U.S. returns to U.N. nuclear summit table

President Barack Obama on Thursday opened the U.N. Security Council's summit on nuclear weapons with a new commitment to non-proliferation -- a position that foreign policy heavyweights quickly heralded.

Thursday's meeting of the Security Council was indeed a rare occurence -- it is only the fourth time heads of state have participated directly in nuclear non-proliferation negotiations, it was the first time in 10 years the United States participated at all and it marked the first time a U.S. president led the session.

Obama began by organizing a successful, unanimous vote in favor of a resolution that sets new targets for nuclear non-proliferation. Although the statement did not indict North Korea and Iran for their nuclear programs, as the White House initially hoped, it did reinforce the 15-member body's commitment to addressing rising concerns for nuclear terrorism.

"The historic resolution we just adopted enshrines our shared commitment to the goal of a world without nuclear weapons, and it brings Security Council agreement on a broad framework for action to reduce nuclear dangers as we work toward that goal," Obama said during the meeting.

The president added that he hoped next to tackle the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty -- an international pact setting limits on nuclear weapon testing that Obama's predecessor opposed.

After the meeting, a coalition of former foreign policy advisers and lawmakers who comprise the Nuclear Security Project -- former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and George Schulz, former Secretary of Defense William Perry and former Sen. Sam Nunn -- praised Obama for his work organizing the meeting and brokering the resolution.

"The Summit in the UN Security Council brings much-needed global focus to the risks posed by the spread of nuclear weapons, nuclear know-how and nuclear material," they said. "By convening heads of state, the meeting can help build the necessary political will around the urgent steps required to reduce nuclear dangers."

Later on Thursday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton plans to deliver a speech in support of the test ban treaty. Her husband initially signed the pact, but the Senate never ratified it.