“We have had extraordinary luck so far. But luck is not a strategy or a shield to prevent geopolitical tensions from degenerating into nuclear conflict”Guterres said at the opening of the 10th Conference of the 191 signatory countries of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Agreement (NPT).
From the Middle East to the Korean Peninsula, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, “today, humanity is one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation,” he warned before urging the world “to get rid of its nuclear weapons” as it is the “only guarantee that they will never be used”.
On the eve of the anniversary of the United States dropping nuclear bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Guterres recalled that humanity is “forgetting the lessons of those terrifying fires.” The Japanese Prime Minister, Kishida Fumio, traveled to New York to participate in this important event.
With “13,000 nuclear weapons” in stockpiles, the world has so far avoided “the suicidal mistake of nuclear conflict” through a “combination of compromise, judgment and luck,” but that may change, Guterres warned at the opening of this conference that will last until August 26 at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Argentina assumed the presidency
Postponed several times due to the covid-19 pandemic since March 2020, the Argentine Gustavo Zlauvinen assumed the presidency of the conference on Monday and recalled that if the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that “apparently low-probability events can and do occur with little or no warning but with catastrophic consequences that affect the world.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin assured on Monday that “there can be no winners” in a nuclear war and “it should never be triggered”, before assuring that Russia remains faithful to the “letter and spirit” of the treaty.
In January, the leading countries of the NPT – The United States, China, France, Russia and Great Britain – recalled this same warning, but this Monday only the United States, Great Britain and France reiterated their commitment in a joint statement.
And the three nuclear powers also pointed to Russia, a country that they asked to respect its nuclear commitments.
“Following Russia’s unprovoked and illegal aggression against Ukraine, we urge Russia to cease its nuclear rhetoric and its irresponsible and dangerous attitude,” they added.
The head of American diplomacy, Anthony Blinken, In addition to Russia, he was concerned about the arms race in North Korea, which is preparing “its seventh nuclear test”, as well as Iran, which is still on the path of “nuclear escalation”, and accused it of not “having the will or not wanting to accept an agreement” to re-sign the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), from which the former president of the United States, Donald Trump, unilaterally withdrew.
“Returning to the agreement is the best result for the United States, for Iran and for the world,” he said.
President Joe Biden He also urged Russia and China to start negotiations on nuclear arms control and reiterated that his administration is ready to “quickly negotiate” a replacement for New START, the treaty that limits intercontinental nuclear forces in the United States and Russia, which expires in 2026.
Beatrice Fihn, director of the non-governmental organization the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), warned in front of the UN that the world is experiencing a “rapid increase in nuclear risks”.
“There are a number of very alarming and dangerous developments that are undermining confidence in the NPT as a tool to enhance global security.”
“Nuclear weapons are going in the wrong direction,” he warned.
The NPT, which came into force in 1970 to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, and in particular Article VIII:3, provides for a review of the operation of the Treaty every five years.
During the last review conference in 2015, the parties failed to agree on substantive issues.
This meeting is an “opportunity to strengthen this treaty and adapt it to today’s world,” said Guterres, who hopes to adopt “new commitments” to reduce the arsenal.
Source: Ambito
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