[JURIST] A study by the independent Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission [advocacy website], headed by former UN chief weapons inspector Hans Blix [UN profile; BBC profile], has called for a total ban on the possession and use of nuclear weapons [press release, PDF]. At a UN press conference, Blix said the report, titled “Weapons of Terror: Freeing the World of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Arms” [text, PDF], contained 60 concrete recommendations to address problems posed by weapons of mass destruction and outlined major roles for the United Nations and the UN Security Council based on foreign policy rather than military action. Leading the list were worldwide acceptance of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty [text, PDF] and a commitment by current nuclear weapons states to reduce their arsenals and stop producing plutonium and highly-enriched uranium for weapons use. Addressing the issue of Iran [JURIST news archive] and its nuclear program, Blix said [press release] that “the first line of defense against the spread of nuclear weapons is to make States feel like they don’t need them.”

Regarding US rejection [JURIST report] to date of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, Blix said that US ratification could induce China, India, Pakistan and Iran into signing on as well, though he acknowledged that was unlikely under the Bush administration. AP has more.