WASHINGTON, April 26 - The issue of nuclear safety should be treated as seriously as the issue of nuclear weapons, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in an article published in the New York Times.

"For decades, negotiators have sought agreement on limiting (and perhaps ultimately eliminating) nuclear weapons. And this past year, we have seen very encouraging progress. With the memory of Chernobyl and, now, the disaster in Fukushima, we must broaden our focus. Henceforth, we must treat the issue of nuclear safety as seriously as we do nuclear weapons," he said in a document published on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the tragedy at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.