ID :
136256
Thu, 08/05/2010 - 10:20
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/136256
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U.N. chief says nuke-free world possible, urges youth to lead drive+
TOKYO, Aug. 4 Kyodo - Visiting U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said Wednesday that he believes realizing a world free of nuclear weapons is ''not an impossible dream'' and urged the younger generation in Japan to lead an international movement to promote nuclear disarmament.
Speaking to students at Waseda University in Tokyo, Ban stressed that total
elimination of nuclear weapons can be achieved, saying, ''Some people say
that's a dream, that's a too high ambition. But I think the opposite way.''
Ban, who will become on Friday the first U.N. head to attend the annual
ceremony commemorating the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima, said Japan
has ''a unique and special role'' to play in the area of nuclear disarmament
and that he will take part in the peace event to ''join my voice with all those
who say: Never, ever again.''
The United Nations is now working hard together with world leaders to promote
nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation, Ban said, adding that the world body
''needs the unique qualities, the energy and creativity, of Japan's young
people.''
''Disarmament must be an essential part of international peace and security.
Disarmament is a practical necessity for a safer world for all,'' he said.
''I hope that you, the younger generation of Japan, will carry the torch your
parents and grandparents have lit and become leaders for disarmament. Tell the
stories of the survivors of the nuclear bombs...to keep the memory of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki alive,'' the U.N. chief said.
Ban also expressed gratitude for Japan's contributions in U.N. peacekeeping
operations, development aid and promotion of a sustainable society and
environmental conservation.
He said he expects Japan to further increase its participation in peacekeeping
activities and maintain its financial commitment to developing countries
despite its tight fiscal conditions.
At a dinner meeting later in the day with a group of Japanese celebrities who
serve as goodwill ambassadors and supporters for U.N. agencies, Ban asked them
to ''mobilize'' the public and send out messages on nuclear disarmament and
peace, as well as climate change and biodiversity.
One celebrity can be 100 times more powerful than a regular ambassador in
influencing the world, Ban said, adding that he believes people's efforts can
be rewarded with good results.
''If we try, we will succeed. And I urge you, the members of the United Nations
Association of Japan, goodwill ambassadors...to continue helping the United
Nations to spread this message,'' he said.
On his planned participation in a ceremony commemorating the atomic bombing of
Hiroshima, Ban said, ''I want to use this visit to send a strong message to the
world that the nuclear threat is real and that we must do everything to free
the world from nuclear weapons.''
The dinner meeting was organized by former Japanese grand tea ceremony master
Sen Genshitsu who serves as a U.N. goodwill ambassador and the president of the
U.N. Association of Japan.
Attendees included actress and TV personality Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, a goodwill
ambassador for the U.N. Children's Fund, and singer Tokiko Kato, a goodwill
ambassador for the U.N. Environment Program.
Japan Business Federation Chairman Hiromasa Yonekura, who also took part in the
gathering, said Japanese companies want to contribute to developing countries'
economic growth by best utilizing what he called their ''world-class''
technologies.
''By utilizing our technologies, we believe we can contribute to improving
infrastructures, fostering businesses, and creating jobs, and we intend to help
realize the sustainable growth of developing countries,'' Yonekura said.
==Kyodo
Speaking to students at Waseda University in Tokyo, Ban stressed that total
elimination of nuclear weapons can be achieved, saying, ''Some people say
that's a dream, that's a too high ambition. But I think the opposite way.''
Ban, who will become on Friday the first U.N. head to attend the annual
ceremony commemorating the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima, said Japan
has ''a unique and special role'' to play in the area of nuclear disarmament
and that he will take part in the peace event to ''join my voice with all those
who say: Never, ever again.''
The United Nations is now working hard together with world leaders to promote
nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation, Ban said, adding that the world body
''needs the unique qualities, the energy and creativity, of Japan's young
people.''
''Disarmament must be an essential part of international peace and security.
Disarmament is a practical necessity for a safer world for all,'' he said.
''I hope that you, the younger generation of Japan, will carry the torch your
parents and grandparents have lit and become leaders for disarmament. Tell the
stories of the survivors of the nuclear bombs...to keep the memory of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki alive,'' the U.N. chief said.
Ban also expressed gratitude for Japan's contributions in U.N. peacekeeping
operations, development aid and promotion of a sustainable society and
environmental conservation.
He said he expects Japan to further increase its participation in peacekeeping
activities and maintain its financial commitment to developing countries
despite its tight fiscal conditions.
At a dinner meeting later in the day with a group of Japanese celebrities who
serve as goodwill ambassadors and supporters for U.N. agencies, Ban asked them
to ''mobilize'' the public and send out messages on nuclear disarmament and
peace, as well as climate change and biodiversity.
One celebrity can be 100 times more powerful than a regular ambassador in
influencing the world, Ban said, adding that he believes people's efforts can
be rewarded with good results.
''If we try, we will succeed. And I urge you, the members of the United Nations
Association of Japan, goodwill ambassadors...to continue helping the United
Nations to spread this message,'' he said.
On his planned participation in a ceremony commemorating the atomic bombing of
Hiroshima, Ban said, ''I want to use this visit to send a strong message to the
world that the nuclear threat is real and that we must do everything to free
the world from nuclear weapons.''
The dinner meeting was organized by former Japanese grand tea ceremony master
Sen Genshitsu who serves as a U.N. goodwill ambassador and the president of the
U.N. Association of Japan.
Attendees included actress and TV personality Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, a goodwill
ambassador for the U.N. Children's Fund, and singer Tokiko Kato, a goodwill
ambassador for the U.N. Environment Program.
Japan Business Federation Chairman Hiromasa Yonekura, who also took part in the
gathering, said Japanese companies want to contribute to developing countries'
economic growth by best utilizing what he called their ''world-class''
technologies.
''By utilizing our technologies, we believe we can contribute to improving
infrastructures, fostering businesses, and creating jobs, and we intend to help
realize the sustainable growth of developing countries,'' Yonekura said.
==Kyodo