2017 March 15 - 21 [
PEACE]
‘Mayors for Peace’ calls on nuclear weapons states to join UN talks on NWC
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The Mayors for Peace consisting of more than 7,200 cities in 162 countries and regions worldwide in its open letter appealed to nuclear weapons states to take part in the UN conference to negotiate a treaty to ban nuclear weapons which will begin late this month.
The open letter was published on March 14 by the global network of anti-nuke mayors whose cities combined have a population of over one billion. In the letter, the organization expressed its determination anew to achieve the common aim of banning and eliminating nuclear weapons. It also expresses respect to all the nations that will participate in the conference scheduled for March 27 in New York City.
The document states that the most pressing need is to establish a measure to prevent nations from possessing nuclear weapons. It emphasizes the importance to take the step to achieve the goal of creating a world free from the scourge of nuclear weapons and pointed out, “A legal prohibition of nuclear weapons is the crucial step and it will mark a significant and essential turning point in achieving this goal.”
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Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on March 13 in an NPT-related meeting held in Jakarta said that as long as nuclear weapons exist, the world will maintain the risk of a nuclear catastrophe with the use of these weapons and that the goal should be the total elimination of such arms. She noted that it is high time to implement an international treaty to ban nuclear weapons.
The Japan Times on March 14 reported that Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz called on the Japanese government to take part in negotiations for a Nuclear Weapons Convention and said, “Japan, as the world’s sole atomic-bombed nation, has a moral voice and can give an invaluable opinion on the issue of nuclear disarmament”.
Past related articles:
> ‘Mayors for Peace’ calls for government effort to realize NWC [November 25, 2016]
> ‘Mayors for Peace’ network resolves to cooperate with Hibakusha-led signature drive [November 12, 2016]