Nuclear build-up in Asia causing concern

Nuclear build-up in Asia causing concern

ASIA must be the focus of nuclear disarmament as the region has become increasingly dangerous due to growing proliferation, participants at a two-day nuclear security conference said.

They pointed to several sources of concern, such as China, India and Pakistan building up their nuclear arsenals, as well as Iran's and North Korea's aggressive nuclear ambitions.

A key reason for this nuclear build-up, former Australian foreign minister Gareth Evans noted, is the old Cold War mindset among some policymakers, who believe in acquiring more nuclear arms as a security guarantee in an uncertain environment.

He added: "Asia is particularly worth emphasising because it is only here in the world that nuclear stockpiling is increasing."

It was high time that the world pushed for disarmament, said Mr Evans, who is chancellor of the Australian National University and leads the Asia Pacific Leadership Network (APLN) on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.

He cited a 1996 Canberra Commission report that said so long as any state has nuclear weapons, others will want them.

It added that "the proposition that nuclear weapons can be retained in perpetuity by any state and never used accidentally or by decision defies credibility" and warned that "any use of nuclear weapons would be catastrophic".

The risks of such weapons being used are huge, including miscalculation, human and system error and cyber and other sabotage, said Mr Evans on Wednesday, the second day of the conference.

"It's sheer dumb luck that no nuclear catastrophe has occurred and this is not the result of statesmanship," he added.

Professor Kishore Mahbubani argued that the two leading nuclear powers, the United States and Russia, must set an example "with deeds, not words" in persuading Asian countries to disarm.

"They must show the way by reducing their nuclear weapons even more and also by demonstrating that they no longer rely on nuclear weapons," said the dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and an APLN member.

Former US senator Sam Nunn, who co-chairs the Nuclear Threat Initiative, the conference organiser, told reporters the participants discussed the new era of threats - driven by technology and economics - including the possibility of the material and know-how for making weapons of mass destruction becoming available to both new states and non-governmental actors.

Participants come from the four regional leadership networks of the Nuclear Security Project - Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the US-based Nuclear Security Leadership Council.

Other areas discussed include securing nuclear materials globally with appropriate assurances; moving towards nuclear force postures that increase warning and decision time for leaders; and voicing strong support for ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

Mr Nunn said the meeting also touched on the importance for both regional and global security of making progress on Iran and North Korea.

"An agreement with Iran that allows us to test and verify Iran's claim that it has no intention of producing nuclear weapons is absolutely essential."

The conference was held in Singapore for the first time. Among the participants were former US Secretary of State George Shultz and former US Secretary of Defence William Perry.

salim@sph.com.sg


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