United Nations: The United Nations Security Council today (Apr 28, 2004) called upon all States to refrain from providing any form of support to non-State actors to develop, acquire, manufacture, possess, transport, transfer or use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and their means of delivery.

One the reasons for the resolution is the revelation of the activities of leading Pakistani nuclear scientist A Q Khan who had transferred nuclear technology to North Korea, Libya and Iran and it aims at preventing such situations arising in the future.

The measure, adopted unanimously by the 15-member Council, is also expected to ensure that terrorist do not lay their hands on nuclear weapons or technology.

The resolution invokes chapter seven of the Charter, which makes it enforceable.

The resolution asks all States to take and enforce effective measures to establish domestic controls to prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems and take effective measures to account for and secure such items during production, storage, usage and transportation stages.

It also demands that that States develop and maintain border controls to "detect, deter, prevent and combat" the illicit trafficking and brokering in such items.

The member States are required to maintain national and transhipment controls over such items.