AlHijjah 2, 1435, Sep 26, 2014, SPA -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday that the time has come for the elimination of nuclear weapons, urging the revival of nuclear disarmament as a "top international priority." In a statement marking International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, Ban voiced concern about the delayed status of ongoing negotiations to eliminate the atomic threat still present in the world. "The lack of such negotiations is disrupting the delicate balance between international commitments to disarmament and non-proliferation," Ban said. "The time has come for those negotiations to begin." The U.N. chief noted that six years ago he put forward a five-point proposal on nuclear disarmament indicating two possible paths for progress: "agreement on a framework of separate, mutually reinforcing instruments, or through a nuclear-weapons convention, backed by a strong system of verification." "What matters most is not which path is taken, but that the chosen path is heading in the right direction – toward the internationally agreed goal of the total elimination of nuclear weapons," Ban said.
