President Muhammadu Buhari has proposed a strong United Nations delegation to urgently engage North Korean Leader, Kim Jong-un to stop the country’s development of nuclear weapons.
The delegation, he suggested, should be led the UN Security Council and consist of members from the region.
Delivering his speech at the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, the Nigerian President expressed concern that the ‘most pressing threat to international peace and security is the accelerated nuclear weapons development programme by North Korea’.
Although some experts have called for a stick approach to stop the country from further developing nuclear weapons, Buhari, however, adopted a carrot approach.
“The most pressing threat to international peace and security today is the accelerated nuclear weapons development programme by North Korea. Since the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, we have never come so close to the threat of nuclear war as we have now.
“All necessary pressure and diplomatic efforts must be brought to bear on North Korea to accept peaceful resolution of the crisis. As Hiroshima and Nagasaki painfully remind us, if we fail, the catastrophic and devastating human loss and environmental degradation cannot be imagined.
“The crisis in the Korean peninsula underscores the urgency for all member states, guided by the spirit of enthroning a safer and more peaceful world, to ratify without delay the Treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons, which will be open for signature here tomorrow (Wednesday),” he told world leaders at the event.
The Nigerian President called on the Assembly not to lose focus of ongoing unresolved old conflicts like the Middle East crisis.
He also likened the Myanmar conflict to the 1994 and 1995 genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia respectively.
“The international community cannot remain silent and not condemn the horrendous suffering caused by what, from all indications is a state-backed programme of brutal depopulation of the Rohingya inhabited areas in Myanmar on the bases of ethnicity and religion. We fully endorse the call by the Secretary-General on the Government of Myanmar to order a halt to the ongoing ethnic cleansing and ensure the safe return of the displaced Rohingya to their homes in safety and dignity.
“In all these crises, the primary victims are the people, the most vulnerable being women and children. That is why the theme of this session: Focusing on People: Striving for Peace and Decent Life for All on a Sustainable Planet” is most apposite.
“While the international community grapples to resolve these conflicts, we must be mindful and focus on the widening inequalities within societies, and the gap between the rich and the poor nations. These inequalities and gaps are part of the underlining root causes of competition for resources, frustration and anger leading to spiralling instability,” he said.
He thanked the Security Council for visiting the countries of the Lake Chad Basin to assess the security situation and humanitarian needs, and pledging assistance to rebuild lives and livelihoods.
The President pointed out that Nigeria has provided relief and humanitarian assistance to millions in internally displaced camps and those afflicted by terrorism, drought, floods and other natural disasters.
He also assured of Nigeria’s cooperation in tackling growing transnational crimes such as forced labour, modern day slavery, human trafficking and cybercrime.
He said through his administration’s efforts, state institutions are ‘being strengthened to promote accountability, and to combat corruption and asset recovery’.
These, he said, can only be achieved through the international community cooperating and providing critical assistance and material support.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
