SL backs UN talks to eliminate nuclear weapons

Sri Lanka would support the convening of a conference next year to negotiate a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons leading towards their total elimination, Ambassador to the UN in Geneva Ravinatha Aryasinha said.

He made these observations during an intervention by Sri Lanka at the third and final session of the General Assembly mandated Open – Ended Working Group (OEWG) on Taking Forward Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament Negotiations, held in Geneva last week.

During its final plenary meeting held on August 18, the group had adopted a report by vote, and recommend to the General Assembly to convene a conference in 2017 to negotiate a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons.

Expressing concern on the slow progress made over the decades on international multilateral nuclear disarmament efforts, Ambassador Aryasinha had noted that an agreement on a negotiation to eliminate nuclear weapons would ensure the fulfilment of the wish of the UN membership at large.

According to a statement issued by the Ambassador’s Office, he had said Sri Lanka together with the G- 21 members would continue to work in favour of a comprehensive nuclear weapons convention at the Conference on Disarmament.

“Sri Lanka considers that it is reasonable for the G-21 States to also extend support for other processes on nuclear disarmament such as the negotiation of a prohibition treaty, which can lead to the ultimate objective of complete elimination of nuclear weapons,” he said.

He further stressed that this is an opportunity for States to come up with concrete steps on multilateral nuclear disarmament.