Putting forward a proposal for setting up nuclear weapon-free zones in South Asia and the Middle East, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged the world leaders to renounce nukes and empower people through ensuring their security and prosperity.
“Nuclear disarmament is a crucial issue for the survival of humanity and of our planet. I would, therefore, urge you all to renounce nuclear weapons, and to seek security and prosperity through the empowerment of people,” she said.
Hasina made the call while addressing the Plenary Session of the High Level Meeting of the General Assembly on Nuclear Disarmament at the Trusteeship Council Chamber of the UN Headquarters.
She said the Conference on Disarmament took another step towards creating a universal legal instrument to codify assurances against the use or threat of use of nuclear arsenal against non-nuclear states. These steps could stop nuclear proliferation and rid the risk of those falling in the hands of terrorists, she added.
“Another step should be the establishment, as an interim measure, of nuclear weapon-free zones as in South Asia and the Middle East,” Hasina said.
“These are possible with the ratification by the nuclear weapon states, of the related protocols to all treaties establishing such zones.”
These initial steps could be the beginning of diversion of colossal resources for nuclear weapons development and production to eradicate poverty and hunger and ensuring socio-economic development of mankind as a whole, she observed.
Living in close proximity to three nuclear powers, the prime minister said Bangladesh had good reasons to worry about these vicious weapons.
“Bangladesh believes that nuclear weapons can’t guarantee the ultimate security and peace. These can, on the other hand, be guaranteed by people enlightened through education, socio-economic progress, and preservation of democratic values, and realisation of human faculties by peaceful means.”
Hasina said there was no doubt that a price had to be paid for the promotion and the maintenance of peace. “But, we’re convinced that it’s much less than that of making nuclear weapons and fighting a war with these, and then going for peace.”
The prime minister said the Conference on Disarmament deadlocked for decades could then move forward easily to conclude a non-discriminatory, internationally and effectively verifiable treaty banning the production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons..
She said a world of contented and happy people would outright reject the acts of aggression, discover unity in their diversity, and embrace the culture of peace and fraternity. “It’s in this perspective that Bangladesh has been tabling resolution on the ‘Culture of Peace’ at every UNGA session.”
The premier said the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki shook the conscience of mankind and led to the adoption by the UN, soon after its creation, of its first resolution envisioning a world free of nuclear weapons, she said, adding that 67 years had passed since then and the resolution seemed as inadequate as ever.
Hasina said nuclear weapons were still being honed to make them more deadly, and still being stockpiled in large numbers.
“We’re proud that our Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, like many others, realised this danger and in his historic speech before this Assembly in 1974 appealed to spare the world from the scourge of nuclear war.”
Mentioning that the day’s meet would give all another chance to avoid the catastrophe, she asked, “Should we move towards a world haunted by the fear of decimation or towards a world of peace, security and socio-economic development enriching human civilisation with our ever increasing knowledge and discoveries?”
“We, the 185 non-nuclear weapon countries are unanimous in opting for the latter. Yet a handful of nuclear weapon states, insensitive to the security of the majority, tragically continue to choose the path of destruction,” she said.
She said valuable resources that could feed and provide decent lives to the deprived humanity were still being used to create yet more sophisticated nuclear weapons having power to annihilate the mankind.
“Could we for a brief moment ponder on the kind of world that we wish to leave for our children and grandchildren? If we do, a universal and spontaneous response would be to do away with all nuclear weapons, and establishment of a nuclear free world.”
Source: The Daily Star
