Haiti ratifies nuclear test ban treaty
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-09 16:00

Haiti has ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the Vienna-based organization that administers the accord said Friday, bringing to 126 the number of nations that have formally endorsed the pact.

By ratifying the treaty, the Caribbean nation became the 22nd country in the region to commit to the accord, which bans test explosions or any other nuclear explosions, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization said.

The treaty still has not come into effect because it needs ratification from 44 states listed in an annex, and only 33 have done so, the CTBTO said.

Those 44 nations participated in the 1996 disarmament conference and have nuclear research and power reactors. They include the United States, which has signed but not ratified the treaty.

Haiti, which has a population of about 8 million, is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.