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Article: The World Court and Nuclear Weapons: Who is Listening?
- Article from:
- UN Chronicle
- Article date:
- December 22, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 United Nations Publications. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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On 8 July 1996, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), otherwise known as the World Court, delivered an historic opinion on the legality of the threat or use of nuclear weapons. Citing international laws of war and specific treaties, a majority of the judges declared that the threat or use of nuclear weapons would generally be illegal, and all 14 declared "that there exists an obligation to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control".
The Court's opinion prompted a flurry of claims and counter-claims. Nuclear-weapon States said that their policies ...