National Security Requires Nuclear Arms Because of “Bad Actors”: UN Talks For a Worldwide Ban on Nuclear Weapons

• 03.28.2017, 15:59
•  Europe,  EEU,  America,  Near East,  Asia,  World

Kyiv Post

Euronews informs, that almost forty countries were notable by their absence at the United Nations on Monday when talks began on a new treaty to enforce a worldwide nuclear ban.

The US, Britain and France were among the absentees – they all mentioned that the Non-Proliferation Treaty was more realistic.

Around 120 others did turn up. Supporters of the potential pact emphasized that it’s time to push harder toward eliminating atomic weapons than nations have been doing through the nearly 50-year-old Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

UN Under-Secretary for disarmament, Kim Won-soo  stressed that in the result of the continuing existence of nuclear weapons, there is still an existential threat to humanity. According to him, the need for progress in nuclear disarmament has rarely been as urgent as it is today.

Nevertheless,  US envoy Nikki Haley noted that national security required nuclear arms because of “bad actors” who could not be trusted. “There is nothing I want more for my family than a world with no nuclear weapons. But we have to be realistic. Is there anyone that believes that North Korea would agree to a ban on nuclear weapons?”

In his turn Britain’s envoy Matthew Rycroft was equally sceptical about the success of a complete ban.“The UK is not attending the negotiations on a treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons because we do not believe that those negotiations will lead to effective progress on global nuclear disarmament. They cannot and will not work.”