New York, 02/05/2000 (Agence Europe) - At the NPT Review Conference (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) in New York on 24 April, the five nuclear powers (United States, Russia, United Kingdom, France and China) adopted a joint statement by which they affirm that they remain firmly committed to meeting all obligations stemming from the Treaty.
"We reiterate our unequivocal commitment to the ultimate goals of a complete elimination of nuclear weapons and a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control", say the five nuclear powers, also undertaking to strengthen the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM) of 1972 - which, according to observers, aims in particular at indicating that the United States wants to negotiate with Russia on a modification of the treaty enabling them to deploy a national missile defence system, and not act unilaterally.
The British Ambassador to the UN, Sir Jeremy Greenstock, stressed that this was the first time the five nuclear powers had published a collective statement reaffirming their commitment to disarmament: this statement "was intended to give momentum to the latest review of the NPT", he remarked.