PRESIDENT CALLS FOR RATIFICATION OF NUCLEAR TEST BAN TREATY AS ASSEMBLY HOLDS 1^ST EVER FORMAL MEETING TO MARK INTERNATIONAL DAY AGAINST NUCLEAR TESTS

• This morning, the President convened a High-Level Meeting to Commemorate and Promote the International Day against Nuclear Tests.
• This is the first time the General Assembly has held a formal meeting to mark this day.
• In his remarks, the President said that nuclear tests do not build trust. Instead, they escalate tensions. They create openings for political miscalculations. And they bring us closer to the brink.
• He added that the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty offers us our best shot at making nuclear tests a thing of the past. But it has still not entered into force – more than 20 years after it was opened for signature.
• In that context, he called on the eight states, whose ratification is required, to ratify the treaty urgently.
• Turning to the Korean Peninsula, he said, “This time last year, things looked bleak. Tensions were high.”
• But, he added, now we can see the opportunity. He noted that positive steps have been taken by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) – including the suspension of nuclear tests and launches of inter-continental ballistic missiles, as well as the closure of a nuclear test site.
• Noting that these came through the efforts of the DPRK, the Republic of Korea, the United States and other partners, he said he hoped to now see more, tangible action, including with respect to verification.