Humanity is only “a misunderstanding” away from “nuclear annihilation”, the UN Secretary General warned on Monday, waking up a scent of the Cold War as the United States, United Kingdom and France called on Russia to put an end to its “nuclear rhetoric”.
Describing crises that are “escalating, with nuclear overtones”, from the Middle East to the Korean Peninsula and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Antonio Guterres widely expressed fears of escalation.
“We have been extraordinarily lucky so far. But luck is not a strategy or a shield to prevent geopolitical tensions from escalating into nuclear conflict,” he said at the opening of a conference of the 191 signatory countries of the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. nuclear weapons (NPT).
“Today, humanity is at a misunderstanding, a miscalculation of nuclear annihilation”, he hammered, believing that such a “nuclear danger has not been known since the height of the Cold War “.
“Humanity is in danger of forgetting the lessons of the terrifying conflagration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,” added the UN chief, who will be in Hiroshima on August 6 for the anniversary of the bombardment.
A concern shared by the president of this conference, which is being held until August 26 at the United Nations headquarters in New York. “The threat posed by nuclear weapons […] returned to the same level as during the Cold War,” said Argentinian Gustavo Zlauvinen.
“If we’ve learned anything from the pandemic, it’s that low-probability events can occur, with little notice or no notice, with catastrophic consequences for the world. It is the same for nuclear weapons,” he added.
This meeting of the parties to the NPT, postponed several times since 2020 due to Covid-19, is therefore an “opportunity to strengthen this treaty and bring it into line with today’s world”, declared Antonio Guterres, hoping a reaffirmation of the non-use of nuclear weapons, but also “new commitments” to reduce the arsenal.
unwinnable nuclear war
“Nearly 13,000 nuclear weapons are stored in arsenals around the world. At a time when the risks of proliferation are growing and the safeguards to prevent this escalation are weakening,” he insisted.
In January, the five members of the Security Council (the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom and France), also nuclear powers, had pledged to “prevent the further dissemination” of nuclear power, just before a new postponement of the review conference. And before the invasion of Ukraine.
On Monday, the United States, United Kingdom and France reaffirmed this commitment in a joint statement, repeating that “a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought”.
But they also pointed to “Russia’s unprovoked and illegal aggression against Ukraine”, calling on Moscow to respect its international commitments and “stop its nuclear rhetoric and its irresponsible and dangerous behavior”.
Russia, which announced that it had placed its nuclear forces on alert shortly after its offensive in Ukraine on February 24, continues to follow “the letter and the spirit” of the treaty, replied Vladimir Putin in a message published by the Kremlin, assuring also that “there can be no winners in a nuclear war”.
While many speeches on Monday referred to Russia’s behavior, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also denounced North Korea, “which continues to expand its illegal nuclear program”, and Iran, “which remains on the path of nuclear escalation”.
“So, we find ourselves here at a critical moment,” he insisted.
The NPT, which is reviewed every five years, aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, promote complete disarmament and promote cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
But at the last review conference in 2015, the parties could not reach agreement on substantive issues.
“Since then, the divisions of the international community have grown” and “the path to a world without nuclear weapons has become even more difficult”, regretted Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida from the podium. “Despite everything, giving up is not an option. »