UNITED NATIONS, April 28 (UPI) -- The U.N. Security Council Wednesday unanimously approved a resolution aimed at keeping weapons of mass destruction out of the hands of terrorists and other "non-state actors."
Washington drew up the original non-proliferation measure and presented it to the other four permanent, veto-wielding members of the 15-member council, Britain, China, France and Russia about six months ago and began negotiations. Only when they had reached accord did they give it to the elected-10 members of the panel.
Although some members were miffed at being kept out of the original talks, all came around soon enough, except for Pakistan, the only nation other than the "P-5" on the council with nuclear capabilities. Earlier this year, it admitted top scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, father of their nuclear bomb had sold secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea.
Islamabad didn't sign on to the resolution until Wednesday morning.
The measure calls on all 191-member states of the United Nations to establish controls to prevent the proliferation of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and means for their delivery, citing the U.N. Charter's Chapter VII, allowing for sanctions and even the use of force if necessary to enforce.
The resolution was designed to fill the gap between multi-lateral treaties aimed at non-proliferation among states and "non-state actors," U.N. jargon for individuals or entities not working under the direction of a state.
The council said it was "gravely concerned by the threat of terrorism and the risk that non-state actors ... may acquire, develop, traffic in or use" the weapons.
It also established for two years a committee, which would report on implementation and decided that none of the resolution's obligations "would be interpreted so as to conflict with or alter the rights and obligations of state parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Chemical Weapons Convention, and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention -- or alter the responsibilities of the International Atomic Energy Agency or the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
The resolution promotes dialogue and cooperation on non-proliferation, and calls on all states, according to their national legislation and consistent with international law, to cooperate in preventing illicit trafficking in such weapons, means of delivery and related materials.
Ambassador Munir Akram of Pakistan said the sponsors of the resolution had given assurances it was designed to address a "gap" in international law to address the risk of terrorists acquiring or developing WMD and that it did not seek to prescribe specific legislation which was left to national action.
This was a concern for more than Pakistan -- that the council could be setting a precedent in "dictating" legislation to be adopted by member-states.
Pakistan also shared the view expressed in the council's open debate last week that the panel "could not legislate for the world," Akram said. "Global disarmament and non-proliferation can be achieved only in a more universal and non-discriminatory forums, especially the Conference on Disarmament the sole multi-lateral negotiating form on disarmament."
He was referring to Geneva-based panel established in 1979 as the single multilateral disarmament negotiating forum of the international community, by the first Special Session on Disarmament of the U.N. General Assembly in 1978, which succeeded other Geneva-based negotiating forums.
The Islamabad envoy said biological weapons were the most likely weapons of mass destruction to be acquired by non-state actors as well as by states. Biological weapons technology has been evolving rapidly, and a universal and equitable verification mechanism to prevent biological weapons proliferation is now more essential than ever.
"Pakistan strongly supports the objectives of non-proliferation and disarmament. We shall scrupulously fulfill the obligations which we have freely accepted" under international treaties and other arrangements.
The situation in the area of nuclear non-proliferation as well as missile proliferation was considerably more complicated, he said
"Pakistan had been obliged to develop nuclear weapons and related delivery systems to maintain credible minimum deterrence against external aggression, especially once similar capabilities had been developed and demonstrated by our eastern neighbor (India)," Akram said.
He said, "Pakistan will not accept any demand for access, much less inspections, of ours nuclear and strategic assets, materials and facilities. We will not share any information -- technical, military or political -- that would negatively affect our national security programs or our national interests."
Akram vowed that his nation "would continue to develop its nuclear, missiles and related strategic capability to maintain the minimum credible deterrence vis-à-vis our eastern neighbor, which is embarked on major programs for nuclear weapons, missiles, anti-missiles and conventional arms acquisition and development."
Deputy Ambassador James Cunningham of the United States recalled that in his address to the General Assembly plenary last September, President George W. Bush had stressed the need for the broadest possible cooperation to stop proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and called for a Council resolution to address the issue.
The measure passed Wednesday was in direct response to that call, Cunningham said.
"The president called for a resolution that achieved three primary goals: to criminalize the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, to ensure that all countries have strong export controls, and to secure sensitive materials within each country's borders," Cunningham said. "The United States is pleased that the important resolution we adopted today (Wednesday) fulfills these key goals and that we have adopted it unanimously with all that implies."
