But the nuclear powers still cling tenaciously to their weapons.

But the nuclear powers still cling tenaciously to their weapons.

The cold war is over, but cold war thinking survives.

My third appeal is to my fellow citizens in all countries: Help us to establish lasting peace in the world.

The most terrifying moment in my life was October 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis. I did not know all the facts - we have learned only recently how close we were to war - but I knew enough to make me tremble.

This is the reality of nuclear weapons: they may trigger a world war; a war which, unlike previous ones, destroys all of civilization.

The chief task was to stop the arms race before it brought utter disaster. However, after the collapse of communism and the disintegration of the Soviet Union, any rationale for having nuclear weapons disappeared.