United Nations Radio

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday laid a wreath in honour of the victims of the 1945 United States atomic bombing of Nagasaki in Japan.

UN Secretary-General

Speaking at the location of the bombing, the Secretary-General recalled that the attack left the beautiful city in ruins and took the lives of tens of thousands of men, women and children.

He said the people of Nagasaki, together with the people of Hiroshima, another city which sustained a nuclear attack, have created a dynamic partnership for global nuclear disarmament.

Secretary-General Ban said the site of the nuclear bombing does far more than mark the geographic centre of the bomb's impact.

"This is a monument to the conviction that we must never allow such devastation to be inflicted on any population, anywhere, ever again. As Secretary-General of the United Nations, I have offered a five-point plan on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. It includes recommendations on security, verification, transparency, conventional weapons and the legal framework for nuclear disarmament."

Secretary-General Ban thanked the mayors of Nagasaki and Hiroshima for their support.

He said their global Mayors for Peace Movement now has the support of more than 4,000 mayors worldwide.

The Secretary-General welcomed their efforts to gain the support of over 5,000 mayors, representing the combined population of over a billion citizens by the end of the year.

This is Donn Bobb reporting for United Nations Radio

Duration 1'28"