PEOPLE FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT

 IMMEDIATE USE 11 FEB 2017

PEOPLE FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT NSW
HUMAN SURVIVAL PROJECT

JULIE BISHOP, TURNBULL, URGED TO SUPPORT NUCLEAR ARMS BAN


Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Prime Minister Turnbull have been urged to support negotiations in the UN aimed at creating a 'legal instrument' to outlaw nuclear weapons.

Preliminary meetings at the UN in New York start in about a week.

A letter from People for Nuclear Disarmament NSW and the Human Survival Project, urges the government to do a policy about – turn, changing its attitude from opposition to support for the negotiating process, set to commence properly in March over three days and then to take place over three weeks in June15-July7.

The PND/Human Survival Project letter urges the government to participate in the negotiations with the aim and object of facilitating the stigmatization and elimination of nuclear weapons, not with the aim of white-anting or subverting them.

In addition, the Medical Association for the Prevention of War yesterday delivered a letter urging support for the process to the Prime Ministers electorate office in Edgecliffe.

About 85% of Australians support negotiations to make nuclear weapons illegal.

Australias current opposition to these negotiations puts it out of step with the overwhelming majority of the worlds governments.

PND United Nations nuclear disarmament campaigner John Hallam stated that:
“The recent movement of the hands of the Doomsday Clock from three minutes to 'midnight' to two and a half minutes to 'midnight', where 'midnight' represents the end of civilisation and much more besides, underlines the urgency of eliminating nuclear weapons. The government should heed the call of former Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev, who has called for the nuclear weapon states to support calls for the use of nuclear weapons to be eliminated. The government should come into line with world opinion and take a responsible proactive role in the elimination of weapons that can potentially destroy civilisation and humans as a species, instead of finding excuses to procrastinate”

John Hallam 61-411-612 h61-2-9810-2598
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PEOPLE FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT NSW (PND-NSW)
HUMAN SURVIVAL PROJECT

Julie Bishop,
Minister for Foreign Affairs
6273-4112, (08) 9388 0299
Australia UN Mission (212) 351-6610
cc
Anthony Albanese
Bill Shorten
Tanya Plibersek
Senator Scott Ludlum
Senator Lee Rhiannon
Senator Lisa Singh


RE: NEW YORK NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROHIBITION MEETING March 27-31, June15-July7 2017 NEW YORK

Dear Foreign Minister Julie Bishop:

As you are no doubt well aware, under the terms of resolution L41, meetings for a negotiating process to achieve a legal prohibition (by simple ban or other legal instrument) on nuclear weapons, are to be held at the UN in New York on March 27-31, and over the 3 weeks June15-July7 2017.

The recent announcement by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists that the 'Doomsday Clock' has been re-set to 2 and a half minutes to 'midnight', 'midnight' representing the destruction of civilization, underlines what has been said many times: that the elimination of nuclear weapons envisaged by L41 is not an 'optional' 'feelgood' measure that would be 'nice' to achieve someday. It is a pressing survival imperative. If it is not achieved humans as a species may not survive, and what we call 'civilization' and much more than that, will most certainly not survive.

It is in the highest degree unfortunate that Australia has to date, using arguments that entirely lack credibility, opposed efforts to break the logjam in progress toward a world free of nuclear weapons. Australia should be strongly supporting all such efforts – as indeed should each and every nuclear weapons state or nuclear weapons possessing state.

Australia has mistakenly counterposed a prohibition/ban and what it calls the 'progressive' approach to the legal prohibition of nuclear weapons.

In fact, the most distinguishing characteristic of the 'progressive' approach has been its continued failure to achieve any progress whatsoever.

Even modest but essential short-term risk reduction elements of the 'progressive approach', which are far short of abolition but are arguably essential for human survival, have not been realized. Commonsense essential measures such as No First Use, information exchange between militaries, and lowering of alert status, backed by repeated UN resolutions and by the NGO community in Washington, have not been implemented. This invalidates neither the 'progressive approach' itself nor the existential importance of those risk reduction measures. Rather, it once more underlines the need for additional measures to break the logjam and make possible progress on any approach however and whatever it is called, toward the elimination of nuclear weapons.

Australia, rather than unproductively counterposing a 'progressive approach' that is in fact not progressing, and a ban, prohibition, interlocking legal framework, or nuclear weapons convention, or hybrid of all of the above, - should recognize that these are mutually reinforcing and not mutually excluding.

Australia has argued that a ban/prohibition that fails to include the nuclear weapon states themselves will be either ineffective or somehow dangerous and counterproductive.

It is impossible to see how this could be. The very least that a prohibition will do is make it clear that as far as the overwhelming majority of Governments are concerned, nuclear weapons are now, and indeed always have been, illegal. The ban does not so much establish a new reality as cement and repeat one that has always been there. The nuclear weapons states may choose to thumb their noses at a prohibition, but, as with other weapons of mass destruction that have been first prohibited and then eliminated, this will become increasingly difficult.

If Australia is sincere about wishing to eliminate nuclear weapons it should attend the meetings in New York on 27-31 March and 15June-7July 2017. It should vigorously encourage others, particularly others with security relationships with the United States, to do likewise. Finally it should use its presence to encourage every government to support the creation of a legal instrument (by whatever name – Ban,Convention, Interlocking Framework Agreement , etc) that outlaws nuclear weapons as soon as possible.

It would be completely counterproductive if Australia were to attend but only with the object of performing the role of a 'spoiler' as it has done in GA debates and during the OEWG. That discreditable path leads – and has led – nowhere. Australia should attend with the clear objective of furthering a ban, prohibition, or 'legal instrument' that will lead to the elimination of nuclear weapons, and of persuading others to do likewise.

The recent call by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, for the United States and Russia to jointly sponsor a UNSC resolution that outlaws nuclear war – effectively outlawing the USE of nuclear weapons – would be exceedingly helpful in the current fraught context. Australia should unreservedly support any such call.

John Hallam
United Nations Nuclear Disarmament Campaigner
People for Nuclear Disarmament
Human Survival Project

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61-2-9810-2598
m61-411-854-612

Dr Frank Hutchinson, Human Survival Project,
University of Sydney, and Consulting Editor, Journal of Future Studies'

Chris Hamer, World Citizens Association, Scientists for Global Responsibility,

Abe Quadan, ADR Practitioner and Lecturer,

Associate Professor Stuart Rosewarne, Department of Political Economy, University of Sydney,

Professor Frank Stilwell, UNSW,