IT is 40 years since the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was opened for signing in New York on July 1, 1968. Yet it is frustrating and sad to note that the world is inching toward the brink of an apocalyptic nuclear confrontation.

A recent report released by the International Atomic Energy Agency estimated that more than 25,000 nuke warheads lying in hidden arsenals across the world are awaiting orders to strike enemy targets. They apparently include vastly destructive bombs and intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The UN Security Council is not seemingly enthusiastic about a total ban on nuclear weapons because of the simple reason that all the five permanent members of the council stockpile the nightmarish weapons of mass destruction and keep on updating them. No member wants to cut down the size of its armory. They have also been accused of violating the NPT. To be precise, the sixth clause of the treaty that stipulates that these countries should engage in serious dialogues on the eradication of weapons.

They have, on the contrary, been clandestinely developing and upgrading their weapons to enhance their killer power. For instance, France has reportedly been using a supercomputer to perfect its nuclear tests instead of conducting field tests.

The permanent members of the Security Council have also been found violating the NPT clause that they should offer all possible assistance to other treaty members to develop the technology for peaceful purposes. Most of the nuclear-haves, on the other hand, have been reluctant to transfer the technology to other countries.

According to a UN resolution adopted in 1995, the Middle East should be kept free of nuclear weapons. On the contrary, the United States, the most vocal advocate of nonproliferation, has been offering unlimited support to Israel that has repeatedly been refusing to sign the NPT. Israel has developed an estimated 200 nuke warheads. Israel, which has been at the root of instability in the region, could not have developed the weapons without the technological and economic support of the US.

Since 1989, the US military planners have been advancing arguments to develop faster and more destructive weapons with the support of France and Britain.

One wonders why the treaty could not muster the courage to demand that the five permanent members get rid of their nukes and ask other countries to follow suit in order to guarantee a safer world for all of us to live in.