[E-rundbrief] Info 823 - Atomabruestung - EU-Parlament

[Matthias Reichl]

E-Rundbrief - Info 823 - 2020 vision campaign: European Parliament 
recommends complete nuclear disarmament by 2020.

Bad Ischl, 28.4.2009

Begegnungszentrum für aktive Gewaltlosigkeit

www.begegnungszentrum.at

================================================

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 
<http://www.2020visioncampaign.org/pages/462/>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 
<http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&reference=A6-2009-0234&language=EN&mode=XML> 


-- 
Executive Advisor Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation
& Director Mayors for Peace 2020 Vision Campaign International Secretariat

City Hall
Grote Markt 34
8900 Ypres,
BELGIUM

Phone: +32-57-38 89 57
Skype:poltanner
E-mail: pol at 2020visioncampaign.org
Website: www.2020visioncampaign.org

-- 

Matthias Reichl, Pressesprecher/ press speaker,
Begegnungszentrum fuer aktive Gewaltlosigkeit
Center for Encounter and active Non-Violence
Wolfgangerstr. 26, A-4820 Bad Ischl, Austria,
fon: +43 6132 24590, Informationen/ informations,
Impressum in: http://www.begegnungszentrum.at
Spenden-Konto Nr. 0600-970305 (Blz. 20314) Sparkasse Bad Ischl,
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