PARLIAMENTARIANS AND CIVIL SOCIETY APPEAL ON IRAN AND NUCLEAR WEAPONS
A PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO THE IRAN CRISIS AND A NUCLEAR-FREE MIDDLE EAST
NO ‘FIRST USE’ OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS
To:
President George Bush
Secy of State Condoleeza Rice
UN Ambassador John Bolton
President Ahmadinejad of Iran
Foreign Minister of Iran, Kamal Jharze
Iran UN Ambassador, H.E. Zarif-Khonsari
Ehud Olmert, Acting Prime Minister of Israel,
Israel Foreign MinisterTzipi Livni,
H.E. Mr. Dan Gillerman, Israel UN Mission
cc
Mr Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission
Tony Blair, Prime Minister of UK
Jack Straw, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs,
The Hon. John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia
The Hon. Alexander Downer, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australia
M. Jacques Chirac, President de la Republique Francaise
M. Dominique de Villepin, Premier Ministre
M. Philippe Douste-Blazy, Ministre des Affaires Etrangeres
S.E. Jean-Marc de la Sabliere, Representant permanent aupres des Nations-Unies
Herr Horst Kohler, Bundesprazsident Deutschlands
Frau Angela Merkel, Bundeskanzlerin Deutschlands
Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Deutsche Bundesaussenminister
Mr Kofi Annan, General Secretary of the United Nations
Mr Mohamed ElBaradei, Director of the IAEA
Wolfgang Schussel, President of the European Union, Chancellor of Austria,
President Putin of Russia
Foreign Minister Ivanov of Russia
China UN, Geneva and IAEA Missions
IAEA Board Members
Dear Presidents Bush and Ahmadinejad, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers, Secretaries of State,
IAEA Board Members, and Ambassadors,
The proliferation of nuclear weapons is possibly the single greatest threat to civilisation. If a feared cascade of proliferation occurs, the probability that by malice, madness, miscalculation or malfunction, nuclear weapons will at some point be used will increase sharply. All nations have a responsibility to ensure that the number of nations with nuclear weapons does not grow, to prevent non-state actors from obtaining them, and for those who posses nuclear weapons to eliminate and abolish them.
Threats and rumours of military action or even nuclear weapons use only worsen a growing crisis between Iran, the United States, and Israel.
Reports of preparations for and explorations of military options, no matter how speculative, are highly disturbing and are in themselves dangerous. Such explorations must cease. There must be no talk of war.
But there IS talk of war, both from the United States and from Israel. President Ahmadinejad, you have spoken of “wiping Israel from the map.” In the US and Israel, ‘hotheads’ call openly for “swift military action”, while ‘responsible’ leaders speak of “no option being ruled out.” President Bush, we heard these same two formulations used just months before the invasion of Iraq. We urge that the explorations of military or nuclear options cease immediately, and support IAEA General Director, Mohamed ElBaradei in calling for this belligerent talk from all parties to stop now.
The United States and other Nuclear Weapon States and de facto nuclear weapon states -nations that already possess nuclear weapons- have made little progress toward the internationally mandated goal of the total and unequivocal elimination of those weapons. Although there has been some limited progress in lowering total nuclear stockpiles, the established nuclear weapons possessors continue to rely on those weapons in their security doctrines, and do not envisage change in that posture ‘for the foreseeable future’.
This continues in spite of a clear international consensus to the effect that nuclear weapons are a continuing threat to civilisation and life, in spite of repeated calls by the international community for progress toward their total and unequivocal elimination.
Nations that possess large nuclear arsenals cannot consistently or credibly call for others to eliminate or cease the pursuit of nuclear weapons arsenals of their own while not moving to eliminate their own nuclear weapons. A global commitment to the elimination of nuclear weapons is a global commitment to the elimination of nuclear weapons, and applies equally to all parties. There can be no exceptions. Those who now posses nuclear arsenals are obliged to eliminate those arsenals. Those who do not have them must not pursue them.
Similarly, the violation of the goal of a nuclear-free Middle East by one party does not in any way excuse its violation by another party. However, the renunciation of the nuclear option by one party will facilitate its renunciation by another party.
Israel’s nuclear arsenal and the pursuit of nuclear weapons by Iran – if indeed that is taking place – are dangerous per se and open the gate for further proliferation by other Middle Eastern nations, and for a middle eastern arms race that would be dangerous in the extreme. This must not happen.
Serious concerns exist over the possibility that US nuclear doctrine may envisage strikes against other nations that involve a first use of nuclear weapons, or possibly the use of nuclear weapons against nations that are not themselves nuclear – armed. We note with approval the recent letter by US senators and others in this matter.
- 1) No use of any military option whatsoever by any party for any reason.
- 2) A clear commitment by all nuclear-armed parties not to use nuclear weapons in this situation, and a broader commitment to the doctrine of no ‘first use’ of nuclear weapons.
- 3) The implementation of the 1995 Non-Proliferation Treaty Resolution on a Nuclear Weapon Free Zone in the Middle East, implementation of the annual consensus-adopted General Assembly resolutions on ‘Establishment of a Nuclear-Weapons-Free Zone in the region of the Middle East’.
- (4) A clear commitment by all parties to the global elimination of nuclear weapons, including through reaffirming the Final Declaration of the 2000 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, and relevant General Assembly resolutions.
- 5) A diplomatic path to the removal of tensions between the US, Israel, and Iran, involving compromise on both sides, recognition of the legitimate security concerns of all parties including both Israel and Iran, and refraining from inflammatory statements or the exploration of military options by any party.。
Signed:
INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS
Tadatoshi Akiba Mayor of Hiroshima President, Mayors for Peace,
Abolition-2000 Global Council,
Douglas Mattern, President, Association of World Citizens, San Fran,
Ron Mc Coy, President, Dr. Mary-Wynne Ashford, International
Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW),
Susi Snyder, Secy General, Womens International League for Peace and Freemdom (WILPF)
Nicky Davies, Global Disarmament Campaign Coordinator, Greenpeace Int.
Alfred L. Marder President, International Association of Peace Messenger Cities,
Margaret Melkonian, Vice Pres, Hague Appeal for Peace,UN Plaza, NY,
Hans von Sponeck, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq (1998-2000)
Nouri Abdul Razzak Hussain, Secy-General Afro-Asian Peoples’ Solidarity Organization (AAPSO) Egypt
Bahig Nassar Coordinator, Arab Coordination Center of NGOs, Egypt,
Rev. David Mumford, International Coordinator, International Fellowship of Reconciliation, Alkmaar, Neth,
Andre Bouny, president of the International Committee for Supporting the Vietnamese Victims of the Orange Agent
NETHERLANDS
Ak Malten, Global Anti Nuclear Alliance (GANA) The Hague, Neth,
Peer de Rijk, World Information Service on Energy(WISE) ,Amst, Neth,
Fiona H. Dove, Director, Transnational Institute, Amst, Neth,
Martin Broek, Dutch Campaign Against Arms Trade, Neth.
Marjan Lucas, IKV, The Hague,
Leo Platvoet Senator GREENLEFT,
BELGIUM
Pol D’Huyvetter, For Mother Earth/Friends of the Earth Flanders,
Ghent, Belgium, (Ab2000GlobalCouncil)
Prof. H. Firket, President of AMPGN ,IPPNW-Belgium
Enrique Ferro, Association Belgo-Palestinienne, Brussels BELGIUM
Peter Vanhoutte, Fmr MP, Belgian Parliament,
Eloi Glorieux, MP, Flemish Regional Parliament
FRANCE
Jean-Marie Matagne, Action des Citoyens pour le Desarmement Nucleaire (ACDN),
Xavier Renou, Greenpeace- France
Arielle Denis / Pierre Villard, Mouvement de la Paix, France,
Dominique Lalanne, Abolition of Nuclear Weapons/Stop Essais France
Phillipe Brousse, Jean-Yvon Landrac, Reseau “Sortir du nucleaire”, France,
Jean-Pierre Morichaud, Le Forum Plutonium, France,
Fabrice Flipo, Vice-president, Amis de la Terre – France
Jeanne-Henriette Louis, Quakers-France
Simone Landry & Solange Fernex, Ligue Internationale des Femmes pour la Paix (WILPF-France)
Rene Wadlow, Editor, Transnational-Perspectives, France
Roger Schenegg, Vivre entre-Deux Mers
Andre Bouny, D.E.F.I. Viet-nam
Miho Shimma-Cibot, Institut Hiroshima-Nagasaki (IHN)
Anick Sicart & Jacques Trelin, Appel des Cent pour la Paix
Patrick Hubert, Mouvement pour une Alternative Non-violente (MAN)
Gerard Levy, Commission ≪ Paix et Desarmement ≫, Les Verts
Jean Yves Chetail, Arts, Cultures et Humanites,
Roland Jourdain, navigateur
Gerard Onesta, MEP, Vice-president du Parlement Europeen
AUSTRIA
GLOBAL 2000, Silva Herrmann, Energy Campaigner, Austria,
Elvira Ploschko, Antiatom Szene, Pasching, Austria,
Heinz Stockinger, Chair, PLAGE-Salzburg, (Independent Salzburg Platform Against Nuclear Dangers, Austria)
Doris Holler-Bruckner, Editor-in-chief Oekonews.at, Austria,
SWITZERLAND
Bernhard Piller, Swiss Energy Foundation, Zurich, Switzerland
Claudia BurglerPSR/IPPNW Switzerland,
Ueli Leuenberger, Vice-president des Verts Suisses,
Rudolf Rechsteiner MP (Soc Dem) Switzerland,
GERMANY
Xanthe Hall, (Ab2000 Global Council/IPPNW Germany)
Dr. Angelika Clausen, M.D.IPPNW-Germany,
Greenpeace Germany
Elias Michaels, “Aktion Volkerrecht / International Law Campaign”
Irmgard Heilberger, Director, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)Germany,
Julia Kramer, BANg – European Youth Network for Nuclear Disarmament,Friedens- und Begegnungsstatte Mutlangen
Gewaltfreie Aktion Atomwaffen Abschaffen (GAAA), Germany,
Deutsche Friedensgesellschaft – Vereinigte KriegsdienstgegnerInnen (DFG-VK),
Roland Blach, Tragerkreis “Atomwaffen abschaffen”, Germany,
Henning Droege, Arzt fur Allgemeinmedizin, Homoopathie,
Naturheilverfahren, (Haslach) Germany,
Axel Mayer, BUND Regionalverband Sudlicher Oberrhein, Freiburg, Germany,
Hans-Peter Richter, German Peace Council
Angelika Schneider Versoehnungsbund/International Fellowship of Reconciliation, German branch,
Ingrid Schittich, AWC Deutschland e.V. – Association of World Citizens / German branch
Eva Quistorp,(FmrMEP), Women for Peace, Germany
Malte Spitz, Political Director, GRUNE JUGEND (Green Youth), Germany
Uta Zapf, MP, Social Democratic Party
Ulrich Maurer, MP, Left Party PDS
Wolfgang Gehrke, MP, Left Party PDS
Paul Schafer, MP, Left Party PDS
Joern Wunderlich, Left Party PDS
Heike Haensel, Left Party PDS
Winfried Nachtwei, Green Party
Hueseyin-Kenan Aydin, The Left Party. PDS
Kirsten Tackmann, The Left Party. PDS
UK
Peter Nicholls, Chair, Abolition 2000 UK,
George Farebrother, World Court Project, UK,
Kate Hudson, Chair, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) Lond, UK,
Jill Stallard, CND Cymru, Wales,
Jenny Maxwell, Chair, West Midlands CND, Birmingham UK,
Angie Zelter, Reforest the Earth, UK,
Frank COOK MP (uk)
LYNNE JONES MP (Birmingham Selly Oak), UK,
David Chaytor, MP for Bury North,
Alan Simpson MP, Labour Member of Parliament, UK,
Dr. Caroline Lucas MEP Green Party,South East England,
Jean Lambert MEP – Green Party, London,
Jill Evans, MEP, Cymru,(Wales),
NORWAY
Hallgeir H. Langeland, MP Norway,
Bjorn Hilt Regional vice president of IPPNW in Europe, Norway,
Tordis Sorensen Hoifodt – NLA chair, IPPNW-Norway,
SWEDEN
Barbara Bradefors, Swedish Peace Committee, SLMK-Sweden
Sven Thiberg, International ARC PEACE architects
DENMARK
John Avery Chair, Holger Terp, Danish Peace Academy, Copenhagen,
John Avery, Chairman, Danish Pugwash Group
Povl Revsbech, MD Chair, IPPNW, Danish Affiliate
Birgit Lindsnas Deputy Director General, DIHR, Copenhagen
FINLAND
Juhani Mastokangas Friends of the Earth Finland
Henri Onodera, Finnish Peace Committee,
Kati Juva, Chair, Dr. Jouni Ylinen Physicians for Social Responsibility, Finland (PSR-Finland)
Lea Launokari, Women for Peace, Helsinki, Finland,
Women against Nuclear Power, Helsinki Finland,
Grandmothers agains nuclear power, Helsinki, Finland and Amandamaji r.y., Helsinki Finland
Heidi Hautala MP, Chairperson of the Green Parliamentary Group of Finland,
Oras Tynkkynen, MP, Green Parliamentary Group, Finland
Erkki Pulliainen, Professor Member of the Parliament of Finland
CZECH REPUBLIC
Hnuti Duha, FOE-Czech Republic, Brno,
RUSSIA
Sergey Kolesnikov, Deputy chairman for Committee of State Duma
(Russian parliament) for education and Science, Vice-Pres IPPNW,
Enrico Peyretti, Giuliano Martignetti Movimento Nonviolento Torino, Italy
Thanassis ANAPOLITANOS , MEDITERRANEAN ANTI NUCLEAR WATCH, GREECE,
ROMANIA
Constantin S. Lacatus, President, People of Sibiu for Peace (Sibienii Pacifisti)
Eng. Constantin Cretu, ‘Carpathians Genius’ Bucharest/Romania
Prof. Ivo SLAUS, President, PUGWASH-Croatia.
Prof. Dr. Leziz Onaran, President, Umur Gursoy (MD)NUSED (IPPNW-Turkey)
Ali Eltari President, Albanian Ecological Club,
Kim Hye-Jeong, Secretary General, KFEM-FoE Korea
JAPAN
Yayoi Tsuchida, Japan Council against A and H Bombs (Gensuikyo)
Hiromichi Umebayashi, President, Peace Depot, Japan,
Hideyuki Ban, Citizens’ Nuclear Information Center (CNIC) Tokyo, Japan
UNITED STATES
Steve Leeper, Mayors for Peace United States,
Bruce K. Gagnon Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space,
Alice Slater, Abolition2000 Global Council,
Phyllis Bennis Institute for Policy Studies, Washington DC, U.S.
Patrick Groulx founder – Iron John & Mary With A Snugly US,
Helen Caldicott, President, Nuclear Policy Research Institute (NPRI),
James Galbraith, Chair, Economists for Peace and Security,
Daniel Ellsberg, Truth Telling Project, USA,
Dr. Sadik Alsaraf, Professor, Roundlake, IL, U.S.A.
Evan Augustine Peterson III, J.D., Executive Director, American Center forInternational Law (“ACIL”), U.S.A
CANADA
Steven Starr, Physicians for Global Survival, Canada,
Joanna Santa Barbara, Centre for Peace Studies, Mc Master Univ, Ont,
Ray Morris, Co-Chair, KAIROS, Salmon Arm, BC,
Libby Davies, Member of Parliament, Vancouver East, Canada
MEXICO
Efrain Cruz Marin, Vocal de Prensa y Propaganda de Academicos de
Ciencias y Humanidades, Plantel Sur, Asociaicion Civil, Universidad
Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. Mexico.
Luis Gutierrez Esparza President, Latin American Circle for International Studies (LACIS), Mexico,
Luis Gutierrez Esparza, Fundacion por la Paz en la Era Nuclear (FPEN)
Diodorus Kamala MP, Tanzania,Association of World Citizens – hana
Celeste Hito Kanyinda Matamba, national president of the Agence pour
le Developpement Communautaire- Congo Kinshasa (RDC)
SOUTH AFRICA
Maya Aberman, Earthlife Africa, Cape Town, RSA,
Prof. Faisal Suliman, ISLAMIC MEDICAL ASSOCIATION,DURBAN,SOUTH AFRICA
INDIA
Achin Vanaik, Sukla Sen, Smitu Kothari, Coalition for Nuclear
Disarmament and Peace, India,(CNDP), ND, India,
Sandeep Pandey and Arundhati Dhuru, National Alliance of People’s
Movements (NAPM),
Prof N.N. Murthy, IBRF, India,
Mahipal Singh, Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Delhi,
Syed Shahabuddin, (ex-MP, fmr Amb.), President, All India Muslim
Majlis-e-Mushawarat, New Delhi, India,
Smitu Kothari, Intercultural Resources, New Delhi, India,
Harsh Kapoor, South Asians Against Nukes (SAAN) France/India,
Prof. J.G. Krishnayya, Systems Research Inst, Pune,
Prahlad Singh Shekhawat, Alternative Development Centre, Jaipur , India
Maj. Gen. S. C. N. Jatar, Retd Pres, Nagrik Chetna Manch (Citizens’ Awareness Front), Pune, India,
Centre for Science and Environment, N. Delhi, India,
KALYANI MENON-SEN, Coordinator, JAGORI WOMEN’S RESOURCE CENTRE, NEW DELHI,
Dr. Prakash Louis, Bihar Social Institute, Bihar, India
S. P. Udayakumar, People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy, Nagercoil TN, India.
D. Gabriele, National Convenor, National Alliance for Peoples Movement Madurai , TN, India,
Wilfred D’Costa Gen. Secy, Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF) INDIA,
Harsh Kapoor South Asians Against Nukes India / France,
J. Gurumurthi, Secy, All India Insurance Employees’ Association (AIIEA) Chennai, INDIA
Syed Shahabuddin, ex-MP, former Ambassador, presently President,
All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat, New Delhi, India.
MANOJ BHATTACHARYA.Member of Parliament INDIA.
PAKISTAN
Zia Syed, All Pakistan Federation of United Trade Unions (APFUTU),Gujrat, PK,
A.H. Nayyar, President, Pakistan Peace Coalition
Amir Hossain Chowdhury Exec.Secy. Institute for Environment and Development Studies, Dhaka, Bangladesh,
ISRAEL
Dorothy Naor, New Profile, Israel
Pnina Feiler, Physicians for Human Rights. Kibbutz Yad-Hanna, Israel
Itamar Mann Israeli Union for Environmental Defense Tel Aviv Israel
Ofra Ben-Artzi Jerusalem Israel
PHILLIPINES
Sonia S. Mendoza Chair, Mother Earth Foundation – Philippines,
Clemente G. Bautista Jr, Coord, Kalikasan-Peoples Network for the Environment, Philippines
NZ
Bob Rigg, New Zealand National Consultative Committee on Disarmament (NCCD)
Robert White, Centre for Peace Studies, Univ. Auckland, NZ,
Hugh Steadman, The Sapiens Movement, Blenheim, New Zealand.
Gordon F Copeland MP United Future – the Family Party NZ,
Keith Locke MP, Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Green Party, New Zealand.
Michael Hemmingsen, President, Society for Global Philosophy, Wellington, NZ,
AUSTRALIA
John Hallam, Friends of the Earth Australia Sydney Australia
Jo Vallentine, People for Nuclear Disarmament, Western Australia,
Cameron Schraner, PND-NSW, Surry Hills, NSW,
Dimity Hawkins, Executive Officer, Medical Association for the Prevention of War (MAPW),
Sue Gilbey, Australian Peace Committee, Adel, SA.,
Dr Stella Cornelius, Conflict Resolution Network, Chatswood, NSW,
Hillel Freedman, Nuclear-Free Australia, Melb,
Dr R. J. Hunter, President, Scientists for Global
Responsibility(SANA) (Sydney Univ, Aust)
Rev Allan Thompson, General Secretary, Uniting Church in Victoria and Tasmania,
Nick Chesterfield, West Papua National Authority, Melb,
Dr Vacy Vlazna, ACHEH PAPUA MALUKU, Fairlight,
Vikki John, Bougainville Freedom Movement, Vic,
Peter Carrol, SCRAP, Holsworthy, NSW,
Chris Hamer, President, World Citizens Association (Australia)
VeeSpak, NicNacTheatre, Randwick NSW,
Michael Priceman, Convenor Sutherland Shire Environment Centre & People Against a Nuclear Reactor
Doug. N. Everingham, Australian Minister for Health 1972-75
Parliamentary Adviser, Australian delegation, 1982 UN Assembly
Senator Lyn Alison, Leader, Australian Democrats,
Senator Natasha Stott-Despoja, Australian Democrats, SA
Senator Andrew Bartlett, Democrats, Qld,
Senator Kerry Nettle, Greens, NSW,
Kelly HoareMP, Member for Charlton NSW,
Carmen Lawrence MP, Member for Fremantle, President, ALP,
Julia Irwin MP Federal Member for Fowler,
Lee Rhiannon Greens MLC, NSW,
Ian Cohen MLC, Greens, Parliament of NSW,
Giz Watson MLC Greens, North Metropolitan Region, W. A.,