President Tommy E. Remengesau Jr., has said he will be sending to the Olbiil Era Kelulau for ratification the, Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Remengesau signed the treaty on September 22 on the sidelines of the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

"Minister of State Faustina Rehuher Marugg will submit the signed treaties in the next few days to OEK for ratification," said Remengesau at last Wednesday's press conference. International treaties require majority approval by the respective houses of the OEK. Palau was one of the six Pacific island countries and the first group of 50 to sign the treaty when it opened for signing. It needs 50 ratifications among the signatories for the treaty to take effect on nations that backed it. 

Fiji, Samoa, Tuvalu and Kiribati are among the other Pacific Island nations who have signed, while notable exclusions from the region the Marshall Islands. More than 120 countries approved the new nuclear weapons ban treaty in July over opposition from nuclear-armed countries and their allies. 

Countries acceding to the treaty would be barred from developing, testing, producing, manufacturing, otherwise acquiring, possessing or stockpiling nuclear weapons "under any circumstances." In his address to the UN General Assembly in New York, Remengesau encouraged all world leaders to accede to the treaty. 

"Taking into account the recent actions by North Korea we must take seriously the long term need to ban nuclear weapons," said Mr Remengesau. "I must give credit to the leaders of my country who over 30 years ago recognized the threat of nuclear weapons and banned the use, test and storage of nuclear weapons in Palau's constitution," he said.