China, the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Russia, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, signed this Monday (3) a joint commitment to prevent a nuclear war and the spread of nuclear weapons.
In a statement, the heads of state and government of these countries expressed their willingness to “work with all states to create a security environment that will lead to further progress in the area of disarmament.”
The text was released on the same day that multilateral talks to save the nuclear deal with Iran resumed in Vienna.
The five nuclear powers said that such a war “can never be won and must never be fought”.
“Given the far-reaching consequences of using nuclear weapons, we also assert that nuclear weapons, although they exist, must serve defensive, deterrent and war-preventing purposes. We are firmly convinced of the need to prevent the spread of such weapons”, states the text.
Released before the 10th review conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons scheduled for this year, the communiqué underscores the determination of the parties to respect the obligations arising from the pact.
Each of the five countries, according to the text, guaranteed that it intends to maintain and reinforce its national measures to prevent the unauthorized or unintentional use of nuclear weapons.
The ultimate goal, according to the note, is “a world free of nuclear weapons” without diminishing security for everyone.
The Vienna round of talks on Iran, which is resuming after a three-day break due to the end-of-the-year festivities, involves delegations from Iran, Russia, China, France, the UK and Germany, as well as the US indirectly through of intermediaries.
The aim is to restore the agreement known as the JCPOA, signed in 2015, which in exchange for lifting sanctions against Iran imposed a series of limitations on the country’s nuclear program to ensure that it cannot develop atomic weapons.
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