ASEAN persuades countries to commit on non-nuclear weapon

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) keeps persuading countries to give their commitment on non-nuclear weapon for a better world, an official said here on Tuesday. Jose Tavarez, director of Regional Dialog Partner at the Directorate General of ASEAN Cooperation at the Foreign Ministry, told reporters that however, the bloc could not force the countries for the purpose. "ASEAN member states have ratified nuclear non-proliferation treaty since 1995. We are attached to the commitment. Now, we are persuading nuclear countries to give commitment and to be part of non-nuclear proliferation treaty like we are in the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (ASEANWFZ)," said Tavarez. He added that commitment within ASEAN is still intact. "No country within ASEAN is developing nuclear weapon. If some of them want to develop nuclear for peace, it's their right and they deserve help as it is difficult to do that, in terms of technology and material," said Tavarez.