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Summary
With President Barack Obama presiding over a historic session, the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a U.S.-sponsored resolution Thursday committing all nations to work for a nuclear weapons-free world. Russia, China and developing nations supported the measure, giving it global clout and strong political backing. The resolution calls for stepped up efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, promote disarmament and reduce the risk of nuclear terrorism. It calls for better security for nuclear weapons materials and underscores the Security Council's intention to take action if such material or nuclear weapons get into the hands of terrorists. The historic resolution we just adopted enshrines our shared commitment to a goal of a world without nuclear weapons, Obama said immediately after the vote. And it brings Security Council agreement on a broad framework for action to reduce nuclear dangers as we work toward that goal. Obama said the resolution reflects the nuclear agenda he outlined in his April speech in Prague when he declared his commitment to a world without nuclear weapons. He also strongly backed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, or NPT, which requires signatory nations not to pursue nuclear weapons in exchange for a commitment by the five nuclear powers to move toward nuclear disarmament. States without nuclear weapons are guaranteed access to peaceful nuclear technology for electricity generation. All those measures are included in the draft resolution. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that our main shared goal is to untie the problem knots among nations seeking nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament.
