Humanity is 'one misunderstanding' away from 'nuclear annihilation', says UN chief
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivers remarks before the conference of signatories to the 2022 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) at the United Nations General Assembly on Monday, August 1.
AP - Yuki Iwamura
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
Such "
nuclear danger has not been known since the height of the Cold War
", said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the opening of a conference of the 191 signatory countries of the non-proliferation treaty. nuclear.
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Describing crises that are "
escalating, with nuclear overtones
", from the Middle East to the Korean Peninsula and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Antonio Guterres widely expressed fears of escalation.
“
We have been extraordinarily lucky so far.
But luck is not a strategy or a shield to prevent geopolitical tensions from escalating into nuclear conflict
,” he said at the opening of a conference of the 191 signatories to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty ( NPT).
"
Today, humanity is at a misunderstanding, a miscalculation of nuclear annihilation
", he hammered, believing that such a "
nuclear danger has not been known since the height of the cold war
”.
"
Humanity is in danger of forgetting the lessons of the terrifying conflagration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
," added the UN chief, who will travel to Hiroshima in a few days for the anniversary of the bombardment.
A concern shared by the president of this conference, the Argentinian Gustavo Zlauvinen.
The conference is being held until August 26 at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Eliminate nuclear weapons
This meeting of the parties to the NPT, postponed several times since 2020 due to Covid-19, is an "
opportunity to strengthen this treaty and bring it into line with today's world
", declared Antonio Guterres, hoping for a reaffirmation of the non-use of nuclear weapons, but also “
new commitments
” to reduce the arsenal.
“
Eliminating nuclear weapons is the only guarantee that they will never be used
.
»
“
Nearly
13,000 nuclear weapons are stored in arsenals around the world.
At a time when the risks of proliferation are growing and the safeguards to prevent this escalation are weakening
", he insisted, referring in particular to the "
crises
" in the Middle East, on the Korean peninsula and the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
In January, the five members of the Security Council (the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom and France), also nuclear powers, had pledged to "
prevent the further dissemination
" of nuclear power, just before a new postponement of the review conference.
(
With
AFP)
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UN
Nuclear
Diplomacy
Antonio Guterres