UN: Nuclear weapons ban treaty to enter into force

United Nations anunced Saturday that 50 countries have ratified a UN treaty to ban nuclear weapons triggering its entry into force in 90 days, a move hailed by anti-nuclear activists but strongly opposed by United States and or major nuclear powers.

As of Friday, treaty h 49 signatories, and UN officials said 50th ratification from Honduras h been received.

This moment has been 75 years coming since horrific attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and founding of UN which me nuclear disarmament a cornerstone, said Beatrice Fihn, executive director of International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, 2017 bel Peace Prize-winning coalition whose work helped spearhe nuclear ban treaty.

50 countries that ratify this Treaty are showing true leership in setting a new international rm that nuclear weapons are t just immoral but illegal.

50th ratification came on 75th anniversary of ratification of UN Charter which officially established United Nations and is celebrated as UN Day.

United Nations was formed to promote peace with a goal of abolition of nuclear weapons, Fihn said.

This treaty is UN at its best working closely with civil society to bring democracy to disarmament.

United States h written to treaty signatories saying Trump ministration believes y me a strategic error and urging m to rescind ir ratification.

US letter, obtained by Associated Press, said five original nuclear powers -- US, Russia, China, Britain and France -- and America's NATO allies stand unified in our opposition to potential repercussions of treaty.

It says Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, kwn as TPNW, turns back clock on verification and disarmament and is dangerous to half-century-old Nuclear nproliferation Treaty, considered cornerstone of global nproliferation efforts.

TPNW is and will remain divisive in international community and risk furr entrenching divisions in existing nproliferation and disarmament fora that offer only realistic prospect for consensus-based progress, letter said.

It would be unfortunate if TPNW were allowed to derail our ability to work toger to dress pressing proliferation.

Fihn has stressed that nproliferation Treaty is about preventing spre of nuclear weapons and eliminating nuclear weapons, and this treaty implements that. re's way you can undermine nproliferation Treaty by banning nuclear weapons. It's end goal of nproliferation Treaty.

NPT sought to prevent spre of nuclear arms beyond five original weapons powers. It requires n-nuclear signatory nations to t pursue atomic weapons in exchange for a commitment by five powers to move toward nuclear disarmament and to guarantee n-nuclear states' access to peaceful nuclear techlogy for producing energy.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has supported nuclear weapons ban treaty, calling it a very welcome initiative.

It is clear for me that we will only be entirely safe in relation to nuclear weapons day where nuclear weapons longer exist, he said in an interview Wednesday with AP.

We kw that it's t easy. We kw that re are many obstacles.

He expressed hope that a number of important initiatives, including US-Russia talks on renewing New Start Treaty limiting deployed nuclear warhes, missiles and bombers and next year's review conference of Nuclear nproliferation Treaty, will all converge in same direction, and final objective must be to have a world with nuclear weapons.

treaty was approved by 193-member UN General Assembly on July 7, 2017 by a vote of 122 in favour, Nerlands opposed, and Singapore abstaining.

Among countries voting in favor was Iran. five nuclear powers and four or countries kwn or believed to possess nuclear weapons India, Pakistan, rth Korea and Israel boycotted negotiations and vote on treaty, along with many of ir allies.

Setsuko Thurlow, a survivor of 1945 bombing of Hiroshima, who has been an ardent campaigner for treaty, said: When I learned that we reached our 50th ratification, I was t able to stand.

I remained in my chair and put my he in my hands and I cried tears of joy, she said in a statement.

I have committed my life to abolition of nuclear weapons. I have thing but gratitude for all who have worked for success of our treaty.