 |
Some
123 UN members announced in October 2016 that they would launch the UN
conference to negotiate a legally binding nuclear ban treaty, even as most of
the world's declared and undeclared nuclear powers voted against the talks
|
More than 100 countries
are set to launch the first UN talks on a global nuclear weapons ban on Monday
over objections from the major nuclear powers.
AFP
report continues:
Some
123 UN members announced in October that they would launch the UN conference to
negotiate a legally binding nuclear ban treaty, even as most of the world's
declared and undeclared nuclear powers voted against the talks.
Britain,
France, Israel, Russia and the United States voted no, while China, India and
Pakistan abstained.
Even
Japan -- the only country to have suffered atomic attacks, in 1945 -- voted
against the talks, saying the lack of consensus over the negotiations could
undermine progress on effective nuclear disarmament.
The
countries leading the effort include Austria, Ireland, Mexico, Brazil, South
Africa and Sweden. Hundreds of NGOs back their efforts.
They
say the threat of nuclear disaster is growing thanks to mounting tensions
fanned by North Korea's nuclear weapons programme and an unpredictable new
administration in Washington.
Supporters
point to successful grassroots movements that led to the prohibition of
landmines in 1997 and cluster munitions in 2008.
"I
expect that this will take a long time, let's not be naive," Swedish
Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said at the UN last week.
"But
it's very important in these days when you see more of this rhetoric, and also
sort of power demonstrations, including threatening to use nuclear
weapons."
"Quite
a high number of countries are actually interested in saying we have to break
the deadlock that has been on this issue for so many years," she added.
"So it's also the expression of frustration."
No
progress has been made on nuclear disarmament in recent years despite
commitments made by the major nuclear powers to work toward disarmament under
the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), said Beatrice Fihn, director of the
International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, an international coalition
of NGOs.
"There
was disappointment with the Obama administration, which made some pledges, but
then ignored most of them," she said. "And now there are raised
worries with the new US president."
Then-president
Barack Obama announced a drive in 2009 to reduce the role of nuclear weapons
and eventually eliminate them.
But
his administration strongly encouraged NATO allies to vote against this year's
UN negotiations, saying a ban would obstruct cooperation to respond to nuclear
threats from adversaries.
President
Donald Trump threatened a nuclear arms race in a tweet shortly before he took
office in January, saying "we will outmatch them at every pass and outlast
them all."
However,
with experience from the campaigns against cluster munitions and landmines,
Fihn believes there's a "good chance" a treaty will be adopted, if
not necessarily after the first phase of negotiations, which will end in July.
Even
with the major nuclear powers boycotting the debate, a treaty would oblige them
to revisit their policies sooner or later -- even if, like Russia and the
United States, they're currently modernizing their nuclear weapons arsenal.
"Even
if major (nuclear weapon) producers don't sign it, they have a big
impact," Fihn said of global treaties. "Look at Russia denying using
cluster bombs in Syria. Why? They did not sign (the cluster munition ban), but
they know it's bad."
No
major powers have commented on the start of the talks so far, although the US
ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, is expected to issue a statement on the
sidelines of opening day.
US
and French representatives explained their countries' opposition in October
citing a need to make progress in stages, without disturbing the current
strategic balance of weapons or jeopardizing nuclear deterrence.
Fihn
compares such arguments to the logic of chain smokers: "It's never the
right time to quit."
"But with the multipolar world, lots of countries feel like they don't have to wait for the superpowers to act," she added.
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