AS REVIEW CONFERENCE FOR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY CLOSES WITHOUT AGREEMENT,

SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS VITAL OPPORTUNITY MISSED TO STRENGTHEN SECURITY

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General very much regrets that the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) closed today without substantive agreement, noting that the States parties missed a vital opportunity to strengthen our collective security against the many nuclear threats to which all States and all peoples are vulnerable.

While the vast majority of NPT States parties recognize the Treaty’s enduring benefits, the Secretary-General warns that their inability to strengthen their collective efforts is bound to weaken the Treaty and the broader NPT-based regime over time.  He notes that States will have a unique opportunity to renew those efforts in September, when more than 170 heads of State and government convene in New York to adopt a wide-ranging agenda to advance development, security and human rights.  He challenges leaders to use that opportunity to make bold commitments and address the pressing challenges to which the Review Conference could not provide answers.

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