Tag Archives: Russia
21 August 2014
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the destruction of Syria’s declared chemical weapons material on board the US vessel Cape Ray, saying: ‘This marks a significant achievement in the international community’s efforts to eliminate the chemical weapons programme of the Syrian Arab Republic following the framework agreement between the Russian Federation and the United States of America.’ (more…)
Source: UN News Centre | UN chief welcomes destruction of Syria's declared chemical weapons material
26 May 2014
On 22 May, in a confidential report, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the Security Council to authorise the delivery of food and medicine to Syria without Al-Assad’s consent. In what the NY Times has named Ban Ki-moon’s strongest push to date to bypass Syria’s government so as to deliver aid, the Secretary General indicated that the Syrian government is failing in its responsibility to look after its own people. (more…)
Source: The New York Times | U.N. Chief Urges Aid Delivery Without Syria’s Consent
Source: Gulfnews | Ban Ki-moon’s confidential report urges Security Council to send aid without Al Assad’s consent
13 May 2014
Every year since the International Court of Justice’s 1996 Advisory Opinion on the Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons, the UN General Assembly has adopted by a large majority a follow-up resolution. Each resolution reiterates that ‘the continuing existence of nuclear weapons poses a threat to humanity and all life on Earth’, and underlines ‘the unanimous conclusion of the International Court of Justice that there exists an obligation to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control’. The ICJ derived this obligation from Article VI of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which provides that
[e]ach of the Parties to the Treaty undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament, and on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.
On 24 April 2014 the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) instituted legal proceedings before the ICJ against nine nuclear weapons possessing states: France, India, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, the United States, Israel, China, Russia and North Korea. (more…)
7 May 2014
At the trilateral consultations that took place in in Warsaw on 2 May, Yuriy Prodan, the Ukrainian Energy and Coal Industry Minister, said that his country could not guarantee the storage of necessary amounts of gas during summer for further transit to Europe. (more…)
Source: Reuters | EU should help Ukraine fill gas storage - agencies cite Russian minister
Source: The Voice of Russia | Ukraine has no right to unilaterally revise gas price – Russian energy minister
Source: ITAR-TASS News Agency | Ukraine can’t guarantee gas storage and transit to Europe - Russian minister
25 April 2014
On 24 April, the Republic of the Marshall Islands filed lawsuits in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against nine nuclear-armed states (the United States, Russia, Britain, France, China, Israel, India, Pakistan, and North Korea) for violations of international law regarding nuclear disarmament obligations according to the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and customary international law. Under Article VI of the NPT, states are required to pursue negotiations ‘in good faith’ on nuclear disarmament and ending the nuclear arms race, of which the nuclear-armed states continue to ignore. While the original five nuclear-armed states are parties to the NPT (US, Russia, Britain, France, and China), the newer nuclear-armed states (Israel, India, Pakistan, and North Korea) are not parties to the NPT. However, these states are still bound by the nuclear disarmament provisions under customary international law. (more…)
Source: The Guardian | Marshall Islands sues nine nuclear powers over failure to disarm
Source: The Wall Street Journal | Marshall Islands Sues Nine Nuclear-Armed Powers
Source: Nuclear Age Peace Foundation | Pacific nation challenges nine nuclear-armed states in lawsuits before the world court