UN welcomes opportunity for nuclear disarmament

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has hailed the “new window of opportunity” for advancing nuclear disarmament and eliminating the world’s nuclear weapons stockpiles.

Speaking at a meeting with new heads of UN agencies tackling nuclear proliferation in New York on Friday, Ban urged speedier implementation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and said, “Today there is a new window of opportunity in disarmament and non-proliferation.”

“The treaty is facing a number of challenges,” he said. “A successful outcome would strengthen confidence not only in the treaty but also for the collective global effort to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons.”

The UN chief pledged to the participants that he would push forward with nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation as part of his top priorities in the months ahead.

“I strongly believe in the mutual benefits of strengthened cooperation among our organizations, while fully respecting our distinct mandates and relationship agreements,” Ki-moon said, speaking before the representatives from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the Preparatory Commission of the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).

He particularly called for a successful outcome to a May 2010 conference aimed at reviewing the NPT. Review conferences have been held every five years since NPT’s inception in 1970. There are currently 189 signatories to the treaty.

“I pledge to continue to do everything in my power to advance the goal of a world free of weapons of mass destruction. I look forward to working with all of you to make this a reality,” he concluded.