Dear People,
A resolution is being submitted to the Senate by Senator Lyn Allison of the
Democrats.
It asks the Government to support the New Agenda Coalition Resolution which
is to be submitted later on to the United Nations General Assembly.
This resolution is in the words of Felicity Hill, 'the best thing since
sliced bread' in the world of nuclear disarmament.
In the context of the recent US vote to not ratify the CTBT it is more
important than ever.
The memo that follows has been faxed to most of the Senate and emailed to
all of them.
It would be exceedingly helpful to the future of the planet if as many of
you as possible could write something similar, especially to coalition,
but also to ALP senators and fax it to them in Parliament House Canberra
within 24/48 hours. (The resolution goes up Wednesday). I can supply fax
numbers for specific senators if you need them. It needs to go before noon
tomorrow.
Thanks, John Hallam.
FOLLOWS:
1)MEMO TO SENATE
2)MEMO FROM FELICITY HILL
3)LETTER FROM FELICITY HILL TO GOVT
1)MEMO TO SENATE
(CAN you write something like this and fax it to your favourite Senator
before noon tomorrow???)
TO: ALL SENATORS
cc
JOHN HOWARD
LAURIE BRERETON
KIM BEAZLEY
RE:NEW AGENDA NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT RESOLUTION IN U.N.
Dear Senator,
I understand that a resolution is to be introduced into the Senate
sometime next week, which will urge the government to support a nuclear
disarmament measure known as the New Agenda Resolution, which is being
introduced into the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly.
I understand that the current intention of the government is to abstain on
this measure.
In the light of the refusal of the United States Senate to ratify the
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, (CTBT) which was effectively steered through
the United Nations General Assembly by Australia, and to which our
government and the NGO community are strongly committed, it is more
important than ever that this UN resolution be passed.
Even more important than actually passing this resolution, which will
almost certainly happen with a comfortable majority, is that close US
allies are seen to clearly and strongly support it. This is particularly
important in view of the recent US Senate vote.
The New Agenda resolution, amongst other things, urges all states to sign
and ratify the CTBT, and reminds the nuclear weapons states of their
obligation under article 6 of the NPT to enter into in good faith and to
conclude negotiations to eliminate their nuclear arsenals. It expresses
alarm at the prospect that the possession of nuclear weapons be considered
legitimate for the indefinite future. And it proposes a variety of
measures, many of which have already commenced but which need to be pursued
with much more energy which will lead to the elimination of nuclear weapons.
Especially in the light of the US Congresse's dereliction of the
international responsibilities of the worlds largest nuclear power, this
resolution, sponsored by Brazil, Egypt, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, South
Africa, and Sweden, is a welcome and commonsense measure which all parties
and the government should not hesitate to support.
We strongly commend it to you and urge you and your party to support it.
John Hallam, Nuclear Campaigner, Friends of the Earth.
2)MEMO FROM FELICITY HILL
Here's what Flick says:
>Could you write a letter asking the Australian delegation to VOTE YES for
>the New Agenda Coalition Resolution as an individual or as part of your
>organisation? This UN resolution is the best thing since sliced bread when
>it comes to expressing the international impatience and the international
>determination that SOMETHING HAS TO MOVE ON NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT
>
>I am sending you my letter to DFAT and the Australian delegation in New
>York because many of you are doing similar things, and if you're not, I
>want you to do something similar - PLEASE?!.
>
>You can use some of the points I raise below, or you could email me and ask
>me to fax you the latest draft, or you could speak with John Hallam in
>Sydney who is doing some great work on this already FoE Sydney - Nuclear
>Campaign <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Richard Maude, DFAT
CC: Les Luck, Ambassador to the CD
>From Felicity Hill, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
3)LETTER FROM FELICITY HILL TO GOVT
Here is Flick's letter to the Australian ambassador to the UN Disarmament
Committee Richard Maude and to DFAT.
You could copy many of the points in it and use to Downer.
Dear Mr. Maude,
I would like to thank you for your time in early September when myself and
representatives from the Medical Associaltion for the Prevention of War
(MAPW) and the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War
(IPPNW) visited Canberra. We really appreciated the informative, frank and
open nature of our discussion and I hope that it was the first of many
exchanges between us.
Before I get to the subject of this letter, the New Agenda Coalition
resolution, I might refer to events in Washington DC over the past 48
hours which have altered the landscape in the disarmament field, for
nuclear weapons states, non-nuclear weapons states and NGOs.
The CTBT was one of the few real gains made through multilateral
disarmament negotiations in the last decade, it was a trust-building
exercise, creating a taboo against nuclear testing while shifting the
international community towards meaningful steps and actions in arms
control and disarmament. The disappointment is strong and visbile in the
1st Committee and amongst the NGO community. At this early stage it is
impossible to predict the scale of the reaction by the international
community or the activities the USA is prepared to undertake diplomatically
to counter the damage inflicted by the senate. The fears of what the
senate has done to the negotiations within NATO, at the Conference on
Disarmament, at the upcoming Non-Proliferation Review Conference and
between Russia and the USA on the ABM treaty in particular and on START are
certainly palpable here at the United Nations.
On the optimisitic side, WILPF hopes that this political blow will
reinvigorate interest in the comprehensive New Agenda Coalition resolution
which restates decisions and commitments taken by non-nuclear weapons
states and nuclear weapons states in other fora, and focuses the
international debate on steps that can and should be taken to reduce
nuclear dangers.
A forum put on by the Middle Powers Initiative in the UN was held yesterday
devoted to this resolution, attended by NGOs and governmental delegations,
including myself and members of the Australian delegation to the 1st
Committee. While I'm sure you are receiving a great deal of information
from the Australian delegation, (whom, I might add, are held in the highest
esteem by both the governmental and particularly the non-governmental
community), I would like to contribute some NGO observations.
The approach taken by the New Agenda Coalition in building their text upon
agreements and consensus already achieved in other fora, and the extent to
which they have been responsive to criticisms made to the text last year,
is leading many nations to reconsider their abstention or no vote. For
example, yesterday the representative from Canada indicated that people at
the highest levels in Ottowa have noted the changes made to the text and
are closely monitoring the development of this resolution, probably taking
a decision late in the day. It is my great hope that you and your
colleagues in Canberra are engaging with this text in a similar manner. It
was noted that the relative distain of last year on the part of nuclear
weapons states has developed into a more engaged approach. It was noted by
the representative from Sweden that this resolution has been politicised,
but that there is no hidden agendas and that it should be taken on face
value as a draft that does not contradict or challenge the validity of any
existing collaborations, fora or arrangements in international security,
rather, it builds upon them while acknowledging the stalemate we are
currently experiencing.
In particular, I hope that you have noted:
1. Changes in operative paragraph 1 which address the concerns of last
year that the language implied violation of the NPT by Nuclear Weapons
States, and in other paragraphs, where overly-critical language has been
altered or removed, such as PP4; and,
2. The extent to which, scattered throughout the text, the resolutions
notes and welcomes the achievements made to date on a bilateral level
between the US and Russia, and the trilateral initiative between them and
the IAEA. The point you made about under estimation of the bi-lateral
gains made I feel has been very much addressed in this years NAC text in
PP9, PP 10, OP 2, OP 11;
3. The emphasis placed on the decisions taken at the NPT Review and
Extension Conference in 1995 and the significance of the forthcoming
Review Conference in April/May 2000, which we agreed was urgently relevant,
is reflected in OP 16
4. However disagreeable to NGOs, the pragmatism reflected in the text
which refers to strategic stability in recognition of the fact that until
the number of nuclear weapons become much lower, the doctrine of deterrence
will undoubtedly hold sway.
Mr. Maude, Australia is well known as a proponent of disarmament, and as a
champion of the CTBT. Our representatives in the multilateral fora are
known for taking innovative and creative steps to bring the disarmament
debate forward. I believe there are a number of reasons for Australia to
reconsider its vote on this resolution, both in terms of the alterations
made and due to the wake-up call the world has received from the US Senate.
It would be consistent with Australia in setting up the Canberra Commission
and bringing the CTBT to the world, as well as the sentiments expressed by
the Australian people on this subject, for Australia to join the majority
of the world in supporting this resolution.
I look forward to communicating with you as this resolution text unfolds.
Sincerely,
Felicity Hill
Director, WILPF UN Office
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LL:PR: 'NEW AGENDA' NUKE RESOLUTION IN SENATE WEDNESDAY
FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign Mon, 18 Oct 1999 17:02:30 +1000
