HOLY SEE ADDRESSES U.N. ON GENERAL, COMPLETE DISARMAMENT

VATICAN CITY, OCT 9, 2004 (VIS) - Archbishop Celestino Migliore, apostolic nuncio and Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations, spoke in New York on October 7 on Item 67, General and Complete Disarmament. Noting that the ideals of the U.N. Charter "have been a source of hope" for nearly 60 years, he added that "lately, a sense of fear seems to cloud our vision: fear of terrorist attacks, fear of new wars, fear of a breakdown in the processes of international law."

  "A sign of this fear," he added, "is the surge in global military spending which reached $956 billion last year, an increase of 11 percent from 2002 and 18 percent from 2001. ...
A clear result of such over-spending on the instruments of death is that governments are much less able to meet long-term commitments to education, health care and housing."

  "Responding to the ideological and supposedly religious nature of international terrorism," said Archbishop Migliore, "the Holy See has condemned these blasphemous attacks."

  "Terrorists," he went on, "use an array of weapons to kill, maim and slaughter. Their global reach means that these weapons are being produced and sold internationally, on black markets as well as by State-sponsors. ... The world has also become increasingly aware of the grave threat posed by terrorists acquiring weapons of mass destruction, especially nuclear weapons. The fragile state of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty at this moment is very worrying, as proliferation of these weapons greatly increases the likelihood of terrorist acquisition."

  To concerns about nuclear weapons and the proliferation and "possible acquisition by terrorists" of weapons of mass destruction, he said, must be added the spread of conventional weapons and the fight against anti-personnel land mines. He stressed that "the U.N. and its Member States must support all disarmament, demobilization and re-integration efforts" and that the Holy See has always "supported U.N. initiatives for a 'culture of peace'."
DELSS/DISARMAMENT/UN:MIGLIORE                VIS 20041011 (320)