The Nobel Peace Prize winner's campaign to ban nuclear weapons will not make the world more peaceful, the US Embassy in Norway says, confirming its top diplomat will not attend next month's award ceremony.
On Wednesday, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) accused the United States, Britain and France of snubbing its disarmament work by planning to send only second-rank diplomats in a coordinated move.
ICAN, s a grassroots movement that began in Melbourne more than a decade ago, was a surprise choice for the prize.
It has been campaigning for the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which was adopted by 122 nations in July this year.
But the treaty is not signed by - and would not apply to - any of the states that already have nuclear arms: the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France, as well as India, Pakistan and North Korea.
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The US Embassy in Oslo said it planned to send its acting deputy chief of mission instead of its acting ambassador to the December 10 ceremony, attended by King Harald and Queen Sonja and the highlight of the diplomatic calendar in Norway.
"This year's Nobel Peace Prize to ICAN for its efforts in support of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, comes at a time of increased danger of nuclear proliferation," the embassy said in the statement to Reuters on Thursday.
While Britain and France will do the same as the United States in sending lower-ranking diplomats to the ceremony, the other two permanent members of the UN Security Council are taking different approaches.
The Russian embassy said it would send its ambassador to the ceremony.
The Chinese embassy said the ambassador was unavailable and that it had no plans to send someone else instead of him.
