The US faced condemnation yesterday for growing unilateralism in arms control issues at the first UN-sponsored disarmament conference since Washington named potential nuclear targets in a leaked defense review.
Some participants criticized Washington directly for ploughing ahead with its own diplomacy since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, while others lamented a general global trend away from collective security.
"The calamitous events of Sept. 11 should only serve to redouble our efforts, not to divert them," UN Undersecretary-General for Disarmament Affairs Jayantha Dhanapala said in his opening address.
The three-day international conference, entitled "A Disarmament Agenda for the 21st Century," is jointly sponsored by the Chinese government and gathers some 40 arms control experts from 20 coun-tries and regions.
The US has faced recent international pressure over a series of moves such as its decision to withdraw from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM) and a veto of a biological weapons treaty last year.
Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan (
"Unilateralism is not only of no help, but rather would trigger off further proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," Tang said.
However, US State Department adviser on arms control issues Mark Groombridge stoutly defended US actions.
"It has become fashionable to characterize the United States as unilateralist and against all arms control agreements, but contrary to what some may believe, the United States is not walking away from the international community," he said.
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