Kofi Annan Bemoans Us Decision To Abrogate Abm Treaty

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan regrets Washington's unilateral decision to withdraw from the 1972-vintage ABM (Anti-Ballistic Missile) Treaty. Annan's statement, which circulated at UN headquarters here today, notes that the ABM Treaty had served as a corner-stone of global peace, security and strategic stability for many consecutive years. According to Annan, the White House decision can trigger off an arms race, a missile race, in the first place. Annan called on the international community to elaborate legally binding initiatives for the sake of avoiding such undesirable consequences; moreover, the proposed initiatives should not be abrogated.