UNITED Nations on Wednesday began signing the first treaty to ban nuclear weapons, a pact backed by over 100 countries but spurned by those with nuclear arms.

The UN treaty office said 51 countries are expected to attach their names on the opening day for signatures.

Brazilian President Michel Temer was first to sign.

The treaty requires all countries that eventually ratify it not to develop, test, produce, manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons “under any circumstances.

“This treaty is an important milestone towards the universally held goal of a world free of nuclear weapons” at a time of increasing concern about their risk, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said as he opened the signing ceremony.

More than 120 countries approved the nuclear ban in early July over strong opposition from nuclear-armed countries and their allies, who boycotted the negotiations.

Supporters of the pact say it’s time to push harder towards eliminating atomic weapons than nations have done through the nearly 50-year-old Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

“For decades, nuclear weapons have remained the only weapons of mass destruction not yet prohibited, despite their immense destructive power and threat to humanity,” said Beatrice Fihn, executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.

She said that with tensions growing between the US and North Korea over the North’s nuclear programme, the need for the treaty is even greater.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Monday that France refused to take part in negotiations on the treaty because it can only weaken the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

He called the nuclear ban treaty “wishful thinking” that is “close to irresponsible.”

Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis said supporters of the treaty regretted the nuclear-armed nations’ position. “We call upon them to join this date with history,” he said.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2017