Guatemala City, by Yuliza Muñoz -AGN- At the National Palace of Culture, the XXVIII Session of the General Conference of the Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL) took place.
Guatemala chaired this meeting, which has not been held outside Mexico for the last ten years. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mario Búcaro, endorsed the Government of Guatemala’s commitment to peace and multilateralism.
“Guatemala is heading these efforts, especially, having been one of the signatories of the Tlatelolco treaties more than 53 years ago, which assures us that today, Latin America does not have any nuclear weapons development. This puts us at the forefront of the world,” stated Minister Búcaro.
Likewise, Minister Búcaro explained that the intention is to create actions to promote world peace and highlighted the importance of harmony and hope in today’s turbulent world.
The Meeting
More than 20 member states of the Tlatelolco Treaty attended the meeting. The signatories highlighted Guatemala’s leadership in building peaceful paths and its stance favoring nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.
One of the attendees, the Ambassador of Peru in Guatemala, Jorge Alejandro Raffo Carbajal, expressed his delegation’s gratitude to the Guatemalan authorities for hosting this edition of the General Conference, which, for the first time in 10 years, is convening outside of its headquarters.
OPANAL
It is an intergovernmental organization founded by the Treaty of Tlatelolco. It was established to ensure the first densely populated nuclear-weapon-free zone and led to other nuclear-weapon-free zones worldwide.
Guatemala signed the Treaty of Tlatelolco on February 14, 1967, and ratified it on February 6, 1970. Guatemala has signed other documents as part of OPANAL, such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, as well as the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Guatemala’s Stance
According to Minister Búcaro, Guatemala is committed to actions for the promotion of peace in the region. A clear stance, a part of the Guatemalan policy is disarmament, which is fundamental, and the country will continue to work on it.
