UN Security Council calls for nuclear weapons states to disarm
Obama: Historic resolution enshrines our shared commitment to a goal of a world without nuclear weapons.
By Haaretz Service and News Agencies Tags: UN Barack Obama Israel newsThe United Nations Security Council, at a historic summit meeting chaired by U.S. President Barack Obama, unanimously approved a U.S.-drafted resolution on Thursday calling on nuclear weapons states to scrap their deadly arsenals.
Russia, China and developing nations supported the U.S.-sponsored measure, giving it global clout and strong political backing.
The resolution calls for stepped up efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, promote disarmament and reduce the risk of nuclear terrorism.
Obama was the first American president to preside over a Security Council summit, gaveling the meeting into session and announcing that the draft resolution has been adopted unanimously.
It was only the fifth time the Security Coucil has met at the level of heads of state since it was established in 1946.
"The historic resolution we just adopted enshrines our shared commitment to a goal of a world without nuclear weapons," Obama said immediately after the vote. "And it brings Security Council agreement on a broad framework for action to reduce nuclear dangers as we work toward that goal."
"Just one nuclear weapon set off in a major city could cause major destruction," Obama said, adding that a "nuclear war cannot be won, and must never be fought."
He said the global effort would seek to lock down all vulnerable nuclear materials within four years.
"This is not about singling out an individual nation," he said. "International law is not an empty promise, and treaties must be enforced."
"We will leave this meeting with renewed determination," Obama said.
Obama also said that all nations have "a right to peaceful nuclear energy."
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon saluted the national leaders for joining in the unprecedented Security Council summit on nuclear arms.
"This is a historic moment, a moment offering a fresh start toward a new future," he said.
Later, French President Nicolas Sarkozy told the Security Council that the international community must take immediate steps against Iran over its nuclear program.
Sarkozy added that it was right to talk about the future, but warned that Iran and North Korea were currently developing nuclear weapons and that something must be done to deal with that.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that the world should consider "far tougher sanctions" against Iran if it continues to seek a nuclear bomb.
"As evidence of its breach of international agreements grows, we must now consider far tougher sanctions together," Brown said.
Iran's mission to the UN said following the debate that it is committed to nuclear nonproliferation but believes negotiations with interested parties will only be successful if "illegal demands" are dropped.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran reiterates its readiness to engage in serious and constructive negotiations with interested parties," the mission said.
"At the same time, we believe that as a prerequisite for success in future negotiations, futile and illegal demands of the past years that have proven to be of no avail should be abandoned," the statement said.
G-8 gives Iran 3 months to stop uranium enrichment
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said on Thursday that the Group of Eight nations is giving Iran until the end of the year to commit to ending uranium enrichment and avoid new sanctions.
Frattini, whose nation holds the rotating chair of the club of wealthy nations known as the G-8, said that member foreign ministers agreed Wednesday night to give Iran a chance.
But Frattini said that the informal agreement will be re-examined each month until the end of the year.
The U.S. has won Russian agreement to consider new sanctions against Iran to add pressure on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who insists Tehran's nuclear program is designed only to generate electricity.
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... if, after having just bankrupted the dollar, Obama intends to destroy America's nuclear power too, while Russia and Iran do nothing but laugh, I wouldn't be surprised if the doubts of many Americans - whether Obama is on the highest possible mission to destruct America from within - are not a possibility!
At the peak of the cold war, Russia had 41 K war heads and the USA had 29 K war heads. Reductions have been occuring for 17 years. Current count is approximately 7 thousand for each Russia and the USA.
Maybe this is a response to Iran and N.Korea possibly developing A-weapons and Pakistan having them. I hope Israel can disarm too.
That should mean Isreal must disarm it's nukes also.
Destroy nuclear deterrent so your neighbors can gas you. Brilliant idea!
Let the US be the first one...
as soon as America and Russia give up all their nuclear weapons, Israel will have to do the same. In my estimate, that leaves Israel with a long long time before ever needing to get rid of nuclear weapons. #1 is right, though. Then Iran, Syria and North Korea become world leaders by default of flaunting the UN and western nations.
as soon as America and Russia give up all their nuclear weapons, Israel will have to do the same. In my estimate, that leaves Israel with a long long time before ever needing to get rid of nuclear weapons. #1 is right, though. Then Iran, Syria and North Korea become world leaders by default of flaunting the UN and western nations.
So who's going to scrap their nukes first? China, France, Russia, the U.K., or the U.S.? And what about the non-signatories of the NPT like India, Israel, North Korea, and Pakistan? And what about Iran which is running centrifuges night and day refining U-235 to concentrations higher than that required for reactor fuel? If nobody is going to stop Iran, then Israel will be forced to do so with a pre-emptive strike like she did with Iraq and Syria although this time it will be much more difficult given the distance involved. Look what happened to the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. 10 years after it was signed, Japan and Germany started to build battleships exceeding 35,000 tons displacement whereas the the U.K., France, Italy, and the U.S. tried to honor it until it became apparent that the Bismark, Tirpitz, Yamato, and Mushashi exceeded the limitations of the treaty.
The trouble with this nonsense is that the finger is pointing at two countries lest likely two start a war,but more capable of retaliation if attacked which could have global consequences for all.
I'm quite sure Israel's neighbors don't agree with you. Let's have a democratic vote and see if they agree Israel should be able to use nuclear blackmail
U.N need to disarm Israel is well Israel is not a innocent country either!
and in about 3 years there will definitely be a new U.S. president.
A tall challenge, but without question a worthy one. If humanity can put a man on the moon, it should endeavor to rid the world of suicidal arms.
Next May there will be a review of the NPT. When the NPT was enacted the signators who had nuclear weapons pledged to work towards disarmament. The failure of those nations is sufficient to allow any nation to invoke Clause X, that their failure constitutes a violation of the supreme interests of the country desiring to leave the NPT. Thus everyone is trying to forestall a race for the exit starting next May. This is why all the talk of nuclear disarmament at this time. There is a genuine concern that one or more nations may decide to leave the NPT in the next year or two and the two nations with absurdly bloated arsenals in particular are positioning to negotiate a further reduction for fiscal and political reasons. The political reason being that both desire the NPT remain effective.
only outlaws will have guns. Obama is naive and foolish to think that every country in the World will disarm. As long as there are rogue states and fanatics there will be the desire to acquire nuclear weapons. No ' heart to heart' talk by Obama with enemies will change that.
I was waiting to hear BHO say that during his address to the UNSC but it didn't happen. What he DID say is that he and Medvenev would sit down to discuss "reducing" the US and Russian nuclear arsenals. So the rest of the world must disarm, while the two can maintain what they see as a "mutually acceptable" level of nuclear munitions. Sounds like the Cold War again, with the world breaking into 2 divisions, "Us" against "Them" with only the two controllers being allowed the "ultimate" weapon. Once again, explaining why BHO will easily replace Carter as the most inept and self-destructive President in US history.
For all the hand-wringing about the behavior of the non-nuclear nations in the NPT, the nuclear powers have seemed to have forgotten their obligations under the NPT. The NPT was supposed to be an agreement where the non-nuclear weapon nations would NOT build nukes, and in exchange, the nuclear powers would eliminate their own nukes. This made sense, because the nuke nations needed time to negotiate down their nukes, but having MORE countries build nuke weapons would make that much tougher. Now it is time for the nuke members of the NPT to finally live up to their side of the NPT treaty.
people will go to war moreoften. Nukes are the ultimate war prevention. How many countries have invaded Israel since it got its hands on Nukes? The cold war would have been hot without Nukes. A world without Nukes is a scarry proposition...
Bring US nukepile to zero????
It is not the nuclear weapons themselves, but the constant abuse of them by the West - using them sometimes as a tool, other times as a privilege - to grant themselves more and more power. Obama and team 5 are welcome to keep their nuclear arsenals - they only need to relinquish their claims to veto power. Otherwise, these bandaid resolutions only make US less credible.
Just how long does Barack Obama think the U.S. will last if it scraps its nuclear arsenal?
they all re nuclear power but they call for disarming others???or everyone including them?? if not they re all hypocrites! which wont actually surprise me at all!!!!
I do not mind if all the other nations disarm as long as Israel keeps its weapons and the global peace. The only trust worthy nation with nukes in my opinion is Israel!!!
The outlaws in this case will be the likes of North Korea, Iran, Syria, et.al. Obama blew a rare opportunity to properly address the problem of rogue states possessing weapons of mass construction. He blew it.