LL:AA: Sample Letter to Downer, Howard re NPT Review Conference

[FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign]

RE: NPT REVIEW SAMPLE LETTER TO DOWNER.

Dear All,
This is the sample letter which Claire and  I am hoping you will be able to
send to our beloved Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer, and our
Prime Minister re the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference
April 24 to May 19th, in the UN.

It's just about the biggest diplomatic gabfest possible - The NPT has been
signed by every nation on the planet except India Pakistan and Israel, and
FOE Sydney has been coordinating a letter to the heads of state of all
participants PLUS India Pakistan and Israel, which basically equals the
whole planet.

Article VI of the NPT legally obliges the nuke weapons states to negotiate
their arsenals down to zero. What we are essentially saying is that we'd
like to see it really happen, and that we'd like the Oz government to make
serious efforts to  push that.

Please send this as individual, preferably HANDWRITTEN, to the fax numbers
at the top.  Please customise! (Do not just photocopy and sign it, it will
go straight in the bin.)

You can also send it suitably customised as an organisation. (If you are an
organisation please distribute this sample letter amongst your membership,
and get them to send it as individuals.)

(There are 2 other letters for organisations, one a global sign on letter
to heads of state and the other to Downer and Howard, like this sample
letter but more detailed. If you would like to sign them as an organisation
please contact me. I will be sending the Downer/Howard letter out to
orgnisations to sign very soon.)
John Hallam

(Sample Letter follows)

SAMPLE LETTER TO ALEXANDER DOWNER/JOHN HOWARD ON THE NUCLEAR
NONPROLIFERATION TREATY REVIEW CONFERENCE

RE: NUCLEAR NONPROLIFERATION TREATY REVIEW CONFERENCE APRIL 24-MAY 19 2000
- GETTING RID OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS

TO:
JOHN HOWARD, PRIME MINISTER 02-6273-4100, 9251-5454
ALEXANDER DOWNER, MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS, 02-6273-4112

Dear Foreign Minister Downer and Prime Minister Howard,
I am writing  to urge the Australian  government to take a strong position
at the upcoming  Review Conference of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty
in new York April 24 to May 19, 2000.

It is vital that the Australian government  does its utmost to  pressure
the nuclear weapons states, especially the US and Russia, to do more  to
fulfill their obligations under Article VI of the NPT,  and negotiate their
nuclear weapons stockpiles down to zero sooner rather than later.

The International Court of Justice reaffirmed in 1996, in a a unanimous
judgment that this is indeed a legal obligation.

The nuclear weapons states are currently making very little movement toward
fulfilling  this obligation.  Instead there have been many developments in
the opposite direction.

The US Senate has failed to ratify the CTBT,(Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty)
the US is contemplating the deployment of a highly destabilising Ballistic
Missile Defence System in violation of the 1972 ABM (Anti-Ballistic
Missile) treaty, and talks between the US and Russia to make cuts in
nuclear weapons are stalled.

A successful outcome would explicitly commit parties to the elimination of
nuclear weapons at an early date and a global regime banning nuclear
weapons, and would outline the process for that to occur.

Australia has had a good reputation in the nuclear disarmament field. It is
important that Australia use its position to push the nuclear weapon states
and particularly our allies in that direction during the coming review
conference.

Signed...etc.





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