Ban Ki-moon: End the madness of nuclear testing
The United Nations Secretary-General called on the United States, Iran, Israel, and five other countries to end the "madness" of nuclear testing by joining the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which turns 20 this year.
The United Nations Secretary-General on Wednesday (April 27) called on eight countries that have not yet signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty to stop the "madness" of nuclear testing by signing the treaty. Iran, China, the United States, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel are among the countries that have not yet ratified the treaty.
"Missile tests pollute water, cause cancer and leave an environment contaminated with radioactive radiation for future generations," said Ban Ki-moon, who is in Vienna to mark the 20th anniversary of the treaty, according to AFP.
Ban Ki-moon added: "We are gathered here to honor the memory of the victims, and the best memorial for them is appropriate action; action towards a ban and a complete cessation of nuclear tests." According to him: "The suffering of the victims should have taught the world that it is imperative to stop this madness."
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 1996, bans all types of nuclear explosions. 183 countries have signed the treaty and 164, including Russia, France and the United Kingdom – three of the nine countries that either possess or are believed to possess nuclear weapons – have ratified it in their domestic parliaments.
But for the treaty to officially enter into force, it must be ratified by 44 countries that “possess nuclear technology.” Eight countries, six of which are members of the nuclear club, have not yet ratified the treaty: the United States, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, Egypt, Iran, and Israel.
The United States, China, Egypt, Iran, and Israel – a country that almost certainly possesses nuclear weapons but has never confirmed it – have signed the treaty but have not ratified it in their domestic parliaments.
In his famous speech against nuclear weapons in Prague in 2009, US President Barack Obama said that the US would "immediately pursue ratification of this treaty"; a promise that has not yet been fulfilled after more than seven years due to opposition from Republicans.
From the first nuclear test in July 1945 in New Mexico to September 1996, when the treaty was drafted, more than two thousand nuclear tests were conducted around the world.
The United States conducted its last nuclear test in 1992, Russia in 1990, Britain in 1991, and China and France in 1996. The world's most recent nuclear test was conducted by North Korea on January 6, 2016. China has promised to ratify the treaty at the National People's Congress soon.
Source: Deutsche Welle
