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OAS Secretary General Condemns North Korea's Nuclear Test

  February 13, 2013

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, condemned the recent nuclear test carried out by North Korea, which he said is "an unjustified threat to our coexistence and peace." In supporting UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's condemnation of the North Korean test, he affirmed that "it produces a destabilizing effect on the Asian region and constitutes a flagrant violation of the resolutions of the world body."

Insulza mentioned the importance that the organization's Member States assign to nuclear non-proliferation, as expressed in the Tlatelolco Treaty, signed by 33 of the hemisphere's countries. "The declaration of Latin America and the Caribbean as a region free of nuclear weapons has been the foundation for an effective, peaceful coexistence among our nations," he added.

The OAS leader concluded saying that "we would like to see similar zones free of nuclear weapons elsewhere in the world, but the North Korean test is a regrettable sign of the opposite." In this sense, he called on the international community "to express a firm rejection of these practices."

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-045/13