 UNGA First Committee chair commends Gensuikyo's call for nuclear weapons abolition A Japan Council against A & H Bombs (Japan Gensuikyo) delegation on October 7 met with United nations Assembly first Committee Chair Luis Alfonso de Alba at the U.N. headquarters and handed him the collected signatures bearing the demand for the abolition of nuclear weapons. On receiving the signature, Alfonso de Alba, a Mexican diplomat who was among several government representatives participating in the 2004 World Conference against A & H Bombs, said that Gensuikyo's effort is very important for getting nuclear weapons abolished. He also said that he was striving to make it possible for NGOs to join the discussion at the UNGA First Committee in discussions of disarmament and other political issues. Pointing out that some nuclear powers are trying to undermine the promise they made to eliminate their nuclear arsenals at the 2000 Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty Review Conference , he stressed the need to work to further increase international support for the agreement. He added that the Mexican government has formally decided to sponsor a meeting of countries which are party to nuclear-free zone treaties prior to next year's NPT Review Conference. The Gensuikyo delegation was in New York from October 6-12 visiting permanent diplomatic missions of various countries. Presenting them with the "Declaration of the International Meeting" and the "Letter to Governments of the World", both adopted at the 2004 World Conference, the delegation requested them to join the global effort to abolish nuclear weapons. On October 7, the Gensuikyo delegation visited the Indonesian mission. The Indonesian ambassador signed the appeal "Abolish Nuclear Weapons Now!", stating that his country was in favor of the call for the "unequivocal undertaking" for the elimination of nuclear weapons to be implemented. Indonesia supports the demand that nuclear weapons states promise that they will not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons, he added. (end) |