 BERLIN - German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark called in Berlin on Thursday for "credible steps" toward nuclear-arms reductions. They issued their call ahead of Monday's talks at the United Nations on the 35-year-old Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which is up for a month-long review. "This is the expectation of both of us as these talks commence in New York," Schroeder said after talks with his visitor from New Zealand. Clark said: "The conference couldn't be more timely. We must seek the proper balance between the potential for peaceful utilisation of nuclear energy while at the same time preventing military abuses." The review comes amid mounting pressure from critics such as Germany who say the NPT has failed to keep nations such as North Korea, Israel, Iran, South Africa, Iraq, Pakistan, India, Taiwan, and Libya from seeking or building atomic weapons in the past or now. | What, you expected them to pay attention to a silly piece of paper....oh, right, we're talking about Helen and Gerhard, sorry. |
Berlin also says it has not done much to reach its goal of eliminating the nuclear arsenals of Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States. |