Ratifying the nuclear test ban treaty along with China and North Korea could lead to a lasting dialogue with Pyongyang and eventual disarmament.
To the editor: We should try talks with North Korea starting by getting that country to stop nuclear testing. (“ North Korea’s nukes call for concerted action, not loose talk, ” editorial, Sept. 6)
Every nuclear test by North Korea brings its regime closer to perfecting a weapon that could reach American soil. But if we engage the North on ending nuclear tests, we not only halt that progress, but also open the door for more agreements.
The United States, North Korea and China should together ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which bans all nuclear test explosions. The United States and China have not tested nuclear weapons for decades and have no need to, so ratification should be relatively simple.
The three nations could then take part in on-site inspection exercises, which treaty members regularly practice. That experience can build the confidence for peace and more agreements that could lead to ending North Korea’s nuclear program.
Diplomacy can still work, but you have to work at it. The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty gives us this opportunity to resolve the North Korean crisis peacefully. We should take it.
William Lambers, Cincinnati
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To the editor: The only alternative to war with North Korea is the United States ending all trade with China if it continues to prop up Kim Jong Un’s regime.
