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NATO expresses reservation over Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

North Atlantic Council meeting
North Atlantic Council meeting

BRUSSELS, Sept 20 (KUNA) -- NATO expressed Wednesday its reservations about the effectiveness of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons to reduce nuclear arsenal in the world and promote global peace.
"Seeking to ban nuclear weapons through a treaty that will not engage any state actually possessing nuclear weapons will not be effective, will not reduce nuclear arsenals, and will neither enhance any country's security, nor international peace and stability," said the North Atlantic Council, the principal political decision-making body within NATO, in a statement. "The ban treaty, in our view, disregards the realities of the increasingly challenging international security environment. At a time when the world needs to remain united in the face of growing threats, in particular the grave threat posed by North Korea's nuclear programme, the treaty fails to take into account these urgent security challenges," it stated.
NATO called on its "partners and all countries who are considering supporting this treaty to seriously reflect on its implications for international peace and security, including on the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty)" "The ban treaty is at odds with the existing non-proliferation and disarmament architecture. This risks undermining the NPT which has been at the heart of global non-proliferation and disarmament efforts for almost 50 years. The crisis caused by North Korea underlines the importance of preserving and enhancing the existing framework of the NPT " note the statement.
Countries that met at a United Nations conference in New York last July adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the first multilateral legally-binding instrument for nuclear disarmament to have been negotiated in 20 years.
The treaty - adopted by a vote of 122 in favour to one against (Netherlands), with one abstention (Singapore) - prohibits a full range of nuclear-weapon-related activities, such as undertaking to develop, test, produce, manufacture, acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, as well as the use or threat of use of these weapons.
According to media reports, the treaty will be open for signature to all States at UN Headquarters in New York on Wednesday 20 September, and enter into force 90 days after it has been ratified by at least 50 countries.
However, a number of countries stayed out of the negotiations, including the United States, Russia and other nuclear-weapon States, which are NATO members. North Korea also boycotted the talks (end) nk.gta