UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday that global concerns over nuclear weapons were now at the highest they had been since the Cold War.

Guterres spoke alongside Nursultan Nazarbayev, the President of Kazakhstan, at a Security Council meeting on non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

The Security Council meeting today on the theme of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction: confidence-building measures was convened by Kazakhstan in its capacity as the President of the Security Council for the month of January.

He said: “The threats posed by weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery are taking place in an environment of increasing military budgets and the over-accumulation of weapons.

“And they are coupled with a serious growth in regional tensions.

“In such a geopolitical context, confidence-building measures that support arms control, non-proliferation and the elimination of weapons of mass destruction are extremely important.

“By increasing understanding of others’ positions and allowing information sharing on, for example, military budgets, strategic outlooks and troop movements, they can help to decrease tension and avert conflict.”

Gurerres called for comprehensive political solutions that include dialogue and negotiation to prevent, mitigate and resolve conflicts.

The UN chief stressed that in cases involving weapons of mass destruction, “verifiable disarmament and non-proliferation” efforts were critical.

He, however, warned that confidence could be undermined by “bellicose rhetoric, confrontational approaches, the absence of communication channels, and inflexible positions”.

The UN chief underscored the importance effective verification mechanisms ”from the ground-breaking verification protocols of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, to the invaluable work undertaken by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, verification builds confidence”.

The Secretary-General also expressed his belief that UN could play a central role in assisting its Member States to develop, augment and support confidence-building measures.

According to him, the position of the UN as an “honest broker” allows it to serve as a venue in which all parties can engage in dialogue. (NAN)

– Jan.  18, 2018 @ 19:59 GMT