. 24/7 Space News .
UN chief urges progress in stalled global disarmament talks

by Staff Writers
Geneva (AFP) Jan 23, 2008
UN chief Ban Ki-moon warned Wednesday that stalled disarmament talks at a key negotiating body that includes 65 states must move forward in order to prevent arms races.

The secretary general, speaking at the opening of the 2008 Conference on Disarmament, said the body had achieved major successes in the past, but was now "in danger of losing its way".

"The Conference on Disarmament has accomplished a great deal, but its successes are distant memories," he said of the body.

"I am deeply troubled by this impasse," he said, calling for "top-level political leadership and cooperation" to overcome disagreements.

The conference, whose past accomplishments include the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, has been deadlocked for more than 10 years because of disagreement between developing countries and nuclear powers, mainly the United States.

Developing countries want a nuclear disarmament calendar and the prevention of an arms race in space as priorities, while the United States favours a treaty on fissile materials, which can be used to make weapons.

Ban expressed his "full support for the start of negotiations on a fissile material treaty".

"These talks would advance nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation objectives," he said.

He highlighted, however, the importance of also preventing a space arms race.

"You must decide how to organise your treatment of these issues without holding any of them hostages to the others," he said.

Ban said disarmament would lead to reduced global tensions, allowing states to free up resources for development.

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


US To Invest More In Nuclear Security Part One
Moscow (UPI) Jan 22, 2008
Starting in 2008, the U.S. defense budget will feature allocations for protection against nuclear terrorism. This will ensure the safe storage of radioactive substances in the United States and in other nations, and it will also facilitate operations against terrorist groups attempting to lay their hands on nuclear weapons. (Next: The "dirty bomb" threat)







  • NASA astronauts report good communications
  • Celebration To Unveil SpaceshipTwo And WhiteKnightTwo Models
  • Russia Eyes Replacement Spaceport For Baikonur
  • MESSENGER Dances By Matisse

  • HiRISE Camera Details Dynamic Wind Action On Mars
  • Ice Clouds Put Mars In The Shade
  • Scientists examine effects of wind on Mars
  • 2007 WD5 Mars Collision Effectively Ruled Out As Impact Odds Widen To 1 In 10000

  • Antrix Launches Israeli Satellite Using Commercial PSLV Rocket
  • Russia To Launch Two Telecom Satellites On Jan 28 And Feb 10
  • Boosting Capability: Santa Maria Station To Join ESTRACK
  • Thuraya-3 Satellite Successfully Launched To Orbit

  • SPACEHAB Subsidiary Wins NASA Orbiting Carbon Observatory Contract
  • Radical New Lab Fights Disease Using Satellites
  • SKorea decides to terminate satellite: space agency
  • Japanese satellite flops at map-making: official

  • Happy Second Birthday New Horizons
  • The PI's Perspective: Autumn 2007: Onward to the Kuiper Belt
  • Data For The Next Generations
  • Goddard Instrument Makes Cover Of Science

  • NASA And Gemini Probe Mysterious Distant Explosion
  • Unusual Older Stars Giving Birth To Second Wave Of Planets
  • Rutgers And Penn State Astronomy Teams Discover Ancestors Of Milky Way-Type Galaxies
  • The Violent Lives Of Galaxies: Caught In The Cosmic Dark Matter Web

  • Volcanic deposits may aid lunar outposts
  • NG-Built Antennas Helping Provide Data On Moon's Thermal History For Japan's KAGUYA (SELENE) Mission
  • Amateur Radio Operators Asked To Tune Into Lunar Radar Bounce
  • With Moon Dirt In Demand, Geoscientist's Business Is Booming

  • Lockheed Martin-Built GPS Satellites Pass 75 Year Mark Of Combined On-Orbit Operations
  • Integral Systems Awarded Contract For GPS Next Gen Control Segment
  • Mercedes-Benz Moves To Evaluation Stage Of Columbus' Product
  • GPS Devices And Systems Will Surpass 900 Million Unit Shipments By 2013

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement