From: Pol DHuyvetter
Date: Fri, Apr 24, 2009 at 2:59 PM

European Parliament recommends complete nuclear disarmament by 2020

Strasbourg, April 24, 2009 - Today the European Parliament approved with a
majority of 177 votes against 130 an amendment introducing the “Model Nuclear
Weapons Convention” and the “Hiroshima-Nagasaki Protocol” (attached) as concrete
tools to achieve a nuclear weapons free world by 2020. The amendment was
introduced by the Ana Gomes for the PES and Angelika Beer for the Greens/EFA.
The amendment received cross-party support (1) during the Plenary vote here in
Strasbourg today. Especially Frieda Brepoels for the EPP-DE and Annemie Neyts
and Juul Maaten for the ALDE called to support the vision of a nuclear weapon
free world by 2020. The approval of the amendment (2) demonstrates that the EP
is increasing pressure to make nuclear disarmament by 2020 a top-priority for
the EU member states. Here the EP demonstrates leadership and an intention to
become a visible actor following President Obama’s statements for a NWFW in
Prague.

The amendment is part of the overall “Report Beer” (3), a recommendation to the
EU Council on non-proliferation and the future of the Treaty on
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (doc. A6-0234/09). The overall report was
approved by 271 +, 38 - and 29 abstenstions. On May 4th 2009 all state parties
of the NPT will be meeting at the UN headquarters in New York for the 3rd NPT
PrepCom in New York.

The amendment introducing the “model Nuclear Weapons Convention” and the
“Hiroshima-Nagasaki Protocol” is actively promoted by Mayors for Peace, a global
network of 2,817 cities from 134 countries and regions, presided by Dr.
Tadatoshi Akiba, the Mayor of Hiroshima.

The amendment was supported by the Parliamentarians for Non-proliferation and
Nuclear Disarmament (PNND), and Abolition 2000 Europe, a global network counting
over 2000 NGO’s.

Pol DHuyvetter, an Executive Advisor for the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation,
declared from the EP in Strasbourg: “The support of the European Parliament for
the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Protocol is very significant, even historic. It
demonstrates that the EP is adding a concrete time-line to the recent proposals
by President Obama. Members of the EP are gearing up to make a nuclear weapon
free world possible in the life-time of President Obama. Furthermore the
adoption of the amendment gives a clear signal to Mr. Solana and all EU member
states to make nuclear disarmament a top-priority so we can free the world of
all remaining 25,000 nuclear warheads before 2020. Cities can no longer be kept
hostage of nuclear policies”.

The EU counts two out of the five official nuclear weapons states, with France
and the UK holding on to, and modernizing, their national nuclear arsenals. Most
EU member states are also part of NATO’s Nuclear Planning Group, a group holding
on to the nuclear deterrent as an essential part of transatlantic security
policies. Here there are also clear indications of US nuclear weapon deployments
in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey. For the previous decades
NATO holds on to a “nor confirm nor deny” secretive policy concerning US
deployments in Europe.

The Hiroshima-Nagasaki Protocol is complementary to the NPT and receives growing
support from cities, governments and civil society around the world. As of April
23rd, 2009, there are 642 signatories
to the “Cities Appeal in support
of the H-N Protocol” from 45 countries. They range from the Mayors of London,
Luxembourg, Rome and Stockholm in Europe, Sapporo (Japan) in the East to San
Francisco (USA) in the West, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo (Brazil) and Cape Town
(South Africa) in the South and to the North Toronto (Canada). Also note that on
June 23, 2008, the US Conference of Mayors, at its 76th annual meeting in Miami,
Florida, unanimously adopted a far-reaching resolution supporting the
Hiroshima-Nagasaki Protocol, entitled “Support for the Elimination of All
Nuclear Weapons by the Year 2020.

More information:

www.2020visioncampaign.org

Contact:

Pol DHuyvetter +32-49528 02 59

Note:

(1) Vote: the Greens/EFA called for a RCV (Roll Call Vote) on Amendment F. Very
soon we should be able to access to detailed results of the votes for every
individual member of the EP. At this time not yet available . Soon on
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/plenary.do?language=EN#

(2) Approved amendment F:

F. encouraged by new disarmament proposals such as those called for by Henry
Kissinger, George P. Shultz, William J. Perry and Sam Nunn in January 2007 and
January 2008/*, the Model Nuclear Weapons Convention and the Hiroshima-Nagasaki
protocol, promoted globally by civic organisations and political leaders, */and
campaigns such as “Global Zero”, which argue that one crucial way of ensuring
the prevention of nuclear proliferation and the achievement of global security
is to move towards the elimination of nuclear weapons,

(3) Soon the final approved version of the Report Beer click here

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piis

A couple of years ago as part of my university studies, I wrote an essay about the historical Finnish humanist Yrjö Kallinen. This month the essay was published in the University of St. Petersburg. Here attached a scan of the publication (PDF, 6MB)
- Juha Uski

Humanists call for a return to negotiations in Sri Lanka
12.4.2009

In spite of repeated requests by United Nations, United States of America, England, France, Norway, India and other countries, the Government of Sri Lanka and its President Rajapakshe are continuing the civil war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Reports from Sri Lanka indicate that over 300.000 people are surrounded by the Sri Lankan army within an area of 46 km2. It is hard to imagine how such an amount of people manages to survive in such a small area which in addition is a thick forest.

To put an end to these inhuman living conditions and to save the lives of these 300.000 people, we Humanists demand the Government of Sri Lanka and its President Rajapakshe to stop this brutal campaign immediately, stop the civil war and find a solution through negotiation with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Additionally we call for the Government of Sri Lanka to respect the freedom of press and to let independent reporters to the area as well as to guarantee the safety of humanitarian personnel. Performing brutal actions and attempting to hide them from the rest of the world is a great shame and such activities will be remembered as a dark period in the history of Sri Lanka.

Similarly we call for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to work for real democracy through the means of nonviolence and abandon violent activities that do not increase democracy in Tamil Eelam or in other parts of Sri Lanka.

Juha Uski, K.Krishnakumar
Humanists
Denmark, Tamil Nadu