Currently, we are marking the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. We are remembering the terrible destruction and untold suffering that this war brought upon so many people. This anniversary of the end of the war is also an opportunity to once again recall the lessons the international community has drawn from its horror.

Above all we realized that we require an international order "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war", as the founders of the United Nations declared in the Preamble to the Charter.

To protect peace and security everywhere in the world, we need efficient multilateral cooperation that is both effective and based on common rules. Today, after the end of the confrontation between the two blocs during the Cold War, and after 11 September, this holds true more than ever.

Let us not be fooled: the risk of nuclear war is by no means a thing of the past. In recent years, we far too often experienced the brutal, ruthless violence of international terrorism. One does not want to imagine how devastating the consequences would be if terrorist groups were to get hold of nuclear weapons.
However, we must view nuclear terrorism as a very real danger.