U.N. Secy General seeks total elimination of N-weapons

United Nations, Oct 25 (PTI) Making a strong pitch for total elimination of nuclear weapons, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has mooted a multi-prong strategy to achieve the goal, including steps to bring the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (C.T.B.T.) into orce and assurance to non-nuclear states that they would not be subjected to an atomic attack.

He asked the nuclear weapon states to move towards
complete elimination of atomic arms, stressing that the cost
and risk of any alternative strategy would be heavy.

Noting that the financial crisis has triggered an
increasing awareness of the need for international cooperation
to tackle the global issues, he called for taking advantage of
the atmosphere to revitalise the international disarmament
agenda.

In his address to East-West Institute, he advocated a
five-point proposal to achieve the aim but it was not well
received by either of the major powers – the United States and
Russia – who hold most of the warheads and have failed to
respond to any major move to reduce their number.

India too has repeatedly proposed time-bound nuclear
weapon disarmament. In fact, several disarmament groups have
expressed their dismay at the major powers trying to improve
upon the weapons they already possess to increase their
effectiveness and power.

Ban urged the nuclear weapon states to keep their promise
to launch negotiations to achieve total disarmament and the
five permanent members of U.N. Security Council to open
discussions on security issues related to disarmament of
weapons of mass destruction, including atomic, chemical and
biological, to prevent them from falling into the hands
of terrorists.

Ban also wanted the five permanent members – the U.S.,
Russia, Britain, France and China – to assure the non-nuclear
weapons states that they would never be subjected to a nuclear
attack.

Besides, he sought steps to bring the Comprehensive Test
Ban Treaty (C.T.B.T.) into force and supported the idea of the
U.N. General Assembly holding a summit on disarmament.

Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak declined to give his
reaction immediately, saying Moscow would like to study the
proposals.

However, the U.S. diplomats virtually rejected most of
his proposals, repeating Washington's position that it would
not become a party to C.T.B.T. But it has imposed a moratorium
on nuclear weapons testing and would urge other States to do
likewise, they said.

Under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (N.P.T.), the
five permanent members had agreed to begin negotiations
leading to total nuclear disarmament. But the Bush
administration has maintained that it does not want to close
its options.

Pointing to the dangers involved, Ban said many nations
consider nuclear weapons to be status symbol and some view
them as deterrent.

The doctrine of deterrence has proven to be contagious
and this has made non-proliferation more difficult which in
turn raises new risks that nuclear weapons will be used, he
warned.

He also warned against "nuclear renaissance" that could
occur as nuclear power is seen as clean alternative to combat
climate change.

There is support worldwide for the idea that nuclear arms
should never be utilised again due to their "horrific effects,
environmental impacts and repercussions on security," but
since disarmament has yet to be achieved, "this forces us to
ask whether a taboo merely on the use of such weapons is
sufficient," the Secretary-General stressed. PTI