NEW YORK. April 2 (Interfax) - The further nuclear disarmament needs relevant prerequisites, but this is impeded by several factors, including the deployment of the U.S. global ABM system, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said.
"Apparently, it is necessary to consistently form prerequisites, which would contribute to the further advancement towards nuclear disarmament. First and foremost, this implies invigorating the strategic situation in some regions and in the world as a whole," Nebenzya said at a UN Security Council meeting addressing the problems of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
"This is possible only given the entire set of factors, which affect strategic stability and international security," the Russian diplomat, whose speech is published on the Russian Permanent Mission to the UN's website on Tuesday, said.
"In particular, they include the absolutely unrestricted deployment of the U.S. global ABM system, development of high-precision strategic non-nuclear offensive weapons, the prospects of deploying attack weapons in space, some efforts to dismantle the system of international treaties and agreements in the area of ensuring security, stability and arms control, and some attempts to weaken the defensive potential of other countries by illegitimate methods of unilateral sanction pressure bypassing the UN Security Council," Nebenzya said.
"Without settling these problems it is hardly possible to reach the state of international security favorable for further steps towards nuclear disarmament," the Russian ambassador said.
At the UN Security Council session the German and French foreign ministers urged Russia and the United States to continue the process of reducing nuclear weapons.