Asking Again to Write your Govt re Nonproliferation Treaty

[John Hallam <nonukes at foesyd.org.au>]

(Sorry for duplicate copies caused by double- posting.)

PLEASE WRITE TO YOUR GOVT. RE NUCLEAR NONPROLIFERATION TREATY REVIEW

SAMPLE LETTER FOR EVERYONE TO SEND TO PRESIDENTS/PRIME MINISTERS/FOREIGN
MINISTERS

(This is for you or your organisation to send to your foreign minister, and
president or prime minister, and/or to presidents Putin and Clinton.)

(Please email/forward these 2 sample letters to everyone you know - and do
please actually send these letters to your foreign minister or prime
minister or president)

If you have already done it, congratulations. This is posted for those who
have not yet done it. If you haven't done it and you think the nuke weapons
states ought to fulfil their legal obligation to get rid of nuclear
weapons, do please do it. I'll be posting reminders asking you to do it
over the next few weeks.


Dear All who get these two sample letters,

The two sample letters below are a call for action consistent with the
Abolition statement, and with current NGO demands for the upcoming review
conference of the nuclear nonproliferation treaty.

They basically ask the nuclear weapons states to fulfil their obligations
under Article VI of the NPT, to eliminate their nuclear arsenals, and they
ask everyone else to press the nuclear weapons states to do just that.

I am posting these appeals to write to your government re the nuclear
nonproliferation treaty in the hope that you will actually do just that!

If you want to change anything that's just fine, just do it, if you think
the letters are better phrased some other way then thats great.  But
basically I am hoping that as many people as possible will write something
like this to your head of state or prime minister or foreign minister, and
that you will pass this message on to others who will do the same.

If you are an organisation and especially if you have already signed the
'Heads of State' letter that I posted some time ago, you may also want to
sign the letter to be found on the following URL:
<http://www.clw.org/coalition/nptsign-on0300.htm>

On 24 April-19May this year, the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) will
go before its first review conference after being indefinitely extended in
1995.

As the Nuclear Nonproliferation treaty covers every nation in the world
with the exception of Israel, India and Pakistan (all of whom have nuclear
weapons), the NPT Review Conference, which will be held at the UN in New
York will be one of the most important diplomatic events (if not THE most
important diplomatic event) of the year.

It has implications for the safety of the whole planet.

Article VI of the NPT which has been in force since 1970, obliges the
nuclear weapons states to negotiate away their nuclear arsenals yesterday.

The International Court of Justice in 1996, in a unanimous advisory
opinion, said that there exists an obligation, under article VI, to
negotiate away the nuclear arsenals of the nuclear weapons powers.

However, the opposite is what is happening.

As the Nuclear Nonproiferation treaty is in effect a deal whereby the nuke
weapons states agree to eliminate their nuclear arsenals in return for the
non- nuclear weapons states agreeing not to attempt to obtain nuclear
weapons, the failure of the nuclear weapons states to honour their part of
the deal means that the non-nuclear weapons states may start to withdraw
from their part of the deal as india, Israel and Pakistan in effect already
have done.

You are therefore strongly urged to write to your foreign minister, and
Prime Minister and/or Head of State, (whoever is the relevant decision-
maker) urging them to press the nuclear weapons states to keep their side
of the NPT 'Bargain' and fulfil the requirements of Article VI, or if you
live in a nuclear weapons state, ask them to fulfil their Article VI NPT
obligations immediately.

These two letters, one to all heads of state/prime ministers/foreign
ministers and one specifically to Russian President Putin, foreign Minister
Igor Ivanov, and copied to Clinton, are to give you an idea what to write.
Please don't follow them slavishly.

If you are an individual, I'd urge you to write HANDWRITTEN. Copied letters
get thrown away. Handwritten gets read.

If you are an organisation, please put this on your own letterhead and
CUSTOMISE IT.

These letters are deliberately too long. You may want to shorten them.

If you are in a non- english speaking country do please translate it and
make any changes you feel necessary when you translate it.

The NPT Review Conference is literally an event of global signficance, so
ask your head of state/foreign minister/prime minister to attend the NPT
Review in person.

Do please write. The fate of the world as a whole will quite literally
depend on the deliberations of the diplomats, foreign ministers, and heads
of state in the review conference in New York.

A shorter letter (very short) is available on:

Http://www.abolition2000.org.  Fax numbers of heads of state, foreign
ministers, and UN Missions  are also available on that URL.

Another URL that has the fax numbers of heads of state, foreign ministers
and UN missions and also has lots of information on the NPT Review is:
Http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org


TEXT OF GENERAL SAMPLE LETTER AND SAMPLE LETTER TO PUTIN AND IVANOV FOLLOWS

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

TO: PRESIDENT, PRIME MINISTER AND FOREIGN MINISTER,


Your Excellency,
[0r]
Dear President, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister,

I am writing  to urge [your/our]  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, and to urge [your/our] head of state or
of government to attend this  meeting.

It is vital that the governments of all nations   do their 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.

The International Court of Justice reaffirmed in 1996, in a unanimous
advisory opinion 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)
and the US is contemplating the deployment of a Ballistic Missile Defence
System in violation of the 1972 ABM (Anti-Ballistic Missile) treaty.

Talks between the US and Russia to make cuts in nuclear weapons are
stalled, as is implementation of  START II. Russia has changed its previous
policy of 'no first use' of nuclear weapons to one that mirrors those of
the western states, and its Duma has refused to ratify START-II.

Both the US and Russia continue to conduct 'subcritical' nuclear tests.
China is modernizing its nuclear arsenal, and India and Pakistan have
openly tested nuclear weapons. Israel,  in spite of a recent debate in the
Knessett, refuses to acknowledge its nuclear capabilities but may have as
many as 400 weapons.

On the other hand, the non nuclear weapons states with a few notable
exceptions, have adhered to their side of the bargain, while the NPT has
become nearly universal.

A successful outcome at the coming NPT Review Conference,  would explicitly
commit parties under Article VI 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.

It is important that your government and every government, use its position
to push the nuclear weapon states and particularly the US and Russia, to
fulfill Article VI during the coming review conference.

A key preliminary step in this direction that would reduce the danger of
purely accidental war,  and improve the climate for further steps, would be
the abandonment of 'launch on warning' postures. This should be followed by
reduction of alert status of warheads, and the verifiable physical removal
of
warheads from delivery vehicles.

It is especially vital that [your/our] [head of government/head of state]
be present at the proceedings of this review conference. The decisions
taken at the coming NPT Review conference will literally determine the fate
of the world. Only by the authority lent by the presence of heads of State
or of Government can decisions be taken that will have the end result of
ridding the world of nuclear weapons and fulfilling the mandate of the
nuclear nonproliferation treaty over the last thirty years.

Signed...etc.



SAMPLE LETTER FOR EVERYONE TO SEND TO PRESIDENT PUTIN
AND
FOREIGN MINISTER IGOR IVANOV.

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

TO: PRESIDENT PUTIN +7-095-205-4330,
FOREIGN MINISTER IVANOV +7-095-244-3276, +7-095-244-2203
RUSSIAS UNITED NATIONS AMBASSADOR + 1 212 628 0252
cc
PRESIDENT CLINTON +1-202-456-2461

Dear President Putin and Foreign Minister Ivanov,

I am writing  to urge Russia's government to fulfill its obligations under
Article VI of the nuclear nonproliferation treaty.

It is vital that we negotiate their nuclear weapons stockpiles down to zero
sooner rather than later.

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

It is now vital that the Russia and the US fulfill their clear obligations
under Article VI of the nonproliferation treaty. While arms reductions have
occurred since the 1980s, this process of reduction has now stalled and may
be going into reverse.

The US and Russia are both signed on to a treaty, article VI of which
demands that you negotiate to eliminate your nuclear arsenals. The binding
nature of Article VI was  reaffirmed by the 1996 unanimous advisory opinion
of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Russia and the US together, as well as China, the UK and France cannot
forever refuse to fulfill their clear legal obligations under the NPT while
expecting that other countries will continue to fulfill theirs. The
credibility of the NPT will disappear if the nuclear weapon states -
yourselves - do not fulfill your obligations. The eventual result of that
is likely to be much wider acquisition of nuclear weapons, with a vastly
increased likelihood of nuclear war.

While Russia may have been given reasons to distrust US and NATO
intentions, the stakes in getting rid of nuclear weapons are literally
ultimate. No political goal no matter how central it may seem to the
interests of either Russia or the US can justify the possible destruction
of human civilisation and life worldwide.

Public opinion in both your countries is strongly in favor of negotiating
to eliminate nuclear weapons. Global public opinion is overwhelmingly in
favor of this and indeed demands it, as do the overwhelming majority of
governments.

A successful outcome at the coming NPT Review Conference,  would explicitly
commit parties under Article VI 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.

In this context, it is especially vital that the Russian and US Presidents
be present at the proceedings of the NPT  Review Conference, and be ready
to negotiate to eliminate your nuclear arsenals as you are obliged to do
under Article VI. The decisions taken at the coming NPT Review conference
will literally determine the fate of the world. Only by the authority lent
by the presence of heads of State or of Government can decisions be taken
that will have the end result of ridding the world of nuclear weapons and
fulfilling the mandate of the nuclear nonproliferation treaty over the last
thirty years.

Signed...etc.

John Hallam
Friends of the Earth Sydney,
17 Lord Street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, 2042
Fax (61)(2)9517-3902  ph (61)(2)9517-3903
nonukes at foesyd.org.au
http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd