The country has made steps in promoting global peace, and reducing the world’s amount of nuclear weapons. However, they are very reliant on nuclear energy for both their own county, and as a major export. They currently have 59 nuclear reactors, very low carbon dioxide emissions, and the lowest cost of energy in Europe. France would like to see international cooperation in this debate, with a strong emphasis in using nuclear power for technological purposes, and not as weaponry.
