Japan, 5 Other Countries Issue Emergency NPT Statement

Tokyo, May 27 (Jiji Press)--Foreign and arms control ministers of
Japan and five other countries issued an emergency joint statement Thursday
calling for agreement at the ongoing U.N. Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty
review conference.
"All of us must play our respective part," the ministers stressed,
pointing out nuclear weapon states and nonnuclear weapon states have their
own obligations and responsibilities under the treaty.
Concerned about the remaining divergence in opinions over a draft
final document to be adopted at the conference, the ministers called on all
NPT signatory countries "with the greatest sense of urgency to show maximum
flexibility and spirit of cooperation."
"The conference must send a strong political signal to reinforce
momentum toward a world without nuclear weapons," they said.
The six are Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada, Australian
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, Austrian Minister for European and
International Affairs Michael Spindelegger, German Foreign Minister Guido
Westerwelle, New Zealand Disarmament and Arms Control Minister Georgia te
Heuheu, and South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung Hwan

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