US President Barack Obama set out his vision and strategy for ridding the world of nuclear weapons yesterday, vowing to involve all states with atomic weapons in the process of reducing arsenals.
Obama made it clear the US would still go ahead with plans to build a missile defense shield in Europe.
However, he said the driving force for this would be removed if the nuclear threat from Iran were eliminated.
PHOTO: AFP
Visiting the Czech capital on a trip marking his presidential debut on the world stage, Obama committed himself to reducing the US nuclear arsenal, bringing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty into force and seeking tough penalties for countries that broke the rules on non-proliferation.
“The United States will take concrete steps towards a world without nuclear weapons,” he told a cheering crowd of more than 20,000 in Hradcanske Square outside the medieval Prague Castle.
“To put an end to Cold War thinking, we will reduce the role of nuclear weapons in our national security strategy and urge others to do the same,” Obama said, adding: “We will seek to include all nuclear weapons states in this endeavor.”
MISSILE SHIELD
The Czech Republic is one of two sites in eastern Europe earmarked for the planned US missile shield, which has angered Russia.
Former US president George W. Bush said the shield was necessary to counter threats from what he called rogue states such as Iran. The new administration has been less assertive in pushing the plan but has kept it alive for now.
In yesterday’s speech, Obama presented Iran — which he has sought to engage diplomatically — with a “clear choice” of halting its nuclear and ballistic missile activity or facing increased international isolation.
“As long as the threat from Iran persists, we intend to go forward with a missile defense system that is cost-effective and proven,” he said. “If the Iranian threat is eliminated, we will have a stronger basis for security and the driving force for missile defense construction in Europe at this time will be removed.”
Iran says it wants nuclear technology to generate electricity, not to use for weapons.
Sounding a note of realism, Obama said he did not expect overnight success in efforts to rid the world of nuclear arms.
“As long as these weapons exist, we will maintain a safe, secure and effective arsenal to deter any adversary, and guarantee that defense to our allies,” he said.
Obama said he would host a summit within a year on global nuclear security, covering issues such as preventing the smuggling of nuclear material and keeping atomic weapons out of the hands of terrorists.
PLEDGE
On Wednesday, Obama met Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on the sidelines of a G20 economic summit, where the two leaders pledged to pursue a new deal to cut nuclear warheads.
The call for renewed efforts to achieve global nuclear disarmament was expected to resonate in Europe, where anti-war sentiment had traditionally been strong because of its proximity to the Soviet bloc and the front line of the Cold War.
Earlier, Gary Samore, White House coordinator for arms control, said that yesterday’s North Korean rocket launch meant missile defense would remain a priority.
“The North Korean test illustrates the importance of continuing to develop missile defense in order to protect ... both the country and our allies in Asia,” Samore told reporters.
In Prague, Obama also planned to discuss climate change and energy security with the leaders of the 27 EU countries at a summit hosted by the Czech EU presidency.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
GEOPOLITICAL CONCERNS: Foreign companies such as Nissan, Volkswagen and Konica Minolta have pulled back their operations in China this year Foreign companies pulled more money from China last quarter, a sign that some investors are still pessimistic even as Beijing rolls out stimulus measures aimed at stabilizing growth. China’s direct investment liabilities in its balance of payments dropped US$8.1 billion in the third quarter, data released by the Chinese State Administration of Foreign Exchange showed on Friday. The gauge, which measures foreign direct investment (FDI) in China, was down almost US$13 billion for the first nine months of the year. Foreign investment into China has slumped in the past three years after hitting a record in 2021, a casualty of geopolitical tensions,
RSS