UN chief warns of increasing WMD threats

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday warned that threats posed by weapons of mass destruction (WMD) seem to be gathering force in the current world.

Guterres told the Security Council that global anxieties about nuclear weapons are at the highest level since the end of the Cold War.

These threats include that the trust on nuclear and other issues between the US and Russia continues to ebb, the Iran nuclear deal is being questioned, and the use of chemical weapons in Syria seriously challenges the global taboo against these weapons of mass destruction, he said, according to Xinhua news agency.

The threats posed by weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery are taking place in an environment of increasing military budgets and the over-accumulation of weapons. And they are coupled with a serious growth in regional tensions, noted the UN chief.

"In such a geopolitical context, confidence-building measures that support arms control, non-proliferation and the elimination of weapons of mass destruction are extremely important," he added.

--IANS

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