ĦĦBEIJING, April 2 (Xinhuanet) -- An international conference on thedisarmament
agenda for the 21st century opened in Beijing Tuesday.
ĦĦĦĦSponsored by the United Nations and China's Foreign Ministry, the
conference was attended by over 40 senior governmental officials and scholars
from more than 20 countries.
ĦĦĦĦAddressing the opening ceremony, Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan said
that in a world with increasing threats to security, interdependence between
nations in dealing with this is continuously developing, and countries should
all aim to maintain their security through cooperation, dialogue, mutual trust
and development.
ĦĦĦĦUnder the present circumstances, it is vital to maintain the existing arms
control regulations and push forward the arms control and disarmament process,
Tang said, noting that seeking security through expanding unilateral military
defenses will make a disastrous impact on strategic international stability.
ĦĦĦĦIn recent years, the threat of terrorism has increased, and preventing
terrorist organizations from obtaining weapons of mass destruction has become a
new challenge in international nonproliferation efforts, Tang said, stressing
that the fundamental way to eliminate this threat is to establish a fair and
reasonable new international order, step up international cooperation and
improve international relations.
ĦĦĦĦ"It is an important task for the international community right now to give
full play to the role of the U.N. and other international organizations, and
establish a just, reasonable and effective multilateral non-proliferation system
involving all countries," Tang stressed.
ĦĦĦĦOuter space belongs to all mankind, and all men want to peacefully
explore it, Tang said, adding that advances in science and technology have made
it possible to explore and utilize its resources for the benefit of mankind.
ĦĦĦĦHowever, development of science and technology has
also made itpossible to make outer space a new battlefield, Tang warned, saying
that outer space is in danger of being weaponized, which will not only impede
its peaceful utilization but have a serious negative impact on international
security.
ĦĦĦĦ"The international community should negotiate and
conclude at an early date legally binding international instruments to
preventthe weaponization of and an arms race in the outer space," he suggested.
ĦĦĦĦTang added that as a developing country, China needs a
peacefulinternational environment for its economic development, and is ready to
work with other nations towards the safeguarding of international peace and
security.
ĦĦĦĦUnder-Secretary-General Jayantha Dhanapala of the U.N.
said in his opening remarks that the international disarmament process is at the
crossroads, and the direction in which it chooses to go will significantly
influence international peace and security.
ĦĦĦĦThe weapon-based security concept and unilateral
action have hindered and undermined international efforts towards disarmament
and nonproliferation, he said, adding that the international community should
maintain the present multilateral mechanism of arms control and
non-proliferation for world peace and security.
ĦĦĦĦHe called on the international community to solve
internationaldisputes peacefully in line with the United Nations Charter and the
Millennium Declaration.
ĦĦĦĦHe pointed out that nuclear powers once spent huge
amounts on the nuclear arms race in the past but they should now promote nuclear
disarmament.
ĦĦĦĦHe also said that to ensure that all mankind benefits
from the exploration of outer space, the international community should make an
all out effort to prevent a space arms' race. Enditem
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