The UN security Council under the German presidency : Maas requires new disarmament roadmap for nuclear weapons

German foreign Minister Heiko Maas has called for the UN security Council set a new timetable for nuclear disarmament. "Whether in Europe, Asia or anywhere else in the world: We cannot afford any more shocks to our security and stability more," he said on Tuesday before the main body of the United Nations in New York. "We need a roadmap that brings us back to the path of nuclear disarmament."

The SPD politician called the three elements: transparency of nuclear arsenals, development of control mechanisms, and new disarmament treaties.

"I think for sure, that a further reduction (of nuclear weapons) is possible without any loss of security," said Maas in the second meeting under his leadership, after Germany had taken over on Monday to chair the panel. "The United States and Russia can, and the number of its warheads and delivery systems should reduce further."

Recently, there has been in the nuclear arms opposite tendencies. The major nuclear powers such as the USA, Russia and China are modernizing their arsenals and make-ready. The termination of the INF Treaty on the prohibition of nuclear medium-range missiles between the US and Russia, the United States has stoked fears that it could lead to a new nuclear armament spiral. The notice period runs until 2. August.

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Maas appeared before the security Council meeting skeptical that the important disarmament Treaty can be saved until then. Russia and the USA, it's also about the prohibition for other nuclear powers like China and North Korea accepted, he said. These countries include, but "not easy".

The foreign Minister warned, is to fall into a new upgrade logic. "The world peace is threatened by nuclear weapons," he said. "The Cold war is over, the Warsaw Pact no longer exists, the wall in Germany." In this respect, you could not respond to the current challenges with the responses from the last century.

Since 1970, the nuclear non-proliferation Treaty

The security Council is well-known in a joint statement to the since 1970, applicable to the nuclear non-proliferation Treaty, a kind of basis of agreement on nuclear arms control. The nuclear powers commit themselves to disarmament. At the same time is prohibited to the States without nuclear weapons to acquire. In the coming year, a Review conference of the Treaty is to take place.

Germany had taken over on Monday for a month the presidency of the UN security Council. According to Maas, the second meeting under the German line was also the first since 2012, which dealt with the issue of nuclear disarmament.

possession of nuclear weapons is to protect from attacks

The 2017 two-thirds of the UN members adopted the Treaty for the prohibition of nuclear weapons does not want to join Germany. "Because this prohibition is only effective when those who have nuclear weapons, support this ban. This is not yet the case,“ said Maas. "That's why we want to bring, above all the United States, China, Russia, and others to this debate."

The ban Treaty is supported by some 120 of the 193 UN member States. The probably nine nuclear powers, as well as almost all Nato countries - including Germany - had already boycotted the negotiations. You are further to the principle of nuclear deterrence. Thereafter, the possession of nuclear weapons is to protect against even with weapons of mass destruction attacked.

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Germany takes over presidency of the security Council, foreign Minister Maas wants to argue global conflict prevention strengths

The proponents of the ban Treaty by 2017 with the strong symbolic effect of the agreement. In December 2017, the Anti-nuclear Alliance, Ican, representing 450 organisations, was awarded the Nobel peace prize for his year long efforts to a condition of the contract. (dpa)