UNITED NATIONS (AP) \u2014 Russia on Wednesday vetoed a U.N. resolution sponsored by the United States and Japan calling on all nations to prevent a dangerous nuclear arms race in outer space, calling it \u201ca dirty spectacle\u201d that cherry picks weapons of mass destruction from all other weapons that should also be banned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 13 in favor, Russia opposed and China abstaining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The resolution would have called on all countries not to develop or deploy nuclear arms or other weapons of mass destruction in space, as banned under a 1967 international treaty that included the U.S. and Russia, and to agree to the need to verify compliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said after the vote that Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow has no intention of deploying nuclear weapons in space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cToday\u2019s veto begs the question: Why? Why, if you are following the rules, would you not support a resolution that reaffirms them? What could you possibly be hiding,\u201d she asked. \u201cIt\u2019s baffling. And it\u2019s a shame.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Putin was responding to\u00a0White House confirmation\u00a0in February that Russia has obtained a \u201ctroubling\u201d\u00a0anti-satellite weapon\u00a0capability, although such a weapon is not operational yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Wednesday echoed Thomas-Greenfield, reiterating that \u201cthe United States assesses that Russia is developing a new satellite carrying a nuclear device.\u201d If Putin has no intention of deploying nuclear weapons in space, Sullivan said, \u201cRussia would not have vetoed this resolution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Russia\u2019s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia dismissed the resolution as \u201cabsolutely absurd and politicized,\u201d and said it didn\u2019t go far enough in banning all types of weapons in space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Russia and China proposed an amendment to the U.S.-Japan draft that would call on all countries, especially those with major space capabilities, \u201cto prevent for all time the placement of weapons in outer space, and the threat of use of force in outer spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The vote was 7 countries in favor, 7 against, and one abstention and the amendment was defeated because it failed to get the minimum 9 \u201cyes\u201d votes required for adoption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U.S. opposed the amendment, and after the vote Nebenzia addressed the U.S. ambassador saying: \u201cWe want a ban on the placement of weapons of any kind in outer space, not just WMDs (weapons of mass destruction). But you don\u2019t want that. And let me ask you that very same question. Why?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said much of the U.S. and Japan\u2019s actions become clear \u201cif we recall that the U.S. and their allies announced some time ago plans to place weapons \u2026 in outer space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nebenzia accused the U.S. of blocking a Russian-Chinese proposal since 2008 for a treaty against putting weapons in outer space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thomas-Greenfield accused Russia of undermining global treaties to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, irresponsibly invoking \u201cdangerous nuclear rhetoric,\u201d walking away from several of its arms control obligations, and refusing to engage \u201cin substantive discussions around arms control or risk reduction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She called Wednesday\u2019s vote \u201ca real missed opportunity to rebuild much-needed trust in existing arms control obligations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thomas-Greenfield\u2019s announcement of the resolution on March 18 followed\u00a0White House confirmation\u00a0in February that Russia has obtained a \u201ctroubling\u201d\u00a0anti-satellite weapon capability, although such a weapon is not operational yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Putin declared later that Moscow has\u00a0no intention of deploying nuclear weapons\u00a0in space, claiming that the country has only developed space capabilities similar to those of the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thomas-Greenfield said before the vote that the world is just beginning to understand \u201cthe catastrophic ramifications of a nuclear explosion in space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It could destroy \u201cthousands of satellites operated by countries and companies around the world \u2014 and wipe out the vital communications, scientific, meteorological, agricultural, commercial, and national security services we all depend on,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The defeated draft resolution said \u201cthe prevention of an arms race in outer space would avert a grave danger for international peace and security.\u201d It would have urged all countries carrying out activities in exploring and using outer space to comply with international law and the U.N. Charter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The draft would have affirmed that countries that ratified the 1967 Outer Space Treaty must comply with their obligations not to put in orbit around the Earth \u201cany objects\u201d with weapons of mass destruction, or install them \u201con celestial bodies, or station such weapons in outer space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The treaty, ratified by some 114 countries, including the U.S. and Russia, prohibits the deployment of \u201cnuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction\u201d in orbit or the stationing of \u201cweapons in outer space in any other manner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The draft resolution emphasized \u201cthe necessity of further measures, including political commitments and legally binding instruments, with appropriate and effective provisions for verification, to prevent an arms race in outer space in all its aspects.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It reiterated that the U.N. Conference on Disarmament, based in Geneva, has the primary responsibility to negotiate agreements on preventing an arms race in outer space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 65-nation body has achieved few results and has largely devolved into a venue for countries to voice criticism of others\u2019 weapons programs or defend their own. The draft resolution would have urged the conference \u201cto adopt and implement a balanced and comprehensive program of work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the March council meeting where the U.S.-Japan initiative was launched, U.N. Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres warned that \u201cgeopolitical tensions and mistrust have escalated\u00a0the risk of nuclear warfare\u00a0to its highest point in decades.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said the movie\u00a0\u201cOppenheimer\u201d about Robert Oppenheimer, who directed the U.S. project\u00a0during World War II that developed the atomic bomb, \u201cbrought the harsh reality of nuclear doomsday to vivid life for millions around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHumanity cannot survive a sequel to Oppenheimer,\u201d the U.N. chief said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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