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Home Articles Flashpoints G20 NEEDS CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE NOT CONFRONTATION - NUKE DISARMAMENT, RISK REDUCTION SHOULD BE ON G2

G20 NEEDS CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE NOT CONFRONTATION - NUKE DISARMAMENT, RISK REDUCTION SHOULD BE ON G2

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USE FROM WED 12 NOV 2014

G20 BRISBANE NOV 15-16

HUMAN SURVIVAL PROJECT

PEOPLE FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT NSW

G20 NEEDS CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE NOT CONFRONTATION

NUKE DISARMAMENT, RISK REDUCTION SHOULD BE ON G20 AGENDA




The Human Survival Project, (a joint project of People for Nuclear
Disarmament and the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies in Sydney)
are calling for confrontation and threats of 'shirt-fronting' to be
taken OFF the G20 agenda, and for constructive engagement and nuclear
risk reduction and disarmament to be put ON the G20 agenda.


According to the Human Survival Project (HSP) and People for Nuclear
Disarmament (PND),


“Loose talk about 'shirt-fronting' the President of the second most
powerful military power, and arguably the most powerful nuclear
weapons power, in the world, are, if not downright terrifying to the
Australians who are potentially made targets by such talk, at least as
far from being productive as it is possible to be. Such talk will
neither bring back the dead nor will it do anything to end the
fighting that is taking place right now in Eastern Ukraine. All it
will do is to intensify the extreme tension that already exists
between Russia and NATO, and make more dangerous a situation that is
already potentially perilous.”


“Former Soviet President Gorbachev just days ago stated that the Cold
War is either in danger of being re-ignited or has already been
re-ignited.”


“With roughly 1000 large thermonuclear weapons still on high alert and
able to be launched in minutes if not in seconds, putting the whole of
civilization and even human survival at risk, a re-ignition of the
cold war is just about the last thing that needs to happen.”


“What needs to happen instead is the kind of nuclear risk reduction
measure envisaged in the 29Oct2014 L22 resolution of the United
Nations First Committee adopted 163-4-10, which calls on nuclear
-armed states, (and especially the US and Russia) to lower the
operational readiness of nuclear weapon systems, giving Presidential
and other decision-makers more than just minutes or even seconds to
take decisions of truly apocalyptic significance.”


“HSP and PND campaigners campaigned over the years for precisely this
resolution, and 44 Nobel prize-winners signed an appeal urging that
the operational readiness of nuclear weapon systems be reduced,
literally so that computer error or hasty and ill-advised human
decisions would be less likely to end civilization and much else
besides.”


“The resolution on operational readiness of nuclear weapon systems has
been adopted every alternate year by the UN General Assembly and First
Committee with ever – increasing majorities. G20 might be a good place
to make steps to implement it”


“Instead of futile and dangerous talk about 'shirt-fronting' or
otherwise confronting leaders who do indeed control thousands of
nuclear warheads, a mature dialogue that recognizes that the other
party actually has a point of view that needs to be taken into
account, and that brings that party into the fold and makes steps to
solve real problems is called for.”


“The Brisbane G20 is not the place for grandstanding. But it can be
the place for constructive dialogue between parties whose points of
view are NOT the same, to begin to take the tension out of a
potentially perilous situation, restore sanity and build trust.”


(Note that at all times in the G20 summit both President Putin and
President Obama will be accompanied by military and intelligence
personnel with a black briefcase with an aerial via which both leaders
can at any time order the launch of a number of thousands of nuclear
warheads.)


John Hallam

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Last Updated on Sunday, 08 February 2015 22:01