Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 1
By Temkin Jafarov - Trend:
Iran calls on the international community to wipe out all nuclear weapons Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Javad Zarif said during a speech on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement at a General Assembly Meeting to Promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons in New York.
"I have the honor to speak on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and would like to thank you for convening this meeting to commemorate the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. I also extend my gratitude to our distinguished Secretary General for his participation in this meeting and for his opening statement," the Iranian Foreign Ministry told Trend Oct.1.
Zarif said that nuclear weapons pose the greatest threat to humanity. "Therefore, we in the Non-Aligned Movement firmly believe that nuclear disarmament is the highest priority in the field of disarmament and international security. We are deeply concerned over their continued existence and the lack of progress by the nuclear-weapon states to fulfill their multilateral legal obligations on nuclear disarmament".
"We regret that instead of complying with this long overdue legal obligation to pursue nuclear disarmament, the military doctrines of some nuclear-weapon states continue to provide for modernization of nuclear weapons, which violates their legal obligations and should therefore be stopped".
Zarid added, "Indeed, as long as nuclear weapons exist, the risk of their use, threat of use and proliferation persist. There can be no doubt that any use of nuclear weapons is a violation of the UN Charter and a crime against humanity, as it would produce indiscriminate and catastrophic humanitarian consequences. The only absolute guarantee against the use of nuclear weapons is their total elimination".
"The international community has waited too long for the realization of the goal of the total elimination of nuclear weapons. The limitations of the step-by-step approach are more apparent than before, and there is urgent need for the international community to make concrete and systematic progress towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons. Forward movement on nuclear disarmament cannot be held hostage to progress on non-proliferation or the perceived notions of strategic stability. It is time to take a new and comprehensive approach on nuclear disarmament".
At the 2013 high-level meeting of the General Assembly on nuclear disarmament, which was held at the initiative of the Non-Aligned Movement, strong support was expressed for taking urgent and effective measures towards nuclear disarmament including through a comprehensive convention on nuclear weapons. In this context, we call for the urgent commencement of negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament on a comprehensive convention on nuclear weapons, Iranian FM added.
Zarif said that a major purpose of the designation of September 26 as the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons is to focus international attention on the dangers of nuclear weapons and the utmost importance of nuclear disarmament as a global imperative. This day also provides an occasion for member states to reaffirm their commitment to achieving nuclear disarmament. "We in the Non-Aligned Movement register our appreciation to all delegations for their participation in this important global endeavor," he said.