Vatican reaffirms support for nuclear non-proliferation treaty at UN

(May 7, 2009) The Vatican's chief representative to the United Nations has set forth a series of steps that will move the world toward the goal of eventual nuclear disarmament. Speaking at the U.N. May 5, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, papal nuncio to the world body, reaffirmed the Vatican's support for the nuclear nonproliferation treaty in offering five "concrete, transparent and convincing" steps that could be achieved in "a short period of time" to demonstrate the world's willingness to end the threat that nuclear weapons pose. He called for: adherence to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which outlaws nuclear weapons testing; the immediate opening of negotiations on a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty that would prohibit the further production of weapons-grade uranium and plutonium; an end to reliance on nuclear weapons as a part of military policy among nuclear states; giving oversight of the peaceful use of nuclear energy to the International Atomic Energy Agency and expanding its role to include the non-proliferation side of the treaty; and developing an agreement on the production of nuclear fuel to meet growing energy needs, with the international atomic agency taking a leading role to ensure safety, security and fair access for all countries.