MALAYSIA CAN PLAY SIGNIFICANT ROLE TOWARDS NUCLEAR WEAPONS-FREE WORLD

KUALA LUMPUR, April 8 (Bernama) -- Malaysia can play an important role in
Asia on disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation towards a nuclear
weapons-free world, said Australian Co-Chair of the International Commission on
Nuclear Non Proliferation and Disarmament (ICNND) Prof Gareth Evans.

Given the United States and Russia's new leaderships committed to nuclear
disarmament action, he said Malaysia, with its reputation in fighting for a
nuclear-free region, could play its part to promote the agenda of nuclear
security.

"What we expect and hope from Malaysia is actually to be a strong voice for
the whole achievement of the agenda," he said at a press conference after
presenting a report, 'Eliminating Nuclear Threats, A Practical Agenda For
Global Policymakers', at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies
(ISIS) here Thursday.

Also present were ISIS chairman and chief executive officer Mohamed
Jawhar Hassan, ISIS director-general Dr Mahani Zainal Abidin and Japanese
Ambassador to Malaysia Masahiko Horie.

Evans, Australia's former foreign minister, is in Kuala Lumpur as part of
his tour of several key Non Proliferation Treaty (NTP) party countries to
promote ICNND's work and advocate a practical agenda for global policy makers
in eliminating nuclears threats.

He is here enroute to Washington to attend the Global Nuclear Summit
hosted
by US President Barack Obama on April 12 and 13. During his stay here, he
discussed with Malaysian stakeholders, policy option and international efforts
for a nuclear weapons-free world.

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is among 40 world leaders
scheduled to attend the summit. The invitation was extended to Malaysia to
enable the country to share its views on nuclear issues, although it's not a
nuclear country.

Evans said, with the new motion committed by the US and Russian leaderships
on nuclear disarmament action, he would be moving within the Asian countries to
promote ICNND work, share opinions and discuss the option for having a
weapons- free world.

"I will be moving around to get strong support for the agenda of nuclear
security. What we are looking from Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore and more
key players in Asia are moderate, constructive, realistic but principled in
every decision made," he said.

The 230-page ICNND report is the most comprehensive of it kind yet
produced, and is the unanimous product of an independent global panel of 15
commissioners who together brought an unprecedented level of technical and
policy expertise, strategic and political experience to the year-long
deliberations and consultations.

Among the significant recommendations are the setting of a medium-term
minimisation point target to be reached by 2025 of a world with less than 2,000
nuclear warheads or more than 90 per cent reduction of the present nuclear
arsenal.

-- BERNAMA



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