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UN's nuclear disarmament conference may sink over Pakistan's reluctance: Ban-ki Moon
Islamabad maintains it will not enter any nuclear negotiations which tip the balance of power in India's favour.
UN secretary general says that Pakistan's reluctance to discuss disarmament threatens to derail efforts. PHOTO: AFP
GENEVA: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned on Tuesday that the UN Conference on Disarmament could fail because of a three-year stalemate over Pakistan’s reluctance to discuss nuclear power.
“Today, this distinguished body is no longer living up to expectations,” Ban said at the first of three public sessions scheduled this year, in a speech read out by the top UN official in Geneva, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
“The tide of disarmament is rising, yet the Conference on Disarmament is in danger of sinking,” Ban warned the delegates from 65 countries. “Let us restore the conference to the central role it can and must play in strengthening the rule of law in the field of disarmament.”
The UN chief lamented that the practice of deciding by consensus “is currently used as a de facto veto power to stall every attempt to break the impasse.”
“The future of the conference is in the hands of member states,” Ban said, urging the immediate start of nuclear negotiations.
Citing national security, Pakistan has since May 2009 balked at implementing a work programme established by the UN conference, blocking the resumption of nuclear talks.
Taking advantage of a new climate established by US President Barack Obama, the conference emerged in May 2009 from 12 years of obscurity, adopting for the first time since 1996 a programme of negotiations on fissile materials and weapons.
Since then the reluctance of Pakistan to accept a possible treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons has prevented the conference moving forward.
In recent years authorities in Islamabad said they did not wish to enter into negotiations on a treaty which they say endorses an “asymmetry” of nuclear power between Pakistan and its arch-rival India.
The council ends its first session of this year on March 30.
Reader Comments (52)
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when ever they see pakistan is doing better then india like nuke race,now they want us to do disarmament ,60 years old case is still in panding in the UN like kashmmier /palastine..
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Mr. Ban ki Moon, you have been a failure as UN Secretary General. All you have done is follow Washington’s orders rather than take a firm sttand against injustices in the world. The Palestinians in Gaza are starving because of Israeli blockade and yet you have not had the courage or decency to call a spade a spade. The Libyan resolution was for a no fly zone and yet you watched NATO bomb Triploi and other cities and not a word came out of your mouth. Mr. Ban ki Moon, you have disgraced the U.N and sooner you quit the better, let alone talk about a lopsided nuclear agreement.
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Has he mentioned Israel?
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First Pakistan should get the permanent seat of the Security Council and any other matter should be taken up thereafter.
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Why doesnt Israel come to mind of the world when they discuss disarming nuclear nations?
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@Saboor: Of course not! These restrictions are only applicable to Pakistan and may be Iran etc. Frankly, Pakistan should continue to refuse, and let this sham come to an end.
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your are awesome ET , you are …………(no comments)
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they should just accept that we are a nuclear state, and it is to stay that way
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More bad press for Pakistan — maybe you should work on that?
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All the laws applied only to muslims countries shame on U.N.O
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@aka: Tell me one, just one parameter that we are doing better than India?
@Ali Siddiqui: There is a proverb, “First Deserve and then Desire”, India has well proved itself worthy of the coveted seat. Just get out of your house and see the condition of this country, its economy, its society, its values, its politicians and military.. and then dream.
In my opinion what he said have lot of weight if only we are able to remove the false lens we have been made to wear and think critically.
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@Mohammad Ali Siddiqui:
Oh yes, Pakistan should get a permanent seat with veto at the UN, right after Lesotho and Andorra.
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Moon face, let’s make a deal, nuke treaty for Kashmir plebiscite, permanent seat in Security Council and NWS.status. Is it a deal? Consult your masters. No freebies period.
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Country is sinking under defense expenses, people are hungry, inflation is on rise but what sorry state of affairs, so many people of my land are die hard fan of jingoism and national security policy, Wake up man, in this 21 century, countries compete with each other on the basis of strong economy, and talented and skilled work force, not on the heap of weapons. Gone are the days of holy wars, pls come out of making castles in the air. Huge expenses on national security is neither going to save us nor make u advance as a developed nation.
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Starving man having gun on his own head. Well done Pak.
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bring it on nuclear suppliers group n deal… there is no free lunch
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Self Defence is an HONOURABLE thing. Unability to defend, is an invitation for aggression.
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@Mohammad Ali Siddiqui:
Please explain why Pakistan “deserves” to have a Permanent Seat on the UN Security Council!
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Where do you indians come up with the shear audacity to say starving country !!!!!
You, Indians of all people, telling others they are starving when 700 million in your country live on less than 2$ a day. Please.
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@Cautious:
There are quite a lot from India too – may you should be concerned of that
@Singh:
surrounded by bunch of hate filled opportunists, I say its good to be ready
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Solve Kashmir issue first, as per UN Resolutions.
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@Ali Tanoli:
It is the weakness of Muslim countries!
If they get united today, and don’t worry about material benefits from west, they can restore their dignity and rights.
A COWARD DIES HUNDRED TIMES BEFORE DEATH.
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United nations is a platform of Israel and Americans to pursue their agenda. Rest assured Pakistan will remain a nuclear power till the end of times, no matter what you do. Recommend
Honestly, nukes, who needs them, can’t use them, they don’t feed anyone, they don’t generate normal jobs and need to be kept secure. If used are toxic in the extreme, even a thousand kilometers away.
Here is a weird piece of trivia, every single human on earth has particles from Chernobyl in their bodies? That was not even a weapon.
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Double standards
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Many indian muslims have told me how deprived they are even in India. I can imagine how it would be for our Kashmiri brothers and sisters under the armed occupation.
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well thats tit for tat………. u push us against the wall……… alrite…….. we’ll push u away from us……….. its just perfectly normal and legal…………we’ll see how u manage without a nuclear state in the loop………
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when ever they see pakistan is doing better then india like nuke race,now they want us to do disarmament ,60 years old case is still in panding in the UN like kashmmier /palastine..Recommend
This is all Propaganda to weaken us against our Enemies & Allah’s enemies, whom we know not completely, but whom Allah does know!
Somebody please refer to elderly migratees from India;
the way Hindus & Sikhs treated, butchered our people in-humanly to the extent of cutting limbs, ears, breasts, even took out un-born kids of pregnant women;
people had taken refuge in between dead bodied to save themselves from being identified as alive.
Still we talk about making them Most Favourite Nation, without remembering the past!
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UNO is a fake organization.. No Muslim can be its General Secretary (can be from Muslim Country).
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Yeah What about UN resolutions about Kashmir..
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@Graham:
May be you are unaware of the History.. US use it on Japan for your kind information. Why didn’t US disarm itself first???
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It’s UNO or USO????
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@Vigilant:
Its definitely USO..
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@Waqas Butt:
Most of educated families which follow family planning are actually well off in India. Muslims included.
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@Saboor:
No. But, Israel doesn’t have a history of military coups or nuclear peddling either.
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@Salman Sheikh:
I think your general knowledge is very very poor. Look back… The one from Egypt…..
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@Waqas Butt:
If one creates a cricket team how will one man’s income suffice. look at how the population has grown. Will it be sustainable…..Pls think
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@Yuri Kondratyuk:
What??? Israel does not have history of peddling???…..New information…..World must update their history records……thanks for opening our eyes……
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@Yuri Kondratyuk:
& please does not tell me that it wasn’t Israel who provided nuclear know how to South Africa…..& Israel was not the one who did the nuclear test in South Africa….
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@numbersnumbers: well because of its contribution to the UN in humanitarian, military, peacekeeping and many other resolutions they have taken part in, they deserve a seat in the UN because they represent the muslim world, they deserve a seat because it is a responsible nuclear armed state, becuase of the contribution they have made fighting terrorism, because they are associated from the middle east to far east to the west
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@Yuri Kondratyuk: israel still is a nuclear power, so if disarment should be on the table then it should be for every one, military coups has nothing to do with this debate, btw military only moves in when there is a natiion security problem, that the present government doesnt do any thing about it, then the army has to move in before its too late.
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@soldier:
You say “Because Pakistan represents the Muslim World” !!! I would bet that other MORE STABLE Muslim countries would disagree with that statement!
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A piece of American Wosdom: Speak Softly but carry a Big Stick
Do not get enticed, seduced, charmed into, captivated by, tempted, provoked, impelled, cuddled, spooned, or simply bullied into GIVING UP THE STICK.
Remember, if you having a stick is bad, them having a stick is equally bad, Remember you have a small stick, they carry a much bigger one. Look at the calculation, if with you present small stick you can do them 10% damage, and they with their larger stick can do you 90% damage; their idea is to catch you WITHOUT A STICK, and then hurry you your GOD. Recommend
There is a saying: Strong Fenses make good neighbours. Remember Fenses also includes Strong (DE-)FENSES.
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@Singh:
Will you say the same thing when Britishers were the occupation force here in Sub Continent???
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Can we just talk about PAKISTAN and PAKISTANIS here please without dragging Muslims and Muslim countries into the debate? This issue is only about Pakistan and neither another Muslim country nor a Muslim bomb. Lets get real here.
The war in Afghanistan is a proxy war to keep the world super power on our doorstep “just in case”. And while you are at it remember Obama’s war cry to “take out Pakistan” and their Nuclear Arsenal (before he became the President). Anyone remember that one?
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I can see few comments here that address the obvious. Nuclear weapons destroy lives, the environment, create dangerous situations politically and contrary to popular belief do not make any country safer. When I visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan I saw what horrors nuclear weapons unleash on humanity. Funnily enough, noone there thought being a nuclear state was in any way a mark of strength and power-in fact they thoguht they opposite. Relinquishing nuclear weaponry and choosing the peaceful alternative is the stronger thing to do. I wonder which the Prophet (PBUH) would advocate, the creation of a weapon of mass destruction or peaceful non vioent resistance and negototiation. Go on, ask your heart.
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@Palwesha: “When I visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan I saw what horrors nuclear weapons unleash on humanity. Funnily enough, noone there thought being a nuclear state was in any way a mark of strength and power-in fact they thoguht they opposite.”
Did you ask them if they would have thought the same way if Japan too possessed nukes in 1945?
“Go on, ask your heart.”
No thank you; I’d much rather ask my brain.
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@Mehran:
MY DEAR ITS MILITARY MIGHT DUE TO WHICH U.S. CONTINUES TO BE A BULLY,…..ECONIMICALLY IT IS A SECOND RATE POWER…GET UR FACTS RIGHT.
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When it comes to nuclear disarmament, the first issue to be considered the root cause of making bomb. I think between India and Pakistan the root cause of the conflict is Kashmir. I would candidly say that Mr. Ban Ki Moon should emphasize more to implement the UN resolution on Kashmire rather calling only Pakistan to agree to disarmament. When Pakistan and India will settle the dispute peacefully then he should try to solve India and China issue and slowly and gradually should convince US and other international players to start disarmament including Israel, of course after implementing the UN resolution on Phalistine. This unilateral calling for disarmament will not bear any fruit instead it will be just a wastage of time to discuss an issue which will not have any result.
Why not every country start respecting others existence and implement the only two pending UN resolutions one on Kashmire and other on Phalistine. Its completly unjust not to implement the UN resolutions which are concerning the Muslims and implement all others which are concerning Christians or any other religion.
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when young country get there freedom and there neighber tell them enjoy ur freedom for 6 months and u be are ,better or no better we still here is 60 years ,60 years is nothing by friend when we was sepret from india we have only one factorey ,we have lot to see and we servive and we will,pakisatn is a young country.for give my
spelling iam not that good at it.that why we are speding more money to r defence,any thing happen to india or us or eu ,pakistan did it.we have long way to go.and we have to see hard time,DO NOT COMPAIRE PAKISAN TO INDIA.WHOLE WORLD STAND W/INDIA AND WE ARE ALONE,BUT WE ARE SEVIVAL AND ALLAH WANT WE WILL.
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