UN SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON,
FORMER US DEFENSE SECRETARY WILLIAM PERRY,
UN MESSENGER OF PEACE MICHAEL DOUGLAS
Leading international figures will address a conference to promote the treaty that would ban all nuclear weapons testing on Earth.
The Fourth Ministerial Meeting to promote the early entry-into-force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) will take place, Wednesday, 24 September 2008at 09:30 at the United Nations Headquarters, Conference Room 2, in New York, United States. It will be followed by a press briefing at 11:00 in the Press Room (S-226), the second floor of the U.N. Secretariat Building.
Seven Foreign Ministers have convoked the meeting:
Australia , H. E. Mr. Stephen Smith
Austria , H.E. Ms. Ursula Plassnik
Canada , H.E. Mr. David Emerson
Costa Rica , H.E. Mr. Bruno STAGNO Ugarte
Finland , H.E. Mr. Alexander Stubb
Japan, H.E. Ms. Masahiko Koumura
the Netherlands, H.E. Mr. Max ime Verhagen
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will give welcoming remarks. There will be a special presentation by former U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry and U.N. Messenger of Peace and Academy Award-winning actor/producer Michael Douglas. Following the ministerial meeting, there will be a press conference at 11am in Room 226 featuring Dr. Perry, Mr. Douglas, Dr. Plassnik, Mr. Stagno, Mr. Smith and Executive Secretary of the CTBT secretariat, Mr. Tibor Tóth.
The CTBT bans all nuclear explosions on Earth. Although already signed by 179 and ratified by 144 countries, the Treaty can only enter into force once signed and ratified by 44 specific states. Nine have yet to do so: China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Pakistan, and the United States. In order to raise political momentum for the early entry-into-force of the CTBT, the Ministers will adopt a Joint Ministerial Statement. The Joint Ministerial Statement of the 2006 Ministerial Meeting in 2006 was endorsed by 72 Foreign Ministers.
For accreditation information, see UN website http://www.un.org/media/accreditation/index.htm
For events-related information contact: Annika Thunborg, Spokesperson, CTBTO, tel: +43-1-26030 6375, mob: +43-699-1459 6375, e-mail: annika.thunborg@ctbto.org , www.ctbto.org
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