UN / NUCLEAR BAN

Ambassadors from the United States, United Kingdom and France manifested their opposition to negotiations towards a General Assembly agreement on the prohibition of nuclear weapons. UNIFEED

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:21
• Production Date: 27 March 2017
• Asset Language: English
• Personal Subject: MATTHEW RYCROFT; NIKKI R. HALEY
• Corporate Name: GENERAL ASSEMBLY
• Subject Topical: NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT; TREATIES
• Geographic Subject: DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF KOREA; FRANCE; UNITED KINGDOM; UNITED STATES
• MAMS Id: 1856516
• Parent Id: 1856516
• Alternate Title: unifeed170327b

Description

STORY: UN / NUCLEAR BAN
TRT: 02:21
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 27 MARCH 2017, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

Shotlist

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters

27 MARCH 2017, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, UK Ambassador Matthew Rycroft, US Ambassador Nikki Haley and France Ambassador Alexis Lamek walk in
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Nikki Haley, Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations:
“Suddenly, the General Assembly wants to have a hearing to ban nuclear weapons. As a mom, as a daughter, there is nothing I want more for my family than a world with no nuclear weapons. But we have to be realistic, is there anyone that believes that North Korea would agree to a ban on nuclear weapons. So what you would see is the General Assembly would go through, in good faith, trying to do something, but North Korea would be the one cheering and all of us, and the people we represent would be the ones at risk.”
4. Wide shot, Rycroft, Haley and Lamek
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Matthew Rycroft, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations:
“The UK is not attending the negotiations on a treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons because we do not believe that those negotiations will lead to effective progress on global nuclear disarmament. They cannot and will not work. The British government firmly believes that the best way to achieve the goal of global nuclear disarmament is through gradual, multilateral disarmament, negotiated using a step by step approach and within existing international frameworks.”
6. Wide shot, Rycroft, Haley and Lamek
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Alexis Lamek, Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations:
“Our countries continue to rely on nuclear deterrence for security and stability. The only way to achieve real nuclear disarmament is to pursue a step-by-step approach in a way that provides undiminished security for all. This should take into account all factors that affect strategic stability. We are also concerned that a nuclear weapons ban treaty will divide the parties to the NPT, which remains the cornerstone of our colle4ctive security system. France will therefore not participate in the negotiations on a nuclear ban treaty, along with other partners.”
8. Wide shot, Ambassadors walk away

Storyline

Ambassadors from the United States, United Kingdom and France today (27 Mar) manifested their opposition to negotiations towards a General Assembly agreement on the prohibition of nuclear weapons.

The General Assembly has convened a conference to negotiate a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination.

Ambassador Nikki Haley of the United States said, “As a mom, as a daughter, there is nothing I want more for my family than a world with no nuclear weapons. But we have to be realistic, is there anyone that believes that North Korea would agree to a ban on nuclear weapons. So what you would see is the General Assembly would go through, in good faith, trying to do something, but North Korea would be the one cheering and all of us, and the people we represent would be the ones at risk.”

The Assembly encouraged all member states to participate in the conference under the rules of procedure of the General Assembly, with the participation and contribution of international organizations and civil society representatives.

Ambassador Matthew Rycroft of the United Kingdom said “the UK is not attending the negotiations on a treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons because we do not believe that those negotiations will lead to effective progress on global nuclear disarmament. They cannot and will not work.”

Rycroft said “the best way to achieve the goal of global nuclear disarmament is through gradual, multilateral disarmament, negotiated using a step by step approach and within existing international frameworks.”

For his part, French Ambassador Alexis Lamek said “the only way to achieve real nuclear disarmament is to pursue a step-by-step approach in a way that provides undiminished security for all.”

Lamek also expressed concern “that a nuclear weapons ban treaty will divide the parties to the NPT, which remains the cornerstone of our collective security system.”

The Conference is being held in New York from 27 to 31 March and from 15 June to 7 July. The Conference held a one-day organizational session in New York on 16 February 2017.

A legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons would establish general prohibitions and obligations as well as a political commitment to achieve and maintain a nuclear-weapon-free world.