UN Springs Into Action
Charles Johnson
Wed Apr 13, 2005 at 8:07 am PDT • Views: 279
No need to worry about nuclear terrorism any more; the United Nations has made it illegal: UN Assembly Approves New Nuclear Terrorism Treaty.
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The 191-member U.N. General Assembly approved a nuclear terrorism treaty on Wednesday that would oblige governments to punish those who illegally possess atomic devices or radioactive materials.
The document, after seven years of negotiation, is the 13th anti-terrorism convention and the first completed since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
The pact will be open for signature on Sept. 14 in New York, during a high-level summit, and needs ratification from 22 nations to become international law. It passed the General Assembly by consensus, without a vote.
“We urge member states to sign the convention when it is open for signature in September and to ratify it as soon as possible, U.S. delegate Stuart Holliday told the assembly.
The accord, called the Convention on the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, is meant to stop clandestine networks from using or possessing nuclear weapons.
Frank says: