NEW YORK, Feb 13: The head of the International Atomic Agency (IAEA), Mohamed ElBaradei, on Thursday called upon the five nuclear states recognized under the non-proliferation treaty (NPT) - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - to move towards disarmament.
"Recent agreements between Russia and the United States are commendable, but they should be verifiable and irreversible. A clear roadmap for nuclear disarmament should be established _ starting with a major reduction in the 30,000 nuclear warheads still in existence _ and bringing into force the long-awaited Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty," he wrote in an article published in the New York Times.
He said "if the global community is serious about bringing nuclear proliferation to a halt, these measures and others should be considered at the non-proliferation treaty review conference next year".
The IAEA chairman underscored: "We must also begin to address the root causes of insecurity. In areas of long-standing conflict like the Middle East, South Asia and the Korean Peninsula, the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction _ while never justified _ can be expected as long as we fail to introduce alternatives that redress the security deficit."
"We must abandon the unworkable notion that it is morally reprehensible for some countries to pursue weapons of mass destruction, yet morally acceptable for others to rely on them for security, and indeed to continue to refine their capacities and postulate plans for their use," he wrote in the article.
Similarly, Mr ElBaradei said: "We must abandon the traditional approach of defining security in terms of boundaries, city walls, border patrols, racial and religious groupings.
The global community has become irreversibly interdependent, with the constant movement of people, ideas, goods and resources. In such a world, we must combat terrorism with an infectious security culture that crosses borders _ an inclusive approach to security based on solidarity and the value of human life. In such a world, weapons of mass destruction have no place."
Mr ELbaradei also called upon the international community to toughen the NPT to tailor it to fit the 21st century, suggesting punitive measures for countries which violate its provisions.
"The first step is to tighten controls over the export of nuclear material, a priority President Bush identified in his speech (on Wednesday) on nuclear non-proliferation," the IAEA head observed.
"The current system relies on a gentlemen's agreement that is not only non-binding, but also limited in its membership: it does not include many countries with growing industrial capacity. And even some members fail to control the exports of companies unaffiliated with government enterprise."
Asserting that "if the world does not change course, we risk self-destruction", Mr ElBaradei said "proliferation is on the rise". "Equipment, material and training were once largely inaccessible.
Today, however, there is a sophisticated worldwide network that can deliver systems for producing material usable in weapons. The demand clearly exists: countries remain interested in the illicit acquisition of weapons of mass destruction," he said.
He warned "If we sit idly by, this trend will continue. Countries that perceive themselves to be vulnerable can be expected to try to redress that vulnerability _ and in some cases they will pursue clandestine weapons programmes.
The supply network will grow, making it easier to acquire nuclear weapon expertise and materials. Eventually, inevitably, terrorists will gain access to such materials and technology, if not actual weapons."