KYOTO -- The atomic ambitions of North Korea and Iran offer direct challenges to the credibility of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, while the international community's response to these challenges will greatly influence global opinion as to whether the treaty itself is still viable.
These were some of the messages delivered Thursday by 55 delegates to a United Nations conference on disarmament issues.
The delegates to the convention, which began Wednesday and ends Friday, include ambassadors, academic experts on disarmament and officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency.