September 24, 2009
New York
Minister Kouchner, thank you very much.
Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen.
As a UN Messenger of Peace, I would first like to acknowledge, with a lot of pride, the Secretary General’s leadership in the area of nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament, and as a US citizen, I am proud that President Obama has pledged to work for the peace and security of a nuclear weapons-free world. And as a citizen of this planet, I am honored to be with you- leaders working as architects for peace- on this extraordinary day. The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, when fully brought into force, will be a pillar in a safer world.
On October 24, 2008, Secretary Ban said so much, so succinctly: “A world free of nuclear weapons would be a global public good of the highest order.” Just last week on International Peace Day, as he rang the Peace Bell in the UN Rose Garden, he reminded us that “nuclear weapons are unworthy of civilization.”
Now other world leaders are also ringing a bell for a better world. In April, in London, Presidents Medvedev and Obama affirmed their commitments to work for a nuclear weapons free world, and we all look forward today to the historic Security Council meeting.
The compass point of disarmament has now been set. It compels us to evaluate policies and doctrines along a very clear standard: do they help move us closer to a nuclear weapons free world, or do they reaffirm the continued reliance on nuclear weapons as a means of pursuing international security? Bringing the test ban into force is a necessary step to diminish the role of these devices, and your commitment to this effort can be the reinvigorated leadership the world needs now.
We all know that the vast majority of people the world over intuitively abhor exploding nuclear weapons in our precious earth and fear the consequences of the use of these weapons by accident or mad design upon our cities. Now that leaders have made clear their understanding of the risks and stated forcefully the value of eliminating them we must rally together to make these aspirations a reality.
We all share two distinct constituencies. One is expressed in the hopes, dreams and fears of the people of our own countries, and other is found in our international obligations.
And sometimes it is very difficult to bring these perspectives into harmony. Sometimes domestic partisan politics presents an enormous challenge, and at other times, perceived self-interests of a country does the same.
Who suffers when these distortions arise? Future generations. If our perspectives puts this group - our children and their children, - first, then I believe greater clarity will arise and our capacity to follow the compass points to a safer, saner future will be ensured.
The test ban is a 21st century security tool. It is global in scope. Its monitoring stations are sprinkled all over the globe, irrespective of Cold War era alliances and national borders. And in an age of interdependent economies and a shared ecosystem, hold-out states are not just refraining from participating in an international arms control treaty, they are actually holding to an antiquated concept of the world. They appear to believe that nation-states can exist and thrive independently of one another. Well, that era is gone and like it or not, we are in this together.
The CTBT’s existing monitoring system physically represents the kind of cooperative security architecture required for a sustainable future. It is effective, global, and helpful to all. A common good, it brings us together by monitoring both environmental activity and security activity. Like the Space Station its symbolic value enhances its physical capacities. It tells us that we are interconnected and can work together so that our children can thrive together.
Please put the test ban high on our agendas. It is a necessary step to the future we all know is best.
Thank you.
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