JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR: And now to the United Nations where a four-week conference on nuclear disarmament is getting under way today. The U.S. and Russia are among the nations meeting to discuss commitments to disarm and progress toward that goal. CNN senior United Nations correspondent Richard Roth joins us now live with more -- Richard.</s>RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT: Jeanne, this is known as a review conference. Five years ago, a big event: the U.S.-led efforts to indefinitely extend the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty designed to curb the spread of nuclear weapons. A lot of developments in the last five years and that's going to be the subject of debate. A lot of talk between the have and the have-nots, those nuclear powers, the big five on the Security Council which have it under the treaty, and all the rest of the world which do not, except for four countries who have not signed on to NPT. Now, back in May of 1998, a significant development: nuclear test explosions by India and Pakistan which certainly rattled the NPT and the delegates here who will be discussing the treaty. In his opening remarks a short time ago to the conference, U.S. Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned the world weapons of mass destruction are a threat to peace and a challenge to every U.N.-member country.</s>KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: The fact is that compliance with NPT's nonproliferation obligations remains incomplete and has not always been satisfactory. Today, I call upon all parties to redouble their efforts to combat this common threat and to sign and bring into force the IAEA's protocol designed to enhance assurances about compliance.</s>ROTH: Critics say the major powers have not done enough to disarm in the last five years. And they say what we need are less speeches here at the U.N., that it would just take a few days to de- alert missiles. Richard Roth, CNN, reporting live at the United Nations.
Four-Week Conference on Nuclear Disarmament Under Way at United Nations