Campaign for a Nuclear Weapons Free World Blog » Non-Proliferation Treaty

“Disarm Now!”, says UN Secretary-General

Leonard Eiger — Sun, 02 May 2010 19:41:00 +0000

Dear Friends,

It is the eve of the opening of the 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference at the United Nations in New York City, and on the previous day UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made a ground breaking speech at the historic, Riverside Church yesterday. Addressing an international conference of leading peace, justice and environmental activists, the Secretary-General gave the keynote address at the two-day conference, “For a Nuclear Free, Peaceful, Just and Sustainable World,” which has been organized by a network of 25 leading peace and nuclear weapons abolition organizations in the U.S., Europe, Japan and Israel.

Nearly 1000 participants from 30 nations have gathered to call on the nuclear nations to disarm, to honor their promises to work toward nuclear abolition; to build a world free of the nuclear Sword of Damocles. The Secretary-General's address is a clarion call as well as a clear reminder that the work of creating peace is too important to be left up to governments alone; it is up to the citizens of the world to bring pressure to bear on the world's leaders to do what is necessary (and right) to bring the nations together in peace, and abolishing nuclear weapons is a critical element that cannot wait.

You can read the Secretary-General's address below in its entirety. Following the rally in Times Square today, there will be a presentation to the Chair of the NPT Review Conference of more than seven million of petition signatures urging that negotiations to eliminate the world’s nuclear arsenals begin without further delay. For more on the international gathering in progress in New York City, check out the Disarm Now Website.

Peace,

Leonard

****************

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

REMARKS TO AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

“FOR A NUCLEAR FREE, PEACEFUL, JUST AND SUSTAINABLE WORLD”

Riverside Church , New York , 1 May 2010

Mr. Gerson,
Reverend Thomas, Minister with Education, Ecumenical and Interfaith relations,
Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba, mayor of Hiroshima
Ms. Maris Socorro Gomes, President , World Peace Council
Ms. Arielle Denis, Co-chair, Le Mouvement de la Paix
Ms. Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Director, Western States Legal Foundation

Ladies and gentlemen,

Reading the list of organizations and individuals with us this evening, I want to say what an honour it is to be here.

I know of your hard work and dedication.

I know how much you have sacrificed in standing for your principles and beliefs.

I know how much courage it takes to speak out, to protest, to carry the banner of this most noble human aspiration … world peace.

And so, most of all, I am here tonight to thank you.

Let me begin by saying how humbling it is to speak to you in this famous place, Riverside Church .

It was here that Martin Luther King Junior spoke against the war in Vietnam .

Nelson Mandela spoke here on his first visit to the United States after being freed from prison.

Standing with you, looking out, I can see what they saw: a sea of committed women and men, who come from all corners to move the world.

It reminds u! s that of what matters most in life… is not so much the message from the bully pulpit, but rather the movement from the pews.

From people like you.

And so I say: keep it up.

Our shared vision is within reach … a nuclear-free world.

On the eve of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference … beginning on Monday … we know the world is watching.

Let it heed our call . Disarm Now !

Ladies and gentlemen,

From my first day in office, I have made nuclear disarmament a top priority.

Perhaps, in part, this deep personal commitment comes from my experience as a boy in Korea , growing up after the war.

My school was rubble. There were no walls. We studied in the open air.

The United Nations rebuilt my country. I was lucky enough to receive a good education.

But more than that, I learned about peace, solidarity and, above all, the power of community action.

These values are not abstract principles to me. I owe my life to them. I try to embody them in all my work.

Just a few weeks ago, I travelled to Ground Zero — the former test site at Semipalatinsk, in Kazakhstan, where the Soviet Union detonated more than 450 nuclear explosions.

It was strangely beautiful. The great green steppe reached as far as the eye could see. But of course, the eye does not immediately see the scope of the devastation.

Vast areas where people still cannot go. Poisoned lakes and rivers. High rates of cancer and birth defects.

After independence, in 1991, Kazakhstan closed the site and banished nuclear weapons from its territory.

Today, Semipalatinsk is a powerful symbol of hope … it! is a new Ground Zero for disarmament, the birth-place of the Central Asian nuclear-weapon-free zone.

In August, I will travel to another Ground Zero — Mayor Akiba’s proud city of Hiroshima . There, I will repeat our call for a nuclear free-world.

The people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki … and especially the hibakusha … know too well the horror of nuclear war.

It must never be repeated! .

Yet 65 years later, the world still lives under a nuclear shadow.

How long must we wait to rid ourselves of this threat!? How long will we keep passing the problem to succeeding generations?

We here tonight know that it is time to end this senseless cycle.

We know that nuclear disarmament is not a distant, unattainable dream.

It is an urgent necessity, here and now. We are determined to achieve it.

We have come close in the past.

Twenty-four years ago, in Reykjavik , Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev came within a hair’s breadth of agreeing to eliminate nuclear weapons.

It was a dramatic reminder of how far we can go — as long as we have the vision and the will.

Today’s generation of nuclear negotiators must take a lesson from Reykjavik:

Be bold. Think big … for it yields big results.

And that is why, again, we need people like you.

People who understand that the world is over-armed and that peace is under-funded.

People who understand that the time for change is now.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The NPT entered into force 40 years ago.

Ever since, it has been the foundation of the non-proliferation regime and our efforts for nuclear disarmament.

To quote you, Mr. Gerson: It is one of the seminal agreements of the 20th century.

Let’s not forget. In 1963, experts predicted that there could be as many as 25 nuclear powers by the end of the last century.

It did not happen, in large part because the NPT guided the world in the right direction.

Today, we have reason for renewed optimism.

Global public opinion is swinging our way.

Governments are looking at the issue with fresh eyes.

Consider just the most recent events:

Leading by example, the United States announced a review of its nuclear posture … foreswearing the use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states, so long as they are in compliance with the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

In Prague, President Obama and President Medvedev signed a new START treaty, accompanied by serious cuts in arsenals.

In Washington, the leaders of 47 nations united in their efforts to keep nuclear weapons and materials out of the hands of terrorists.

And on Monday, we hope to open a new chapter in the life of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

In 2005, when leaders gathered for the last review of the NPT, the outcome did not match expectations.

In plainer English, it failed — utterly.

We cannot affor d to fail again.

After all, there are more than 25,000 nuclear weapons in the world’s arsenals.

Nuclear terrorism remains a real and present danger.

There has been no progress in establishing a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East .

The nuclear programs of Iran and the DPRK are of serious concern to global efforts to curb nuclear proliferation…

To deal with these and other issues, I have set out my own five-point action plan, and I thank you for your encouraging response.

I especially welcome your support for the idea of concluding a Nuclear Weapon Convention.

Article VI of the NPT requires the Parties to pursue negotiations on a treaty on general and complete disarmament under international control.

These negotiations are long overdue.

Next week, I will call on all countries … and most particularly the nuclear-weapon states … to fulfil this obligation.

We should not have unrealistic expectations for the conference. But neither can we afford to lower our sights.

What I see on the horizon is a world free of nuclear weapons.

What I see before me are the people who will help make it happen.

Please keep up your good work.

Sound the alarm, keep up the pressure.

Ask your leaders what they are doing … personally … to eliminate the nuclear menace.

Above all, continue to be the voice of conscience.

We will rid the world of nuclear weapons.

And when we do, it will be because of people like you.

The world owes you its gratitude.

Thank you.

Abolition: Do it for the Children!

Leonard Eiger — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 21:37:00 +0000

Dear Friends,

This is an exciting and challenging time for abolitionists. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference is nearing, and scores of abolitionists from all over the globe are converging on New York to engage in activities calling on the nations’ representatives at the NPT RevCon to take serious steps towards abolition. Roughly 2000 of those converging on New York come from Japan, and nearly 100 of those are Hibakusha, survivors of the bombings of Hiroshima or Nagasaki.
Most victims of the bombings did not survive, and many of the victims were children. Sadako Sasaki (see photo) was one of those victims. Sadako was only 2 years old when the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. She survived the bombing and led an outwardly healthy life; she was said to be an energetic child who never missed one day of elementary school. She was also a fast runner. Things changed dramatically for Sadako in 1955 when she was diagnosed with Leukemia (a radiation induced disease) shortly after her class won the relay at the school field day.

While in the hospital another girl in the same hospital died of Leukemia, and now Sadako knew she faced the same fate. In August after 1000 paper cranes folded by high school students in Nagoya were delivered to patients in the hospital, Sadako learned of the legend that if a person folds 1000 cranes, one’s wish will come true. Sadako decided to fold 1000 cranes with one wish – to get well. Sadako kept folding cranes, each one a prayer for healing, even through the difficult and sometimes painful days. Sadako finally succumbed to the radiation-induced disease on October 25, 1955 at the age of 12. She would never run again.

Sadako’s former classmates wanted to do something to remember Sadako, and that wish grew into a desire to build a monument not just for Sadako, but for all the children who died from the atomic bombs. They began planning and fundraising, receiving money and letters from 3000 schools around Japan. In January 1957 the Children’s Peace Monument (with a statue of Sadako) was dedicated in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. The inscription carved in stone carries the hope that no more children will ever be victims of nuclear weapons:

This is our cry.
This is our prayer.
For building peace in the world.

As adults we have a duty to protect children, and so as we gather all around the world in the coming weeks to call for nuclear abolition we call on world leaders to fullfill their moral obligation to protect the children by building a strong foundation for peace and working towards the abolition of nuclear weapons from the face of the Earth. And we will not stop until they listen! No more Hiroshimas… No more Nagasakis!

You don’t have to travel to New York to participate in actions surrounding the NPT RevCon. There are many events coming up right here in Seattle, Washington including a rally and march on May 2nd, and presentations by a visiting delegation representing the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs (Gensuikyo) on May 5th and 6th. A Hibakusha of Hiroshima will accompany the delegation and give her testimony and an urgent plea to abolish nuclear weapons.

Click here for information on “ABOLISH NUCLEAR WEAPONS: Set The Date Now“, a rally and march in Seattle on May 2nd, beginning at 1:30 PM.

Click here for information on “Voices of the Hibakusha” at First United Methodist Church of Seattle, May 5th at 7:30 PM.

Click here for information on “Towards a Nuclear Weapons-Free World“, a presentation by the visiting Japanese delegation at University of Washington Tacoma, May 6th at 12:30 PM.

Peace,

Leonard

Ratify START: Good Beginning on the way to the NPT Review Conference

Leonard Eiger — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 04:21:00 +0000

Friends,

In just one month (on May 3rd) the 2010 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) will convene. Over a grueling 28 days representatives of nations that are parties to the NPT will try to strengthen the NPT and come to agreement on language to clarify and tighten up the treaty’s rather loose provisions (such as having no time frames or deadlines for disarmament).

With the Cold War a distant memory and potential new cold wars and proliferation looming it is absolutely critical that this NPT Review Conference not end with the lackluster results of previous conferences. However, there is a momentum building towards this year’s meeting.

In just one year since President Obama gave his now famous Prague speech (April 5, 2009) endorsing disarmament – “I state clearly and with conviction America’s commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.” – his administration has negotiated a new arms treaty with Russia, and is preparing to return to Prague later this week to sign the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).

The new START Treaty is not what many of us were hoping for (Hey, we’re idealists!) but it is a beginning, and a show of good faith between the U.S. and Russia. As Hans Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists puts it, “the New START Treaty is not so much a nuclear reductions treaty as it is a verification and confidence building treaty.”

After the President signs the START Treaty on April 8, it must be approved (ratified) by both the U.S. Senate and Russian Duma. I don’t know about the Duma, but I do know that it will require at least 67 senators to approve this treaty. The Senate will need to consider the treaty and begin debate immediately, and ratify the treaty before the NPT Review Conference begins on May 3, 2010! Now is the time for the people to speak for ratification.

Please urge your senators to ratify the new START Treaty. It would be tragic to undo the months of hard work done by the U.S. and Russian negotiators on a treaty of vital importance to the continuing focus (and progress) on disarmament. Click here to send a message (courtesy of Women’s Action for New Directions) to your senator. Then tell your family and friends to do the same. Tell them their grandchildren will thank them someday.

Onward to New York and disarmament!

Peace,

Leonard

Read an analysis of the START Treaty at the Federation of American Scientists Strategic Security Blog

Let’s Stop This Silly Nuclear Posturing!

Leonard Eiger — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 04:32:00 +0000

Friends,

In May 2010 nations will gather in New York City for the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference. This will be the year that the pressure will be on to set binding and enforceable targets for reducing and ultimately eliminating the signatories’ nuclear arsenals. Of course, it will not be as simple as that since there are nations that are not signatories to the NPT that have developed nuclear weapons, the proverbial flies in the ointment.

No matter who currently has nuclear weapons, the entire world is at risk the longer nations maintain their arsenals. Some arsenals, such as the United States’ and Russia’s, are so massive as to be ludicrous. As of 2009, just the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile was estimated at 5,200 nuclear warheads, 2700 of those “operational” (in other words deployed and ready to go). Do we really need that many nukes to “deter” another nation from attacking us???

The fact is that even a limited exchange of nuclear weapons would have disastrous consequences for those people living in the immediate vicinity as well as people around the world. Aside from nuclear winter scenarios calculated during the Cold War, even a partial exchange between two smaller nuclear powers like India and Pakistan would be disastrous on a global scale. Besides decimating large percentages of their populations, and making the land in and around their nations uninhabitable, the huge volumes of soot released into the atmosphere would likely cause dramatic loss of stratospheric ozone (which protects us from ultraviolet light) and also cause massive crop failures.

So what’s a nuclear power to do??? Besides the immediate actions of taking weapons of alert status, removing warheads from weapons and a host of other actions that would serve to reduce the risk of either accidental or intentional launch, the nuclear powers must tackle the long term (hopefully not too much longer) goal of disarmament as stated in the NPT. To do so will require the leadership of the two largest nuclear powers, the U.S. and Russia.

The next U.S. Nuclear Posture Review, the document that lays out the role that nuclear weapons will play in U.S. military and foreign policy, will be (finally) released on March 1, 2010. What this document has to say will be critical going forward towards the NPT Review Conference in May. It is clear that President Obama and the Pentagon are not in agreement on some issues, one of them being whether the U.S. should commit a no-first use of nuclear weapons policy. Issues like this one are key to showing good faith and ratcheting down tensions.

We should hope that the upcoming Nuclear Posture Review will not open with a statement like this one that begins the 2002 Nuclear Posture Review (Page 7):

Nuclear weapons play a critical role in the defense capabilities of the United States, its allies and friends. They provide credible military options to deter a wide range of threats, including WMD and large-scale conventional military force. These nuclear capabilities possess unique properties that give the United States options to hold at risk classes of targets [that are] important to achieve strategic and political objectives.

Much can happen between now and March 1st, and President Obama is getting it from all sides – those who want to continue the status quo that has carried over from the Cold War, as well as those (including military and security experts) who say that the only solution to the threats posed by nuclear weapons is their elimination. The path to their elimination begins with reducing our reliance on them. It requires imagination and a re-thinking of their place (do they have one?) in “achieving strategic and political objectives.”

The President made a pledge in Prague:

I state clearly and with conviction America’s commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.

Hold him to it! Take a couple minutes to send President Obama an email asking him to be sure that the Nuclear Posture Review states a no first-use policy and that the U.S. will not build any new nuclear weapons. And when you are done, consider phoning The White House to make the message even stronger. You can personalize your email at Peace Action’s Website, and you can also find The White House phone number there.

Don’t you think that the best nuclear posture is a relaxed one?

Peace,

Leonard

Nuclear Weapons Budget in 2011

cbautista — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 20:48:20 +0000

The Fiscal Year 2011 budget has a 10% increase for nuclear weapons programs, bringing total funding to about $7 billion. I wanted to share with you a roundup of some excellent analysis of the budget by groups in the disarmament community, as well as two announcements about activities around the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference and the Kansas City Plant.

Analysis of the Fiscal Year 2011 Budget Request

Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

“Proposed DoE funding also includes large increases for a facility that will expand plutonium production in Los Alamos, New Mexico and for a new highly enriched uranium production facility near Oak Ridge, Tennessee, each estimated to cost about $3 billion. The Chemistry and Metallurgy Research Replacement Project (CMRR) plutonium facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory increased from $97 million in FY 2010 to $225 million in FY 2011. Y-12’s Uranium Processing Facility (UPF) also increased to $115 million from $94 million in FY 2010.”

Click here to download a PDF of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation’s budget briefing book.

Alliance for Nuclear Accountability

Click here for ANA’s press release.

Nuclear Watch New Mexico

Click here for their blog post on the budget.

Project on Government Oversight

Click here for their blog post on the budget.

Tri-Valley CAREs

Click here for their press release.

Upcoming activities on nuclear weapons

1. For Peace and Human Needs: Nuclear Disarmament Now! is a new website with resources on activities and demonstrations being planned for the May NPT Review Conference. Hundreds of organizations from the U.S. and around the globe are taking new steps to renew the commitment to a nuclear free world. The website includes an online petition on nuclear disarmament.

2. Groundbreaking is expected in April for a major new production facility, the Kansas City Plant, that will be responsible for 85% of all components for possible new designs and/or half-century life extensions of existing U.S. nuclear weapons. Protests and demonstrations in Kansas City are currently being planned, just before the NPT Review Conference that begins May 3. Contact Nuclear Watch New Mexico for more information.

Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cjbrenchley/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0