,,iii #aaeth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #efb ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,june #bh1 #bjah ,mr4 ,merkley 7for himself1 ,mrs4 ,gillibrand1 ,mrs4 ,feinstein1 ,ms4 ,warren1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,ms4 ,smith1 ,mr4 ,markey1 and ,mr4 ,brown7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,expressing the sense of the ,senate that the ,treaty on the ,non-,proliferation of ,nuclear ,weapons 7,,npt7 continues to make an invaluable contribution to ,united ,states and international security1 #ej years after it opened for signature on ,july #a1 #aifh4 ,whereas the ,treaty on the ,non-,proliferation of ,nuclear ,weapons 7,,npt7 opened for signature #ej years ago on ,july #a1 #aifh2 ,whereas the ,united ,states and former ,soviet ,union averted a catastrophic nuclear exchange during the ,october #aifb ,cuban ,missile ,crisis1 which led to a series of bilateral and multilateral agreements to lessen the chance of nuclear war1 including the ,,npt2 ,whereas ,president ,john ,f4 ,kennedy predicted in #aifc that as many as #be countries would acquire nuclear weapons by #aigj absent a treaty to control nuclear weapons2 ,whereas the ,united ,states ,senate provided its advice and consent to the ,,npt on ,march #ac1 #aifi1 with a vote on ratification of #hc to #ae2 ,whereas the ,,npt has grown to include #aia ,state ,parties1 making an irreplaceable contribution to ,united ,states national and international security by preventing the spread of nuclear weapons2 ,whereas ,article ,,iii of the ,,npt obligates each non-nuclear weapon state to the ,,npt to conclude a ,safeguards ,agreement with the ,international ,atomic ,energy ,agency 7,,iaea7 to verify treaty compliance1 #agd of which are ,comprehensive ,safeguards ,agreements crafted to detect the diversion of nuclear materials from peaceful to non-peaceful uses2 ,whereas the #bjah ,department of ,defense ,nuclear ,posture ,review affirms1 ,the ,nuclear ,non-,proliferation ,treaty 7,,npt7 is a cornerstone of the nuclear nonproliferation regime4 ,it plays a positive role in building consensus for non-proliferation and enhances international efforts to impose costs on those that would pursue nuclear weapons outside the ,treaty42 ,whereas the success of the ,,npt has and will continue to depend upon the full implementation by all ,state ,parties of the ,treaty's three mutually reinforcing pillars3 nonproliferation1 access to peaceful uses of nuclear energy1 and disarmament2 ,whereas over the past half century1 the ,united ,states has exhibited leadership in strengthening each of the ,,npt's three pillars for the global good1 including-- 7#a7 reducing its nuclear weapons stockpile of more than #he percent from its ,cold ,war heights of #ca1bbe in parallel with equally massive reductions of ,russia's stockpile through bilateral coordination2 7#b7 cooperating with ,kazakhstan1 ,ukraine1 and ,belarus--to facilitate the surrender of nuclear weapons on their soil after the fall of the ,soviet ,union--leading to each country's accession to the ,,npt as non-nuclear weapons states2 7#c7 providing voluntary contributions to the ,,iaea ,peaceful ,uses ,initiative exceeded more than #cbj1jjj1jjj since #bjaj to help in the treatment of cancer and in other life-saving applications2 and 7#d7 extending deterrence to ,united ,states allies in the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization 7,,nato71 ,japan1 and the ,republic of ,korea--which is an unmistakable demonstration of the ,united ,states commitment to collective security2 ,whereas heightened geopolitical tensions in recent years have made cooperation on nonproliferation and arms control issues with the ,russian ,federation more challenging2 ,whereas a range of actions by the ,government of the ,russian ,federation has led to a deterioration in bilateral relations with the ,united ,states1 including ,russia's brazen interference in the #bjaf ,united ,states presidential elections1 its violation of the ,treaty between the ,united ,states of ,america and the ,union of ,soviet ,socialist ,republics on the ,elimination of ,their ,intermediate-,range and ,shorter-,range ,missiles 7commonly known as the ,,inf ,treaty71 signed at ,washington1 ,,dc1 ,december #h1 #aihg1 and entered into force ,june #a1 #aihh1 its illegal annexation of ,crimea1 its invasion of ,eastern ,ukraine1 and its destabilizing actions in ,syria2 and ,whereas within a difficult environment1 preserving agreements that continue to contribute to ,united ,states and global security1 particularly the ,treaty between the ,united ,states of ,america and the ,russian ,federation on ,measures for the ,further ,reduction and ,limitation of ,strategic ,offensive ,arms1 signed ,april #h1 #bjaj1 and entered into force ,february #e1 #bjaa 7commonly known as the ,new ,,start ,treaty71 is all the more essential1 and that to that end1 the ,department of ,state confirmed in ,february #bjah that ,russia had met ,new ,,start's ,central ,treaty ,limits and stated that implementation of the ,new ,,start ,treaty enhances the safety and security of the ,united ,states3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that it is the sense of the ,senate that-- 7#a7 any ,united ,states negotiated agreement with the ,democratic ,people's ,republic of ,korea 7,,dprk7 on denuclearization must require it to return to the ,,npt as a ,party in good standing2 7#b7 the ,united ,states must maintain support for the ,,iaea through its assessed and voluntary contributions and promote the universal adoption of the ,,iaea ,additional ,protocol2 7#c7 the ,united ,states and its allies should pursue diplomatic efforts to ensure that the ,islamic ,republic of ,iran remains in compliance with the ,,npt1 as the #bjaf and #bjag ,reports on ,adherence to and ,compliance with ,arms ,control1 ,nonproliferation1 and ,disarmament ,agreements and ,commitments both affirmed2 7#d7 the ,united ,states should enter into negotiations on the extension of the ,new ,,start ,treaty until #bjbf1 which would make any current or future ,russian strategic systems of a range greater than #e1ejj kilometers accountable under the ,treaty2 7#e7 the ,united ,states should work to resolve ,russia's violation of the ,,inf ,treaty2 7#f7 all countries who have yet to ratify the ,comprehensive ,nuclear-,test-,ban ,treaty1 done at ,new ,york ,september #aj1 #aiif1 including the ,united ,states1 should venture to create the conditions that allow for entry-into-force of the ,treaty1 and should observe a moratorium on nuclear testing until that time2 and 7#g7 the ,united ,states ,government should continue to encourage opportunities for cooperation with other nuclear possessing states to reduce the salience1 number1 and role of nuclear weapons in global military strategies4