Hiroshima holds a special affection in my heart. On August 6, 2002, I had the privilege and responsibility of representing UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the ceremony commemorating the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945.

The commemoration is at once haunting, sombre and soul-cleansing.  Some 40,000 people assemble in the sultry heat to recall the searing, dazzling blast that announced the birth of the atomic age with the death of 100,000 people at one stroke and the horror-filled stories of the larger number of survivors.  Read full article...