WORLD

UNITED NATIONS, May 6 (Xinhua) -- More than half of UN member states have submitted assessments to the Security Council regarding efforts to keep nuclear, chemical and biological weapons out of the hands of terrorists and black marketers, the UN said Tuesday.

As of the end of April, over 150 nations have fulfilled their reporting responsibilities, Ambassador Jorge Urbina of Costa Rica, the chair of the Security Council committee established pursuant to resolution 1540, which was adopted in 2004, to combat the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) by non-state actors, particularly terrorists, told the council.

He also encouraged states which have yet to submit reports to do so as soon as possible.

Resolution 1540 called on member states to enact legislation and to take effective measures to prevent non-state actors, and terrorist groups in particular, from obtaining weapons of mass destruction.

It also obligated states to report on measures they have taken to fulfill the substantive requirements of the resolution.