& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Obama pledges nuke cuts in Seoul

Urges Russia to follow suit; China joins US to denounce N Korea's missile test

AFP, Seoul
President Barack Obama said Monday the United States would further cut its nuclear arsenal, as he warned in a hardhitting address that North Korea and Iran must back down over their atomic plans.
Obama delivered his speech just before the start of a nuclear security summit in Seoul, seeking to build global momentum in the drive to eliminate or safeguard material that could be used to make thousands of bombs.
Acknowledging the United States has more warheads than necessary, Obama held out the prospect of new reductions in the US arsenal as he sought to rally world leaders for additional concrete steps against the threat of nuclear terrorism.
"We're under no illusions. We know that nuclear material — enough for many weapons — is still being stored without adequate protection, ” he said.
"We know that terrorists and criminal gangs are still trying to get their hands on it, as well as the radioactive material for a dirty bomb... the danger of nuclear terrorism remains one of the greatest threats to global security."
He said that, with more than 1,500 deployed nuclear weapons and 5,000 warheads, the United States had "more nuclear weapons than we need".
He pledged a new arms-control push with incoming Russian president Vladimir Putin when they meet in May. But any further reductions would face stiff election-year opposition from Republicans in Congress who already accuse him ofweakeningAmerica's nuclear deterrent.
He set expectations high in a 2009 speech in Prague when he declared it was time to seek "a world without nuclear weap-
ons". He acknowledged at the time it was a long-term goal, but his high-flown oratory helped him win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Though Obama was vague on exactly how such a vision would be achieved, he voiced confidence the United States and Russia, which reached a landmark arms-control treaty in 2010, "can continue to make progress and reduce our nuclear stockpiles".
The United States and Russia are the two biggest nuclear powers, possessing thousands of warheads between them, arsenals that arms-control advocates say are capable of destroying the world several times over.
Obama also sought to ramp up diplomatic pressure on North Korea and Iran over their atomic programmes, which
although not on the summit's official agenda were the focus of much discussion among leaders yesterday.
In North Asia, tensions have escalated in recent weeks after North Korea announced it would launch a long-range rocket in mid-April.
South Korea yesterday announced it would shoot down the North's rocket if it strayed into the South's territory. Japan said last week it would do the same.
The United States, South Korea, Japan and many other countries believe the launch is intended to test a missile capable eventually of delivering an atomic warhead.
The nuclear-armed North insists its rocket launch will merely put a peaceful satellite into orbit.
Obama told North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions or face further international isolation.
"And know this — there will be no more rewards for provocations. Those days are over. This is the choice before you. This is the decision you must make."
Obama made an unusually blunt appeal to China on Sunday to get tougher with North Korea, its close ally, and made the issue a top priority during a 90-minute meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao yesterday.
Hu agreed with Obama that the planned rocket launch was a "serious concern" and their two nations should coordinate closely on the issue.
Obama also warned Iran in his speech that time was running out to resolve the standoff over its nuclear programme through diplomacy.
"There is time to solve this diplomatically... but time is short. Iran must act with the seriousness and sense of urgency that this moment demands," he said.