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THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF AMERICAN BASES (CAAB) |
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THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF AMERICAN BASES (CAAB) |
The resolution, proposed by US President George W. Bush in September, bars groups and individuals from acquiring, developing or transporting nuclear, chemical and biological arms, in particular for "terrorist purposes."
Diplomats said specialists from the so-called P-5 -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- would go through the proposal before it was passed on to the other 10, non-permanent Security Council members.
The text focusses on individuals and groups rather than on governments who might seek those weapons in order to avoid any stumbling blocks in the negotiations, they said.
"We have begun circulating the text of a draft resolution that is aimed at bolstering international efforts to curb the spread of weapons of mass destruction," Adam Ereli, the US State Department deputy spokesman, told reporters in Washington on Wednesday.
"After everybody has had a chance to look at it, we'll take their comments on board and we'll move forward," Ereli said.
The anti-proliferation measure also calls on the UN's 191 member nations to establish internal, border and export controls to stop the spread of WMD. It will not be brought up for a vote until 2004.
Bush surprised many diplomats when he made the call for an anti-proliferation measure in his appearance before the UN's General Assembly on September 23.
He said the combination of WMD in the hands of terrorists would "bring sudden disaster and suffering on a scale we can scarcely imagine."
The United States used its claim that the former Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein had WMD to bolster its case for launching war on Baghdad, but no such weapons have yet been found in the country.