UN chief applauds commitment to prevention of nuclear war by key armed states
By Cecilia Ologunagba
New York, Jan. 4, 2021
UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, on Tuesday welcomed a joint statement issued by five nuclear armed States on the prevention of nuclear war and the avoidance of the arms race.
For the first time, the leaders of China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, issued a statement on Monday about avoiding an arms race and not targeting each other or at any other State.
The five countries, also permanent members of the UN Security Council (commonly known as the P5), said they believed strongly that the further spread of such weapons must be prevented.
In a statement issued by his Spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, the secretary-general appreciated the recognition of the need to comply with the bilateral and multilateral non-proliferation, disarmament, and arms control agreements and commitments.
Guterres also highlighted the States’ obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) related to nuclear disarmament.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, an NPT review that was due to begin on Tuesday, has been postponed until August. The statement from the P5 was issued following news of the postponement.
The UN chief said he was encouraged by the commitment to pursue measures to prevent nuclear war, consistent with his long-standing call for dialogue and cooperation.
He looks forward to more details about future initiatives, the statement adds.
Guterres also took the opportunity to restate that “the only way to eliminate all nuclear risks is to eliminate all nuclear weapons.”
He concluded by reiterating his willingness to work with all Member States to achieve this goal “as soon as possible.”
The development follows a warning from the Secretary-General at the end of last year over the grave danger posed by the 13,000 nuclear weapons currently believed to be held by a handful of countries.
Guterres also called on countries to promote the peaceful use of nuclear technology for medical and other uses, which he said was one reason why the NPT had won the support of non-nuclear-weapons States.
