NORTH KOREA, GREATEST THREAT TO MANKIND - PRES. BUHARI

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday demanded that the United Nations sends a delegation to North Korea leader, Kim Jong-un, to pressure him to end the nuclear crisis which he says has become the greatest threat to mankind.

Delivering Nigeria’s statement at the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, he said diplomatic efforts must be brought to bear on North Korea to ensure a peaceful resolution of the crisis.

North Korea has recently increased the pace of its nuclear weapons development in defiance of all entreaties to halt the programmes.

Buhari said: “The most pressing threat to international peace and security today is the accelerated nuclear weapons development programme by North Korea. Since the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, we have never come so close to the threat of nuclear war as we have now.

“All necessary pressure and diplomatic efforts must be brought to bear on North Korea to accept peaceful resolution of the crisis. As Hiroshima and Nagasaki painfully remind us, if we fail, the catastrophic and devastating human loss and environmental degradation cannot be imagined.

“Nigeria proposes a strong UN delegation to urgently engage the North Korean Leader. The delegation, led by the Security Council, should include members from all the regions.

“The crisis in the Korean peninsula underscores the urgency for all member states, guided by the spirit of enthroning a safer and more peaceful world, to ratify without delay the Treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons, which will be open for signature here tomorrow.”

The president also drew the world body’s attention to the suffering of the Muslim minorities, the Rohingyas in Myanmar, accusing the government of that country of carrying out ethnic cleansing against them.

Speaking about new conflicts and the need for the world body not to loose sight of old ones including the Palestinian question, the president regretted the humanitarian situation in Myanmar which he said was reminiscent of the situation in 1995 Bosnia and 1994 Rwanda.

According to him, “Additionally, we are now confronted by the desperate human rights and humanitarian situations in Yemen and most tragically in the Rakhine State of Myanmar. The Myanmar crisis is very reminiscent of what happened in Bosnia in 1995 and in Rwanda in 1994.

“The international community cannot remain silent and not condemn the horrendous suffering caused by what, from all indications is a state-backed programme of brutal depopulation of the Rohingya inhabited areas in Myanmar on the bases of ethnicity and religion.

“We fully endorse the call by the Secretary-General on the Government of Myanmar to order a halt to the ongoing ethnic cleansing and ensure the safe return of the displaced Rohingya to their homes in safety and dignity.

“In all these crises, the primary victims are the people, the most vulnerable being women and children. That is why the theme of this session: Focusing on People: Striving for Peace and Decent Life for All on a Sustainable Planet” is most apposite.

“While the international community grapples to resolve these conflicts, we must be mindful and focus on the widening inequalities within societies, and the gap between the rich and the poor nations. These inequalities and gaps are part of the underlining root causes of competition for resources, frustration and anger leading to spiralling instability.”