By IRNA
Berlin : German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier here Thursday hailed Colombia’s sudden ratification of the nuclear Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
In a press statement, Steinmeier welcomed Colombia’s signing of the nuclear test ban treaty (CTBT), slashing the number of countries still needed for the treaty’s entry into force to nine.
The minister urged all countries which have yet to endorse the treaty, to sign the CTBT as soon as possible.
Among the holdouts are the United States, Israel, China, India, Pakistan, and North Korea.
Approved in 1996 and signed by 178 countries, the global nuclear test ban accord bars all kinds of atomic tests.