John Hallam Friends of the Earth Sydney, 17 Lord Street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, 2042 Fax (61)(2)9517-3902 ph (61)(2)9517-3903 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd PALM SUNDAY 16/4/2000 PRESS RELEASE STATUE OF LIBERTY, NUKE MISSILES, OUTSIDE PMS OFFICE. Activists dressed as Alexander Downer and Bill Clinton together with a statue of liberty and two mock nuclear missiles and green MLC Lee Rhiannon, gathered outside the Prime Ministers office today to demand that the Government take a stronger stance toward the nuclear weapons states as the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review conference looms in the UN, April 24-May19th. Activists have cautiously welcomed the ratification of the START-II agreement by Russia, but warn that much more needs to be done. According to John Hallam of Friends of the Earth, "The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review demands a better policy than mere damage control, which seems to be the only thing that Mr. Downers office has in mind." "If the NPT Review conference is to stay on the rails, what we need is clear and continued movement toward the implementation of the obligations of the nuclear weapons states under articleVI of the single most nearly universal treaty in the world, the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. Under article VI of the NPT, which has been in force since 1970, the nuclear weapons states are obliged to eliminate their nuclear arsenals 'at an early date'. After 30 years this hasn't happened and the whole world wants to know why." "The Start-II ratification by Russia certainly represents some sort of progress, but much more needs to be done if the nuclear weapons states are to fulfill their article VI obligations and set the world free from the threat of global catastrophe.The steps outlined in Australias own Canberra Commission set out a logical and practical way to rid the world of nuclear weapons, and the government should pursue that agenda." Resolutions demanding progress to fulfill the obligations of the nuclear weapons states have now been passed in the parliaments of New Zealand, Canada, and in the Australian Senate. Last week, 374 organizations worldwide sent a letter to all NPT signatories plus India, Pakistan and Israel, asking that the weapons states fulfill their legal obligations under the treaty. Contact: John Hallam 9517-3903 h9810-2598 m0415-202060 AUSTRALIAN PEACE COMMITTEE/F.O.E., 16/4/2000 ANTINUKE GROUPS WELCOME START II RATIFICATION The Australian Peace Committee and Friends of the Earth on Palm Sunday (today) extended a cautious welcome to the ratification of START-II by the Russian Duma in the leadup to the Review Conference of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty from April 24-May19th at the UN in New York, but urged the Australian government to do more. The NPT review conference will be attended by representatives from every country on earth except India, Pakistan, Israel, and Cuba. It will help to determine whether the world proceeds toward the elimination of nuclear weapons or to resumed nuclear arms - racing. Alexander Downer will attend. According to Irene Gale AM of the Australian Peace Committee and John Hallam of Friends of the Earth, "While the ratification of START-II by the Duma is undoubtedly welcome, and help to lift a little the pall of gloom that had started to settle on the NPT Review, with the UN secretary general warning that the nuclear arms control agenda has ground to a halt and may go into reverse, Fridays events do not by any means take us out of the woods. The Duma's ratification is highly conditional. Specifically it is conditional on the US agreeing to abide by 1997 agreements on the ABM treaty, and on the US not deploying a national ballistic missile defence system, which the US has so far appeared committed to deploy. This is and continues to be a major sticking point. Even if it were not for this major glitch, the doomsday machines of the US and Russia remain intact. Currently there are some 5,000 warheads total on land- based ICBMs that can be launched at a moments notice. Even after START-II is fully implemented, it will still be possible to destroy civilization in about half an hour given the right sequence of events. Finally there is the danger that this development, welcome as it is, will take the pressure off the US and Russia to do more. The ratification is a welcome move in the right direction but we must keep on moving toward the negotiation and implementation of a START-III agreement and the elimination of all nuclear weapons on an urgent basis. The Australian Government in particular needs to do more to press the weapons states to put aside their differences over BMD and to proceed rapidly to the complete elimination of nuclear weapons. To that end it must seek to implement the commonsense recommendations of the Canberra Commission and should stand in solidarity with those nations that have already resolved to do so, Ireland, Sweden, New Zealand, South Africa, and the New Agenda coalition." 'Alexander Downer' and 'Bill Clinton' will do a palm- Sunday tango with nuclear missiles outside prime Minister Howards office in Philip St Sydney at 2-3pm, 16/4. Similar events are planned for Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane. For details contact John Hallam 9517-3903, m0415-202060 Irene Gale 08-8364-2291 -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
LL:PR: START-II, AUSTRALIAN PALM SUNDAY EVENTS
FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Tue, 18 Apr 2000 02:33:30 -0700
