UNITED NATIONS/FILE: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to call on world leaders to hold nuclear talks at U.N. in September

Record ID: 561236

  • Title: UNITED NATIONS/FILE: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to call on world leaders to hold nuclear talks at U.N. in September
  • Date: 13th April 2010
  • Summary: UNITED NATIONS (FILE) (REUTERS) UNITED NATIONS FLAG
  • Embargoed: 28th April 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Defence / Military
  • Reuters ID: LVA69976PXKL87T8SIIPJTC1J2TT
  • Story Text: As nuclear talks get underway in Washington, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he will call on leaders to take action to stop "one of the greatest threats" by holding talks at the United Nations in September that aim to stop fissile materials.
    U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday (April 12) he would propose at this week's nuclear summit that world leaders meet to push for a ban on production of fissile materials for atomic weapons.
    The 65-nation U.N.-backed Conference on Disarmament in Geneva has long been considering such a ban. But Pakistan has blocked the start of negotiations, arguing that it would put it at a permanent disadvantage to India, with which it has fought three wars since independence in 1947.
    Before heading to the April 12-13 summit in Washington, Ban told reporters in New York he had repeatedly urged the Geneva forum to start talks on a treaty without delay, in order to combat the threat of nuclear terrorism.
    "In Washington, I will call on all world leaders to come together, perhaps at the United Nations in September, to further advance this essential cause for humankind," he said.
    The U.N. chief appeared to be suggesting a possible summit on the sidelines of this year's annual U.N. General Assembly gathering, which is already due to discuss the United Nations' poverty-reduction Millennium Development Goals.
    Many countries, including the United States, support a fissile material cut-off treaty. A pact that would verifiably end their production for use in weapons was one of the goals advanced by President Barack Obama in a major disarmament speech in Prague a year ago.
    Ban said he hopes leaders will discuss ways to make the Middle East a nuclear free zone at the Washington talks.
    "There was an initiative and discussions to establish a nuclear weapons-free-zone in the Middle East. That has not achieved any progress until now for various reasons, including the political situation on the Middle East peace process. We have achieved [progress] in many areas including in Central Asia, where they have agreed and established a nuclear weapon-free-zone. To have our ambition to be realized, to have a world free of nuclear weapons, it is absolutely necessary to have all areas with nuclear-weapons-free-zones. I am sure that the leaders will discuss this matter, but I am not quite sure how much progress they will be able to make during this summit meeting."
    Ban also said he hopes to give his condolences to Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski in Washington after a plane crash killed Poland's President Lech Kaczynski and 96 passengers.
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