By Miya Tanaka

HIROSHIMA, Aug. 5 Kyodo, Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba and Tibor Toth, executive secretary of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization, agreed Saturday to step up their efforts toward nuclear disarmament, a Hiroshima city official said.

Toth is in the city to attend Sunday's memorial ceremony marking the 61st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima during World War II.

During a 15-minute meeting, Akiba explained the initiatives of the ''Mayors for Peace,'' which he heads, such as moving to realize a nuclear-free world by 2020. The organization consists of about 1,400 member cities from 119 countries.

Toth was quoted as saying that, even though their methods differ, both Hiroshima and the CTBTO are heading toward a common goal of nuclear disarmament.

Akiba said the activities of Hiroshima and the CTBTO will have the effect of supplementing each other, the city official said.

After the meeting, Toth said at a news conference that the initiatives of the Mayors for Peace ''might be extremely relevant'' for the CTBTO, citing their features as ''working beyond the government…and targeting individuals and citizens.''

He said that the global movement could be helpful in increasing the number of Asian countries ratifying the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

2006-08-05 19:39:00JST