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

Nyt saatavilla tästä - klikkaa tästä - Kannattajakortti. Printtaa ja kopioi, kerää täytetyt ja ota yhteyttä, sms +45 51 82 41 27 (jos ei kuulu vastausta niin ehkä olen Suomessa, kokeile 050 598 14 29.) Voit myös lähettää mainitut tiedot s-postilla osoitteeseen juha (tähän at-merkki ilman välilyöntejä) rauhankulkue.net

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

Here is a leaflet that we spread together with the World March leaflet on Ambedkar Day rallies in Vellore District in Tamil Nadu

Here is an article from Thinamalar newspaper, edition 50.000 copies throughout Tamil Nadu, with an interview where we talk about the World March and comment on situation in Sri Lanka. Published 14.4.2009

Here some photos

By: Dibin Samuel

Tuesday, 21 April 2009, 13:41 (IST)

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem “Navi” Pillay speaks during a press conference after the opening of the Durban Review Conference (UN’s Conference against Racism) at the European..(AP)There might not be any substantial development in the case of Dalits at the UN anti-racism conference that began Monday in Geneva.

The conference from April 20-24 has been boycotted by the United States, Israel, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Poland and Germany over remarks on Israel and the Holocaust. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the opening session he was “profoundly disappointed” at the boycotts.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) had last week in a statement expressed high expectations in the UN conference, which they said might put an end to the 3,500-year old caste oppression in India.

The Christian ecumenical organization noted that 8 years back the Durban conference failed to accentuate the Dalits affliction, hoping this year it would play a vital role in rendering freedom to millions of people affected by social inequality and caste stigma in the country.

They admitted that unless it is ‘internationalised’ it is difficult to abrogate the ‘untouchable’ discrimination.

Pope Benedict XVI also called on the delegates at the conference to work together, “in a spirit of dialogue and reciprocal acceptance, to put an end to every form of racism, discrimination and intolerance.” This would be “a fundamental step toward the affirmation of the universal value of the dignity of man and his rights.”

Recently, a Global Ecumenical Conference on Justice for Dalits was held in Bangkok where church leaders called upon the international community “to offer a platform to those representing Dalit communities” and also urged “all participating governments to accept the inclusion of caste-based discrimination in their discussions.”

A Bangkok Declaration was later framed calling on global ecumenical bodies to develop their ongoing work on justice for Dalits and to “speak with a united voice in working towards their liberation.”

According to the declaration, churches are expected to implement awareness-raising programs, empower Dalits, monitor and respond to caste atrocities, encourage Dalits to express their culture in worship, liturgy and theology, and support Dalit women’s initiatives.

The Dalits otherwise known as ‘untouchables’ or ‘low caste’ live in segregation and experience violence, murder, rape and other atrocities to the scale of 110,000 registered cases a year, according to 2005 statistics.

Their status according to the traditional Hindu society is associated with occupations regarded as ritually impure such as manual scavengers, cleaning sewers and clearing away dead animals.

There are 250 million Dalits in India. Of the 25 million Christians, at least 20 million are Dalits.