The commemorations of Hiroshima and Nagasaki tragedies on 6 and 9 August will have a special meaning this year.
For the first time for 65 years, the United-States, which committed one of the worst crimes of the last century by bombing these two cities, decided to take an active part in these days of remembrance. The US Department of State announced that Mr. John Ross, US ambassador to Japan, will represent his country on 6 August in Hiroshima. Representatives from the French and British embassies will also attend the commemorations for the first time, as well as the United Nations with the Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-moon.

Late and opportunist, these tributes to the victims will not be sufficient to erase disappointments after the 2010 NPT Review Conference and to conceal the difficulties about the ratification of the new START Treaty. Even if a global nuclear disarmament in accordance with article VI of the NPT seems not to be for a near future, however 2010 could be seen as the beginning of a new dynamic for the nuclear disarmament negotiations, which were at an impasse for several years. This is not enough but it is a start.