New York - A declaration by the five official nuclear powers of their "unequivocal commitment" to eliminate atomic weapons was criticised by non-nuclear states and armscontrol groups yesterday for being inadequate, vague, and contradictory.
The pledge by Britain, France, the US, Russia and China was issued on Monday night at the non-proliferation treaty review in New York, in an attempt to deflect critics who say they have failed to cut their arsenals quickly enough to achieve the treaty's goal of a nuclear-free world.
The five promised their "unequivocal commitment to the ultimate goals of a complete elimination of nuclear weapons and a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international controls". But they gave no timetable or specific commitments.