Michael Douglas calls for action on CTBT at the UN

Ploughshares Fund board member and UN Messenger of Peace Michael Douglas joined Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, former Defense Secretary William Perry and foreign ministers from around the world at the UN on September 24th, calling for early entry-into-force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).  "Addressing you today," said Douglas, "I feel both honored and a deep sense of responsibility, because I am not a diplomat, a foreign minister or an expert. Thus, I feel a duty to speak as a citizen of the planet. Bringing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty into force must not be held up any longer by the intransigence of a few," referring to the nine countries, including the U.S., who still have to ratify the Treaty before it can take effect. The CTBT bans all nuclear explosions on earth, and is a fundamental step in preventing the further development of nuclear weapons and curbing their spread.  Read Douglas' statement here.