UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia has circulated a U.N. resolution calling on all countries to take urgent action to prevent the installation of weapons in space “forever,” a week after vetoing it to a US-Japanese resolution aimed at ending an arms race in space.
The Russian draft resolution, obtained Wednesday by the Associated Press, goes further than the American-Japanese proposal, not only calling for efforts to prevent the deployment of weapons in space, but also to prevent “the threat or use of force in space,” also “forever.”
It says this should include deploying weapons “from space against Earth, and from Earth against objects in space.”
Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia told the Security Council when vetoing the US-Japanese plan that it did not go far enough in banning all types weapons in space.
The vetoed resolution focused only on weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, and made no mention of other weapons in space.
It would have called on all countries not to develop or deploy nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in space, as prohibited by the 1967 international treaty ratified by the United States and Russia, and to accept the need to verify compliance.
Before the U.S.-Japan resolution was put to a vote on April 24, Russia and China proposed an amendment that would call on all countries, particularly those with space capabilities, “to forever prevent the placement of weapons in space and the threat of use of force in space.
The vote was 7 countries for, 7 against and one abstention and the amendment was rejected because it did not obtain the minimum of 9 “yes” votes within the 15 members of the Security Council required for its adoption.
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the council after the vote that Russian President Vladimir Putin had said Moscow had no plans to deploy nuclear weapons in space.
“Today’s veto begs the question: why? Why, if you follow the rules, would you not support a resolution that reaffirms them? What could you possibly be hiding? » she asked. “It’s confusing. And that’s a shame.
Putin responded to White House confirmation in February that Russia obtained a “worrisome” anti-satellite weapon capability, even if such a weapon is not yet operational.
Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said after vetoing that the US-Japan resolution chose weapons of mass destruction.
He said much of the actions of the United States and Japan become clear “if one remembers that the United States and its allies announced some time ago their intention to place weapons … in the ‘space “.
Nebenzia also accused the United States of blocking a Russian-Chinese proposal for a treaty against the installation of weapons in space since 2008.
Thomas-Greenfield accused Russia of undermining international treaties aimed at preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons, by irresponsibly invoking “dangerous nuclear rhetoric”, walking away from several of its arms control obligations and by refusing to engage “in substantive discussions on arms control or risk reduction.” »
Much of the Russian draft resolution is exactly the same as the U.S.-Japan draft, including language on preventing an arms race in space.
It calls on all countries, particularly those with major space capabilities, “to actively contribute to the goal of the peaceful use of outer space and the prevention of an arms race in outer space.” .
Thomas-Greenfield said the world was just beginning to understand “the catastrophic ramifications of a nuclear explosion in space.”