UN has released the first draft of nuclear ban treaty to legally prohibit nuclear weapons. The draft released by the Chair of the UN conference negotiating the ban, Costa Rican UN ambassador Elayne Whyte Gomez, in Geneva yesterday denounces the use of nuclear weapons as a violation of international humanitarian law.
It says nations should make every effort to prevent their future use. The text would require states to pledge never to use nuclear weapons, but also never to develop, produce, acquire, possess, stockpile, transfer or test them. It rejects the concept of nuclear deterrence promoted by nuclear-armed countries.
The next round of negotiations on the treaty will begin on June 15th. Meanwhile, the major nuclear-armed states have not participated in the talks. Nor have countries that rely on US nuclear deterrence for protection, including Japan.
