Blix says talks with Iran are the only way forward

12 June 2006

In a speech at Chatham House on 12 June Dr Hans Blix spoke about the findings of The Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission and expanded on his thoughts towards the future of arms proliferation in the world.

Mr Blix accepted that the world's concentration was on Iran and North Korea but he stressed that there were still some 27,000 nuclear weapons scattered around the globe some of which are poised on hair trigger alert. He underlined the warning of US Senator Sam Nunn that communication misunderstandings could set off catastrophic errors. He went on to argue that weapons of mass destruction are dangerous regardless of who controls them.

When talking about disarmament Dr Blix said that paradoxically more had been achieved during the Cold War compared to today's world but he acknowledged that significant progress has been made, such as the Chemical Weapons Convention and The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

Talking of the situation in Iraq Hans Blix argued that after disappointment with global instruments such as the NPT and the IAEA, the US reverted to counterproliferation and a reliance on military force. Mr Blix said that this has proved highly costly and caused profound disagreements within the international community. On Iran Mr Blix argued that lessons should be learnt from the experience of Iraq and that negotiations are the most viable option to solve the current crisis.

Further information:

Contact:
Sam Hardy
Chatham House Press Office
+44 (0) 20 7957 5739
+44 (0) 7946 642 205

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