2 February 1998
The end of the Cold War has wrought a profound transformation of the international political and security arena.Idelogical confrontation has been supplanted by burgeoning global relations across every field of human endeavor. There is intense alienation but also civilized discourse. There is acute hostility but also significant effort for peaceful resolution in place of violence and bloodshed.
Most importantly, the long sought prospect of a world free of the apocalyptic threat of nuclear weapons is suddenly within reach. This is an extraordinary moment in the course of human affairs, a near miraculous opportunity to realize that noble goal. But, it is also perishable: the specter of nuclear proliferation cannot be indefinitely contained. The urgent attention and best efforts of scholars and statesmen must be brought to bear.
Leaders of the nuclear weapons states, and of the de facto nuclear nations, must keep the promise of nuclear disarmament enshrined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty of 1970 and clarified and reaffirmed in 1995 in the language codifying its indefinite extension.
They must do so by commencing the systematic and progressive reduction and marginalization of nuclear weapons, and by declaring unambiguously that their goal is ultimate abolition.
Many military leaders of many nations have warned that all nations would be more secure in a world free of nuclear weapons. Immediate and practical steps toward this objective have been arrayed in a host of compelling studies, most notably in the Report of the Canberra Commission on the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.
Among these proposals, we, the undersigned, fully subscribe to the following measures:
- Remove nuclear weapons from alert status, separate them from their delivery vehicles, and place them in secure national storage.
- Halt production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons.
- End nuclear testing, pending entry into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
- Launch immediate U.S./Russian negotiations toward further, deep reductions of their nuclear arsenals, irrespective of START II ratification.
- Unequivocal commitment by the other declared and undeclared nuclear weapon states to join the reduction process on a proportional basis as the U.S. and Russia approach their arsenal levels, within an international system of inspection, verification, and safeguards.
- Develop a plan for eventual implementation, achievement and enforcement of the distant but final goal of elimination.
The foregoing six steps should be undertaken immediately.
The following additional steps should be carefully considered, to determine whether they are presently appropriate and feasible:
- Repatriate nuclear weapons deployed outside of sovereign territory.
- Commit to No First Use of nuclear weapons.
- Ban production and possession of large, long-range ballistic missiles.
- Account for all materials needed to produce nuclear weapons, and placethem under international safeguards.
The world is not condemned to live forever with threats of nuclear conflict, or the anxious, fragile peace imposed by nuclear deterrence. Such threats are intolerable and such a peace unworthy.
The sheer destructiveness of nuclear weapons invokes a moral imperative for their elimination.
That is our mandate. Let us begin.
International Civilian Leaders
who have signed the Statement on Nuclear Weapons
Argentina Raul Alfonsin, Former President Australia Malcom Fraser, Former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, Former Prime Minister
Former Foreign MinisterKim C. Beazley, Leader of the Opposition
Former Deputy Prime MinisterRichard Butler Ambassador to U.N.
Chair, U.N. Special Commission on Iraq
Chair, Canberra CommissionGareth Evans Former Foreign Minister
Deputy Leader of the Opposition
Member of ParliamentBangladesh A.D.M.S. Chuwdhury Deputy Opposition Leader, Parliament
Former Deputy Prime MinisterMuhammad Yunus Managing Director, Grameen Bank Brazil Jose Sarney Former Prime Minister
Senator CalsoL.N. Amorim Former Foreign Minister Bulgaria Nicolai Dobrev Chair, National Security Committee, Parliament
Former Minister of InteriorNicolai Kamov Chair, Foreign Affairs Committee, Parliament Dimitra Pavlov Minister of Defense Canada Pierre Trudeau Former Prime Minister Douglas Roche Former Ambassador for Disarmament Chile Juan Somavia Ambassador to U.N.
Past President, UN Security CouncilChina Qian Jiadong Former Chinese Ambassador to U.N. Chen Jifeng Secretary General, Chinese People's Association for Peace and Disarmament Colombia Misael Pastrana Borrero Former President
(Deceased Aug. 1997)Costa Rica Jose Figueres President Oscar Arias Former President Rodrigo Carazo Former President Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis Second Vice President Rodrigo Oreamuno First Vice President Cyprus George Vassiliou Former President
President, United DemocratsEgypt Esmat Abdul Meguid Secretary General, League of Arab States
Former Foreign MinisterFinland Kalevi Sorsa Former President France Michel Rocard Former Prime Minister
Chair, Committee on Development and Cooperation, European ParliamentJacques Attali Former Special Advisor to President Mitterand Georgia Eduard A. Shevardnadze President Germany Helmut Schmidt Former Chancellor
Honorary Chair, International CouncilHan Modrow Former Prime Minister, East Germany Egon Bahr Former Minister for Special Affairs Angelika Beer Spokesperson for Defense, ó
Alliance 90/Green Partyó
Member, BundestagAlfred Dregger Hon. Chair, Christian Democratic Party
Member, BundestagHans Koschnik Former Administrator, European Union, Ô_ ÔMostarÔ_ ÔóóÐ Markus Meckel Former Foreign Minister, East Germany
Member, BundestagDr. Walter Romberg Former Minister of Finances, East Germany Lothar Speth Former Minister-President, Baden-Wurttemberg Hans-Jochen Vogel Former Mayor, Berlin
Former Minister of Justice
Former Chair, Social Democratic PartyHungary Ervin Laszlo Founder and President, Club of Budapest Israel Yael Dayan Member, Kneset Japan Tsutomu Hata Former Prime Minister
Member, DietMorihiro Hosokawa Former Prime Minister
Member, DietKiichi Miyazawa Former Prime Minister
Member, DietTomiichi Murayama Former Prime Minister
Member, DietNoboru Takeshita Former Prime Minister
Member, DietTakako Doi Former Speaker, House of Representatives
Member, DietMasaharu Gotoda Former Vice Prime Minister Takashi Hiraoka Mayor, Hiroshima Iccho Ito Mayor, Nagasaki Yohei Kono Former Vice Prime Minister Hyosuke Kujiraoka Former Vice Speaker, House of Representatives
Member, DietKenzaburo Oe Nobel Laureate Kyrgyz Republic Askar Akaev President Muratbek Imanaliev Foreign Minister Rosa Otunbaeva Former Foreign Minister
Ambassador to U.K.Lebanon Sadim El.Hoss Former Prime Minister Malaysia IsmailRazali President, UN General Assembly Mexico Miguel de la Madrid Former President Mongolia Punsalmaa Ochirbat Former President Jalbuu Choinhor Ambassador to U.S. Namibia Sam Junoma President Lagumont Harris Former President Ruben Kun Member, Parliament
Former PresidentDavid Peter Former Speaker, Parliament Netherlands Ruud Lubbers Former Prime Minister
Minister of StateAndries van Agt Former Prime Minister
Chair, Interaction CouncilKorthals Altes Former Ambassador to Madrid J. van Houwelingen Former Deputy Minister of Defence J.G. Kraaijeveld Wouters Former Minister of Defence Dr. D.J.H. Kruisinga Former Minister of Defence Mr. J. de Ruiter Former Minister of Defence Prof. Dr. J.C. Terlouw Former Deputy Prime Minister,
Minister for Economic AffairsNew Zealand David Lange Former Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer Former Prime Minister North Ireland Mairead Maguire Honorary President, Peace People
Nobel Peace LaureatePakistan Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan Former UN High Commissioner for Refugees
President, Bellerive FoundationMahbub ul Haq President, Human Development Centre
Former Minister of Finance
Principal Architect of UN's Annual Human Development ReportPanama Ricardo de la Espriella Former President Philippines Corazon Aquino Former President Portugal Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo Former Prime Minister Republic of Korea Shin Hyon Hwak Former Prime Minister Russia Egor Gaidar Former Prime Minister
Director, Research Institute for the Economy in TransitionMikhail Gorbachev Former President Georgi Arbatov President, Governing Board, Institute of USA and Canada Alexander Bessmertnykh Former Soviet Foreign Minister
Former Soviet Ambassador to US
President, Foreign Policy AssociationVitaly Goldansky President, Russian Pugwash Committee
AcademicianRoland Timerbaev Former Permanent Representative of the USSR and Russia in IAEA
President, Center for Political Studies of RussiaEuvgeny Velikhov Member, National Security Council
AcademicianAlexander N. Yakovlev Chair, President's Commission on Rehabilitation of
Repression Victims
Chair, Russian Public Television;
Former Member, Politburo
Principal Domestic Advisor to President GorbachevSouth Africa F.W. De Klerk Former President
Member, Parliament
National Leader, National PartyBishop Desmond Tutu Spain Enrique Baron Crespo Member, European Parliament
Former President, European Parliament
Former MinisterFernando Moran Lopez Chair, Committee on Institutional Affairs, European Parliament
Former Foreign MinisterSri Lanka A.T. Ariyaratne Leader, Sarvodaya Movement
Gandhi Peace Prize, 1996Anura Bandaranaike Member, Parliament
Former Minister of Education
Former Leader of OppositionJayantha Dhanapala President, NPT Review and Extension Conference, 1995
Former Ambassador to U.S.Suriname I.M. Djwalapersad Speaker, Assembly Sweden Goran Persson Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson Former Prime Minister Maj Britt Theorin Former Chair, UN Commission of Experts on
Nuclear Weapons
Member, European ParliamentTanzania Al Hassan Mwinyi Former President Julius K. Nyerere Former President
Chair, South CommissionSalim Ahmed Salim Former Prime Minister
Secretary General, Organization of African Unity
President, U.N. General Assembly, 34th SessionJoseph Warioba Former Prime Minister
Judge, International Tribunal on Law of the SeasThailand Anand Panyarachun Former Prime Minister Uganda Milton Obote Former President Dr. Paul Kaeanga Ssemogerere Former Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Naphali Akena Adoko Former Chief of State Security Justice Emmanuel Oteng Former Acting Chief Justice United Kingdom Lord James Callaghan Former Prime Minister
Member, House of LordsLord Denis Healey Former Secretary of Defense
Former Chancellor of ExchequerJohn Edmunds Former Chief Negotiator, CTBT
Former Head, Arms Control & Disarmament,
Foreign OfficeBetty Williams Nobel Peace Laureate United States Jimmy Carter Former President Zimbabwe Dr. RobertMugabe President
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