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Part One of Two - General Assembly Would Call For Immediate, Urgent Steps To Reduce Unintentional Nuclear Weapons Use, According To One Of 21 Texts Approved In First Committee; In 14 Recorded Votes, Members Approve Drafts on, among Others, Missiles, Outer Space Arms Race, Renewed Determination to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons.

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M2 PRESSWIRE-31 October 2007-United Nations: Part One of Two - General Assembly Would Call For Immediate, Urgent Steps To Reduce Unintentional Nuclear Weapons Use, According To One Of 21 Texts Approved In First Committee; In 14 Recorded Votes, Members Approve Drafts on, among Others, Missiles, Outer Space Arms Race, Renewed Determination to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons(C)1994-2007 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

RDATE:30102007

Considering that the hair-trigger alert of nuclear weapons carried unacceptable risks, the General Assembly would call for immediate and urgent steps to reduce the dangers of those weapons unintentional and accidental use, according to one of 19 draft resolutions and two draft decisions approved today by the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security).

That draft resolution, entitled Reducing nuclear danger, would have the Assembly call for the five nuclear-weapon States to take steps towards de-alerting and de-targeting their nuclear weapons. The Assembly would call on Member States to take the necessary measures to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons and to promote nuclear disarmament, with the objective of eliminating nuclear weapons. The Committee approved that draft resolution by a recorded vote of 113 in favour to 50 against, with 13 abstentions. (For details of the vote, see Annex VII.)

Also today, the Committee approved a draft that would call for practical steps, as agreed to at the 2000 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty, to be taken by all nuclear-weapon States that would lead to nuclear disarmament in a way that promoted international stability.

Taking note of the unilateral declarations made by all the nuclear-weapon States on their policies of non-use or non-threat of use of nuclear weapons against the non-nuclear-weapon States, the General Assembly would reaffirm by that text the urgent need for an effective international arrangement to assure non-nuclear-weapon States against the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons, according to a draft resolution approved by a recorded vote of 120 in favour to 1 against (United States), with 54 abstentions. (See Annex XII.)

The Assembly, determined to pursue practical steps for systematic and progressive efforts to implement article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons would call for, among other things, nuclear-weapon States to make further efforts to reduce their nuclear arsenals unilaterally, increase transparency with regard to nuclear weapons capabilities, as a voluntary confidence-building measure, and support further progress in nuclear disarmament. The draft resolution was approved by a recorded vote of 103 in favour to 53 against, with 15 abstentions (See Annex V.)

Turning to the prevention of an arms race in outer space, the Committee approved a draft resolution that would have the Assembly call upon all States, in particular those with major space capabilities, to contribute actively to the objective of the peaceful use of outer space and of the prevention of an arms race in outer space and to refrain from actions contrary to that objective and to the relevant existing treaties in the interest of maintaining international peace and security and promoting international cooperation. It was approved by a recorded vote of 170 in favour, to 1 against ( United States), with 1 abstention ( Israel) (See Annex XIII.)

The Committee, approving a draft on conventional arms control at the regional and subregional levels by a recorded vote of 167 in favour to 1 against (India), with 1 abstention (Bhutan), would have the Assembly decide to give urgent consideration to those issues, and further request the Conference on Disarmament to consider creating a framework for regional agreements on conventional arms control (See Annex XIV.)

Also by recorded votes, the Committee approved draft texts on missiles (see Annex VI); a convention on the prohibition of the use of nuclear weapons (see Annex VIII); the follow-up to...

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