Hon Phil Goff
Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control

17 October 2007

NZ leads call to take 1000s of nuclear weapons off high-alert

New Zealand is today to lead a call at the United Nations General Assembly for countries to remove their nuclear weapons from high alert status, Disarmament and Arms Control Minister Phil Goff said today.

“It is 18 years since the Berlin Wall came down, and yet thousands of nuclear weapons – each one eight to 40 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima – remain on high-alert. The New Zealand-led resolution to the UN aims to encourage concrete steps to tackle this risk to global security,” Phil Goff said.

“We ask that all nuclear weapons be taken off high alert status; that further practical steps be taken to decrease their operational readiness; and that the General Assembly be kept informed of progress.

“Holding nuclear weapons on high alert status greatly increases the chances of a catastrophe.

“There would be little time to prevent retaliation if a missile is fired by accident, miscalculation or through terrorist intrusion into a nuclear weapons facility.”

Mr Goff said New Zealand expected strong debate and looked forward to others’ support. Countries ready to co-sponsor the resolution include Sweden, Switzerland, Nigeria and Chile.

“Our goal of course is for the complete abolition of nuclear weapons. However lowering the operational status of nuclear weapons would be an important interim step towards this fundamental objective”, Mr Goff said.

“Our resolution will send a clear message that the current situation cannot persist. While we welcome the steps that have been taken to reduce the nuclear stockpile from 70,000 weapons at the peak of the Cold War, 27,000 warheads still remain. Much more needs to be done. And it needs to happen much faster.”

ENDS

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