“Now is the time to intensify our efforts.”
This was the message by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Monday, as he addressed the growing international threat posed by nuclear weapons.
His message was delivered via video at a conference in Seoul being jointly held by South Korea and the U.N.
Ban’s call to “rid the world of these most destructive weapons” might have seemed ambitious, but he is planning to travel to the heart of one of the world’s rogue nuclear actors -- North Korea.
Reports claimed last month that the U.N. chief was on the verge of visiting Pyongyang, potentially for a head-to-head meeting with dictator Kim Jong-un himself.
The North’s nuclear weapon ambitions have emerged as one of the prime challenges to global security, with Pyongyang ignoring sanctions and resolutions to pursue what it views as a sovereign right.
Under such circumstances, even securing an audience with Kim is a major mission -- the North Korean leader has not left his country since rising to power at the end of 2011.
After the North canceled a separate plan for Ban to visit earlier this year, there has been palpable caution at official level this time around.
“Talks are continuing,” revealed U.N. representative Kim Won-soo to reporters. “We will let you know through our spokesman once there is progress.”
It has been more than two decades since a U.N. secretary-general traveled to North Korea -- though Ban himself made the trip around 10 years ago when he was South Korea’s foreign minister.
The 71-year-old appears set to play an increasingly important role in inter-Korean affairs, as he is even being considered as a future presidential candidate in his home country.
Follow @hassanplace
No comments:
Post a Comment