The first nuclear weapon free-zone in the northern hemisphere will enter into force Saturday, which calls on the five Central Asian states to forswear nuclear weapons and abandon all nuclear activities, dpa reported. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the event, saying it is of particular significance because it encompasses a region where nuclear weapons previously existed. "In order to ensure the effective implementation of the treaty, the secretary general would like to urge the states concerned to address any outstanding issues that may affect the operation of any of them," Ban said in a statement. Signed by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in September 2006, the Treaty on a Nuclear Weapon Free Zone in Central Asia obliges them not to conduct research, or develop, manufacture and stockpile nuclear weapons in their territories.
