A major UN conference in Vienna on the ban on atomic bombs echoed around the world. Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg expressed confidence that the nuclear weapons ban that has been in place since last year will eventually prevail.
The agreement, which Austria played a key role in drafting, has now been ratified by 63 countries and signed by a further 23. Nuclear powers such as the US are opposing the treaty and are exerting enormous pressure on the allied states not to sign the agreement. Nevertheless, Berlin sent observers to the conference in Vienna. Even that the US had tried to prevent.
The conference with delegates from more than 80 countries received a lot of attention from the Japanese media. So far, Japan has been the only casualty of nuclear weapons in the war. A large majority of the population therefore supports a ban on nuclear weapons, but the government does not do so because of its dependence on the US.
The UN Secretary-General, the Portuguese António Guterres, warned in a video message from the UN headquarters in New York that the earth would be destroyed by the arsenal of 13,000 nuclear weapons.
“The goal is a world without nuclear weapons,” Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said in his opening address. “We don’t expect results overnight. But we have to start somewhere.” It is about slowly and step by step expanding the circle of countries that legally commit themselves to banning nuclear weapons.
Never since the end of the Cold War has the threat of nuclear escalation been greater than now, Schallenberg added, citing the war in Ukraine and nuclear threats from Russia.
And Peter Maurer, chairman of the International Committee of the Red Cross, added: “When a nuclear weapon detonates in a populated area, no one can adequately address the humanitarian emergency and the consequences for people and the environment. Nuclear weapons always affect the population indiscriminately, cause unspeakable suffer and violate international law of war.”
Source: Krone
I’m an experienced news author and editor based in New York City. I specialize in covering healthcare news stories for Today Times Live, helping to keep readers informed on the latest developments related to the industry. I have a deep understanding of medical topics, including emerging treatments and drugs, the changing laws that regulate healthcare providers, and other matters that affect public health.
