Letter of Protest against DPRK’s statement of its plan to conduct a nuclear weapon test issued

His Excellency Kim Jong-Il
Chairman of the DPRK National Defense Commission
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Letter of Protest

We have heard reports that your country is planning to conduct a nuclear weapon test.

Such a test would be an intolerable slap in the face to the A-bomb survivors and millions of people around the world working hard to abolish nuclear weapons. We are profoundly alarmed that your recent missile launches, nuclear weapons development, and general hard-line stance are threatening the peace and stability of the world, leading us all toward a point of no return.

Your actions, counter to the effort to abolish nuclear weapons, have helped to bring the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the only multilateral treaty promoting nuclear disarmament, to the brink of collapse, and are accelerating the movement toward nuclear expansion and proliferation. They also obviously run counter to the advisory opinion issued ten years ago by the International Court of Justice that “There exists an obligation to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament…” We are outraged by your nullification of years of international diplomatic effort to find a peaceful resolution. On behalf of the 1,416 cities in 120 countries and territories that are members of Mayors for Peace, we vehemently protest.

We demand that you think more deeply regarding the inhumanity of nuclear weapons and immediately halt your plans to conduct a nuclear test. We further demand that you participate in the six-party talks regarding nuclear issues, remain within the NPT framework, develop a diplomatic approach that does not rely on nuclear deterrence, and participate in good faith in nuclear disarmament negotiations.

October 5, 2006

The Conference of Mayors for Peace