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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush urged the United Nations on Saturday to enact tougher controls to stop the spread of nuclear weapons as he warned Americans about the dangers of deadly weapons.
Bush has made national security a key theme of his re-election campaign. Earlier this week, he unveiled proposals to stop a nuclear black market as he detailed the network run by Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of Pakistan's atomic program.
The president suggested limiting the transfer of nuclear technology to those countries that forswear atomic weapons.
In his radio address, Bush invoked memories of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States as he warned of "the prospect of even worse dangers" that could arise if nuclear weapons fall into the wrong hands.
"The possibility of secret and sudden attack with weapons of mass destruction is the greatest threat before humanity today," he said.
"Last fall at the United Nations I proposed a new Security Council resolution requiring all states to criminalize proliferation, enact strict export controls and secure all sensitive materials within their borders," Bush said.
"I urge the Council to pass these measures quickly," he said.
Bush, who has faced criticism over the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, has seen his poll numbers drop recently. He cited the existence of banned weapons as a main reason for going to war against Iraq last year.
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