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Posted 3:16 PM
by Mary
With aim of nuke-free world, UN Security Council adopts anti-atomic resolution
UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- A historic resolution enhancing efforts toward nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation was unanimously adopted on Thursday at a special meeting of the United Nations Security Council chaired by U.S. President Barack Obama.
"I called for this one so that we may address at the highest level fundamental threat to all peoples and all nations, the spread and use of nuclear weapons," said Obama.
This is the fist time a U.S. president has chaired a Council meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the annual debate of the UN General Assembly. World leaders including Chinese President Hu Jintao and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown attended the special nuclear session --the fourth time such a meeting was convened in the six decades of UN history.
Resolution 1887 endorses nations to begin talks on nuclear arms reduction and to negotiate "a treaty on general and complete disarmament." The resolution does not single out any countries but Obama named Iran and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in reference to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
"We made it clear that the Security Council has both the authority and the responsibility to determine and respond as necessary when violations of this treaty threaten international peace and security," he said. "That includes full compliance with Security Council resolutions on Iran and North Korea. Let me be clear. This is not about singling out nations; it is about standing up for the rights of all nations who do live up to their responsibilities," he said.
But a well-placed senior UN diplomat told Xinhua that the resolution, while a welcome step, does not go far enough. It leaves out key points, most notably the establishment of a subsidiary body on non-proliferation and disarmament and support for reform of the 15-nation Council to make it more effective in responding to violations of international obligations.
In his statement, Obama acknowledged the resolution acted more as "a broad framework for action." Also lacking is any demand for a halt in the production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons by all states possessing nuclear arsenals. Instead, it urges nations attending the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva to negotiate a treaty banning the production of weapons-grade plutonium and uranium "as soon as possible."
The resolution also urges nations to strengthen the NPT, which has limited the spread of nuclear weapons. The NPT review conference in May will be an attempt to reinforce the treaty's three pillars: non-proliferation, nuclear disarmament and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
The next 12 months, said Obama, will be critical in determining whether Resolution 1887 is successful. For its part, he said, the United States is pushing a new agreement with Russia to substantially reduce strategic warheads and launch vehicles.
The United States will also ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which was being discussed just down the hall in the United Nations. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton led the American delegation at a two-day meeting to promote the entry into force of the CTBT, which turned 13 years old on Thursday.
The treaty has been signed by 181 nations and ratified by 149. Foreign ministers at the CTBT conference are expected to issue a final declaration calling upon countries to ratify the treaty.
"We harbor no illusions about the difficulty of bringing about a world without nuclear weapons," said Obama. "We know there are plenty of cynics and that there will be setbacks to prove their point."
"But there will also be days like today that push us forward, days that tell a different story," he said. "It is the story of a world that understands that no difference or division is worth destroying all that we have built and all that we love."
Labels: NPT, Obama
Posted 8:54 PM
by Mary
UN Special Rapporteur: CIA torture exemption 'illegal'
BBC: US President Barack Obama's decision not to prosecute CIA agents who used torture tactics is a violation of international law, a UN expert says.
The UN special rapporteur on torture, Manfred Nowak, says the US is bound under the UN Convention against Torture to prosecute those who engage in it.
Mr Obama released four "torture memos" outlining harsh interrogation methods sanctioned by the Bush administration.
Mr Nowak has called for an independent review and compensation for victims.
"The United States, like all other states that are part of the UN convention against torture, is committed to conducting criminal investigations of torture and to bringing all persons against whom there is sound evidence to court," Mr Nowak told the Austrian daily Der Standard.
The memos approved techniques including simulated drowning, week-long sleep deprivation, forced nudity, and the use of painful positions.
Mr Obama on Thursday said he would not prosecute under anti-torture laws CIA personnel who relied in good faith on Bush administration legal opinions issued after the 11 September attacks.
Mr Nowak - who is due to travel to Washington to meet with officials - said that could be a mitigating factor, but does not absolve those involved.
"The fact that you carried out an order doesn't relieve you of your responsibility," he was quoted as saying by AP news agency.
Mr Nowak, an Austrian law professor, said US courts could still try those suspected of carrying out torture, as Mr Obama has not sought an amnesty law for affected CIA personnel.
He called for an investigation by an independent commission before suspects were tried and said it was important that all victims receive compensation.
Human rights groups have criticised President Obama's decision to protect CIA interrogators, saying charges were necessary to prevent future abuses and hold people accountable.
President Obama banned the use of the controversial interrogation techniques in his first week in office.
Labels: Human Rights, Obama, torture
