*Position of the Asia-Pacific Humanist Forum regarding nuclear weapons in general and the conflict with Iran in particular.*
The Asia-Pacific humanists are watching the declarations from European and US leaders against the Iranian nuclear program with dismay. *It is estimated that the US nuclear arsenal in Europe alone has reached 480 nuclear warheads .* To these numbers must be added the 350 warheads of France and the 185 of the UK. Therefore we are speaking of a Europe from which more than one thousand nuclear weapons could be launched to any point of the planet. The leader in the campaign against Iran and their nuclear programme is the Bush Government which controls an arsenal of more than 10,500 nuclear weapons and which has announced a new strategy that includes the use of "preventative" nuclear weapons against both nations and organisations alike. The latest declaration by Jacques Chirac in January 2006 includes the same option. We denounce the arrogance and the hypocrisy of political leaders, who from the EU and the US impudently protest against the Iranian nuclear programme. All these countries have signed the Non Proliferation Treaty, while not even respecting the commitment to dismantle their own arsenals. With the majority of people of our planet, we share the concern for the danger arising from the planet's nuclear arsenal. But we insist that the only solution is to apply the same criteria to everyone. *We denounce that the real escalation of conventional and nuclear armament is paid for with money that nations should be investing in health and education. *To limit this media demand to Asia, we invite the Governments of India, Pakistan, (Israel) and North Korea to ratify the Non-Proliferation Treaty and together with the Governments of the USA, Russia and China to dismantle their arsenals. Simultaneously, we invite the Iranian Government to renounce their nuclear ambitions and instead invest in renewable energy sources to safeguard their oil reserves if this is their desire. *We ask that a proportional and progressive disarmament plan be defined by the UN*, with deadlines for the dismantling of nuclear arsenals, with appropriate, independently verifiable checks and controls. The nuclear powers should be legally bound to respect it and expect to receive sanctions for non-fulfilment. May the Asia-Pacific play its part in building a peaceful world, the vanguard of a universal human nation, based on non-violence and solidarity! Tony Henderson, chairman, Humanist Association of Hong Kong
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