Syria Takes part in Vienna Conference on Dangers of Nuclear Weapons

VIENNA, (ST) _ Under the title “humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons” a conference was opened yesterday in Vienna, with Syria participation to discuss the dangers of nuclear weapons work for a world free of such weapons.

Austria Foreign Minister Sebastian Curtis warned in a speech during the conference opening session against the devastating effects of nuclear disaster caused by the possession of nuclear weapons, calling for further efforts to put an end to its dissemination.

Curtis explained that time has come to move to action for a world free of nuclear weapons, pointing out that there will be no winner of that war and its disastrous consequences, and everyone will be losers.

Curtis pointed out that the participation of 160 world countries at the Vienna conference to discuss the dangers of nuclear weapons is a clear sign to the importance of this issue for everyone, explaining that the use of nuclear weapons is still a reality and that this scenario can destroy humanity as a whole.

He welcomed the presence of both the US and Britain for the first time at the Vienna conference to discuss the dangers of nuclear weapons after refusing to participate in the two former conferences, which were held in Norway in March 2013 and in Mexico in February f this year.

A speech on behalf of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, read by Angela Kane UN Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, warned against the risk of a nuclear weapon, stressing that the possession of many countries in the world will not bring security and safety.

For his part, Vatican’s Pope Francis called in a speech delivered on his behalf, on the participants to set goals and risks of nuclear disarmament and preventing and prohibiting its use as a threat and of being disastrous for everyone.

One woman, survival of the Japanese nuclear disaster against Nagasaki and Hiroshima by the US recounted the details she had experienced due to this humanitarian disaster.

During their two –day deliberations, the participants in the conference discussed consequences arising from the possibility of a nuclear explosion, the impact of nuclear testing, the growing international concern over the difficulty of controlling the consequences of the misuse of nuclear weapons and the risks of deliberate use or unintended effects disastrous for the occurrence of nuclear scenarios.

The Syrian delegation to the conference is headed Syria’s ambassador to Austria and its permanent representative to the UN and international organizations in Vienna, Bassam Sabbagh.  Also attending were about 800 people from more than 160 countries who came to Vienna to discuss risks resulting from the nuclear 16.300 warheads deployed in various parts of the world.

Tomader Fateh