Indonesia wants nuclear-free zone in Southeast Asia this year
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New York - Indonesia hopes to complete negotiations that would create a nuclear-free zone in Southeast Asia by mid-year, "if not sooner," Foreign Minister Marti Natalegawa said Monday after his country joined the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTCB).
Natalegawa, speaking at UN headquarters in New York, said Southeast Asian nations were in the process of completing negotiations before declaring a nuclear-free zone in the region.
"Having said that, it's very important to lock in and further appreciate the fact that now, for the first time, the nuclear-weapon states are on the same page in the issue (nuclear disarmament)," Natalegawa told reporters.
"Hopefully, combined with the CTBT and the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, and support from countries in the region, we can create even a stronger momentum on nuclear issues," he said.
Natalegawa handed over the signed and ratified CTBT document to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, which commits his country to not carrying out nuclear explosions anywhere in the world, including underground, underwater and in the atmosphere.//DPA
