Commemorating the International Day against Nuclear Tests today, delegates in the General Assembly evoked the catastrophic consequences and suffering caused by the testing and use of nuclear weapons, as they urged countries that have not done so to sign the Comprehensive Nuclear‑Test‑Ban Treaty.

MOSCOW, 5 September — The 2018 International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East opened here today, with journalists, policymakers and other experts examining progress in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict almost 25 years after the signing of the first Oslo Accord, as well as issues related to media coverage of the conflict, Palestine refugee narratives and the protection of journalists.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Nikki R. Haley (United States):

Despite progress being made, not only was the international community’s confidence in Syria’s full elimination of its chemical weapons programme dependent upon the United Nations being able to close outstanding issues, but the lack of an accountability mechanism was a missing step in taking to task those responsible for using chemical weapons, a senior United Nations disarmament official told the Security Council today.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

As the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH) prepares for the transition to a non-peacekeeping presence, beginning in October 2019, challenges, including the recent protest against planned fuel price hikes, continue to impede progress made, exposing the fragility of that country’s security and socioeconomic situation and demonstrating the need for strong rule of law legislation, a senior official told the Security Council today.

The United Nations peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan reports that a military court handed down lengthy sentences today after finding 10 Government soldiers guilty of violence against civilians at the Terrain Hotel in the capital, Juba, in July 2016.  In a statement, the Mission notes that the trial’s outcome sends a powerful message that other would-be offenders will be prosecuted and punished.

Following are UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ remarks at the General Assembly observance of the International Day against Nuclear Tests, in New York today:

The United Kingdom’s delegate, in an emergency session today, briefed the Security Council on her country’s decision to bring charges against two nationals of the Russian Federation in connection with the reported Salisbury nerve agent attack, prompting the latter to reject those allegations as a vehicle for “anti‑Russian hysteria” and part of a “post-truth world” crafted by Western countries.