CAPE TOWN, July 14 (Xinhua) -- The South African government on Friday welcomed the adoption of a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons, calling it "a historic achievement".
"The adoption of the Treaty Prohibiting Nuclear Weapons is a historic achievement given that the elimination of weapons of mass destruction has been on the multilateral agenda for more than 70 years since the adoption of the very first resolution by the UN General Assembly in 1946," the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said in a statement.
A UN conference in New York adopted the treaty on July 7, the first multilateral legally-binding instrument for nuclear disarmament to have been negotiated in 20 years.
The treaty, adopted by a vote of 122 in favour to one against (Netherlands), with one abstention (Singapore), prohibits a full range of nuclear-weapon-related activities, such as undertaking to develop, test, produce, manufacture, acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, as well as the use or threat of use of these weapons.
South Africa believes that this new treaty will establish a powerful international norm against nuclear weapons and will complement other relevant instruments such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation (NPT), DIRCO spokesperson Clayson Monyela said.
While South Africa notes the concerns and reservations expressed by some of the nuclear-armed states as to the potential effectiveness of such a treaty, the status quo and ongoing impasse in negotiations on nuclear weapons are not sustainable, said Monyela.
The danger of a nuclear war regrettably remains a lingering threat to human survival and continued inaction by the international community is inexcusable, he said.
South Africa wants nuclear-armed states to accelerate the fulfillment of their nuclear disarmament obligations and related commitments, including the unequivocal undertaking under the NPT towards the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals, said Monyela.
"Failure to do so could well undermine the credibility of the nuclear non-proliferation regime," Monyela said.
South Africa is the first country in the world to have developed and then eliminated its nuclear arsenal.
Given this unique history, South Africa is honoured to have been able to make a meaningful contribution towards the process leading up to the negotiations, as well as during the actual negotiations during March and June/July this year, said Monyela.
"We will continue to engage with all States towards the negotiation of other instruments and measures that will be required to secure a nuclear weapons-free world," he said.
