Nauru criticises US stance on nuclear weapons

9 October 2002

One of the tiniest countries in the Pacific has told the United Nations that the world's most powerful country, the United States, has an attitude problem.

Nauru's ambassador to the United Nations says it is regrettable how the desires of most Pacific Island countries to keep the Pacific region safe from nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction are regularly ignored.

Addressing the General Assembly, Vinci Clodumar said some states possessing nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction considered themselves the "good" guys and seemed to believe that they should not be pestered with meeting commitments that other countries which they classified as "bad" or "evil" should.

In an apparent reference to the US testing missiles at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands north of Nauru, Mr Clodumar said these same weapon-states considered the safety and security of their own people as paramount even at the expense of neighbouring regions and peoples.

Mr Clodumar said the development of 'star wars' weapons could only reinforce such thinking.

© 2002 Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Action Alerts	PMA's newsletter	What's on where	Peace links	Help PMA grow	How PMA can help you	Petition Forms	Site Map