Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Canada to Snub Disarmament Group During North Korean Presidency

Canada to Snub Disarmament Group During North Korean Presidency

Canada on Monday announced it would temporarily withdraw from the international Conference on Disarmament during North Korea's weeks-long term as president, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, July 11).
"I think what we'll do is simply withdraw and boycott any activities of the conference until after August 19," when another nation takes over, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said. "The bottom line is, that with respect to disarmament, North Korea has been a rogue regime."
The Conference on Disarmament's bylaws rotate the presidency among its 65 member nations based on alphabetical order. North Korea assumed the leadership spot at the end of June and announced it was prepared to participate in nuclear disarmament discussions within the conference.
Ottawa, however, decided to pursue "a tough line," Baird told reporters, asserting that it undermined the international disarmament group "if a country like Canada just remains quiet."
North Korea is widely acknowledged as a major arms proliferator and is suspected of supporting secret atomic activities in nations such as Syria. It has conducted two nuclear tests to date and is believed to hold enough plutonium for several weapons.

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