The five member countries of the Security Council (United States, China, Russia, United Kingdom and France) pledged, Monday, January 3, to "prevent the continued dissemination" of nuclear weapons.

These countries are also the five states legally recognized as "equipped with nuclear weapons" by the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Three other countries holding the atomic bomb - India, Pakistan and Israel - have always refused to sign the NPT, yet respected by 191 states.

North Korea, for its part, denounced this treaty.

In the midst of negotiations with Iran, suspected of wanting to acquire the atomic bomb, these five nuclear powers underline their "desire to work with all States to put in place a security environment allowing further progress to be made in terms of disarmament, with the ultimate objective of a world free of nuclear weapons, "said the French presidency, which has been coordinating the work of these countries for two years.

This statement is issued ahead of the UN-sponsored 10th Review Conference of the Parties to the NPT, scheduled for this year. 

Strengthen national measures against the military use of nuclear power

"We affirm that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought," say the five signatory countries.

"In view of the far-reaching consequences that the use of nuclear weapons would have, we also affirm that they, as long as they exist, must serve for defensive purposes, deterrence and prevention of war", add -they.

"Each of us intends to maintain and further strengthen our national measures intended to prevent the unauthorized or unintentional use of nuclear weapons," the text continues.

Westerners suspect Iran of seeking to develop, using the technology of its satellite launchers, long-range ballistic launchers capable of carrying conventional or nuclear charges.

Negotiations resumed in December in Vienna to relaunch the 2015 agreement on its nuclear program, which became moribund after the United States' withdrawal in 2018.

With AFP

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