UN votes to start negotiating treaty to ban nuclear weapons

[bananas]

Source: Guardian

United Nations member states have voted overwhelmingly to start negotiations on a treaty to ban nuclear weapons, despite strong opposition from nuclear-armed nations and their allies.

In the vote in the UN disarmament and international security committee on Thursday, 123 nations were in favour of the resolution, 38 opposed and 16 abstained.

<snip>

Professor Tilman Ruff, founding chair of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons and co-president of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, said the vote was a “historic step” for the world that “heralds an end to two decades of paralysis in multilateral nuclear disarmament”.

“The numbers are especially encouraging given the ferocious pressure on countries to vote no by the nuclear-armed states, who see that this will fundamentally challenge their continued possession of nuclear weapons,” he said.

<snip>

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/28/un-votes-to-start-negotiating-treaty-to-ban-nuclear-weapons

[bananas]

1. Congratulations to Helen Caldicott, Martin Hellman, and all the rest who worked on this issue. nt

[Jim__]

3. This is an important step in the right direction.

However, it is a single step on a long road, and, unfortunately, it is a step that is opposed by the US.

[cstanleytech]

4. Ya good luck getting

the U.S., China, Russia, India, Pakistan, UK, France, Israel and North Korea to agree to it.

[Archae]

5. I know this is a good idea, but...

All it takes is just one, maybe more to make their own nukes, in some dictatorship.

[tymorial]

6. I love it but...

"despite strong opposition from nuclear-armed nations and their allies" = Veto

[mnhtnbb]

7. My husband was at the UN last week lobbying representatives to vote in favor of this

He was with the PSR group--Physicians for Social Responsibility--that he has belonged to for many years that has opposed
the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

[Duppers]

8. This DUer appreciates all his efforts.

Bless him! - I'm not religious but cannot think of a better phrase.

[mnhtnbb]

9. I will tell him. He'll be pleased to know his efforts are appreciated!

[bananas]

11. Tell him thanks from me too! nt

[philosslayer]

10. Good. As the country that first opened this Pandoras box

We should take the lead and get rid of our nuclear weapons. The rest of the world would likely follow our lead and we could rid the world of this scourge forever.

[EX500rider]

13. "The rest of the world would likely follow our lead"

Yes I am sure China, Russia, Pakistan, Israel, India and North Korea would follow......said no one ever..
Some of those countries would love to have a non-nuclear US to push around and blackmail.
God I would hate to think what Russian or Chinese foreign policy would look like as sole nuclear powers.
Sorry this is a silly pipe dream, you can not get the genie back in the bottle no matter how much you wish.

[bananas]

12. PDF of the resolution

4 pages long:
http://reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/1com/1com16/resolutions/L41.pdf

excerpt:

8. Decides to convene in 2017 a United Nations conference to negotiate a
legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total
elimination;

9. Encourages all Member States to participate in the conference;

10. Decides that the conference shall convene in New York, under the rules
of procedure of the General Assembly unless otherwise agreed by the conference,
from 27 to 31 March and from 15 June to 7 July 2017, with the participation and
contribution of international organizations and civil society representatives;

11. Also decides that the conference will hold a one-day organizational
session in New York as soon as possible;