High Representative Izuzmi Nakamitsu warns against Unbridled Missile Development amid Collapse of Nuclear Forces Treaty, Calls in Security Council for Universal Arms Accord
United States, Russian Federation Trade Accusations over Breached Commitments, Actions Evoking Cold War Era
The recent collapse of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty cannot become the catalyst for renewed and unconstrained competition in missile development, acquisition and proliferation, the United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs told the Security Council today.
Briefing the Council on recent events, Izumi Nakamitsu said the Treaty’s recent termination removed one of the few constraints on the development and deployment of destabilizing classes of missiles. She expressed alarm that there remains no universal treaty or agreement regulating missiles.
“Today, only the Russian Federation and the United States are subject to legally binding restrictions on the number of certain missiles they may possess,” she continued. Echoing the Secretary-General’s call for all States to urgently seek agreement on a new common path for international arms control, she said a growing number of countries — including those not party to existing multilateral arrangements — have acquired and developed their ballistic missile capabilities.
Indeed, more than 20 countries now possess ballistic missiles with capabilities that exceed the threshold for “nuclear capable” as defined by the Missile Technology Control Regime, she said.