Dominican Republic ratifies nuclear test ban treaty

VIENNA, Sep 5 (Reuters) The Caribbean nation of Dominican Republic has ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, raising to 140 the number of full member states, the Vienna-based agency that administers the pact said.

But the treaty, which prohibits all nuclear explosions, will not enter into force before it is ratified by all 44 states listed in an annex that took part in the 1996 treaty negotiations and have nuclear power or research reactors.

Ten of the 44 have signed but not ratified the pact, including Iran, Israel, North Korea, India, Pakistan, China and the United States.

The last five are declared nuclear weapons states, while Israel is widely assumed to be one but never confirmed this.

Iran denies Western suspicions that it is secretly trying to build nuclear weapons, insisting its uranium enrichment programme is for electricity generation only.

The treaty organisation plans a Sept. 17-18 conference in Vienna to raise pressure on laggard signatories to ratify the accord.

REUTERS LPB KP1825