International Meeting: Plenary Session II Peaceful & Just World and Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution (August 3) Panel Presentation: continues with the occupying forces led by the US being continually delivered bloody nose by the Sukla Sen insurgent forces, even if at a great cost to local Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace populace, thereby causing a serious setback to the American neocon plan for unilateral and India unfettered global domination by foregrounding its awesome military might to compensate for the Dear Friends and Comrades, inadequacy of its otherwise huge economic It’s a matter of some satisfaction and pride to prowess and political/diplomatic clout. The be again this year amongst you and stand before emergence of Venezuela, under the presidentship you, the leading anti-nuke peace activists from all of the redoubtable Hugo Chavez, and leftwing over the globe, as the representative of the CNDP, radical forces coming to power in a number of India, carrying the message of solidarity, to Latin American countries have considerably reaffirm our commitment to further reinforce the strengthened the global forces fighting against the global struggle for a peaceful and just world free of big bully, the US, on the global plain. The setback nuclear weapons – anywhere and everywhere. I, on signified by the victory of Nicolas Sarkozy in the my personal behalf and on behalf of the just concluded French presidential election would organization I’m proud to represent, convey my hopefully be partly mitigated by the transfer of sincerest thanks to the Gensuikyo for making it baton from Blair to Brown in the neighbouring possible. Britain, the traditional most steadfast ally of the Yet at another level, it is also quite a bit US. frustrating that even after more than six decades The US plan to install Ballistic Missile Defence after the horrific bombings of Hiroshima and systems on the soil of Europe, in countries Nagasaki, more than half a century after this neighbouring the Russian Federation, threatens to Conference first commenced, we are assembling trigger a new Cold War with the Russian economy here every year not to celebrate the success of our enjoying the benefits of buoyant oil price, collective struggle, to recall the terrible memories paradoxically at least partly caused by the US war of the days left behind laden with spine-chilling on Iraq and aggressive posturing against Iran. threats of nuclear catastrophe in the cosy comfort And last but not the least, India – the country I provided by the elimination of such terrible come from, has steadfastly emerged as a very menace; but to carry on our unfinished struggle, significant destabilising force in the arena of global trudge undeterred along the difficult path ahead, nuclear danger. In 1996, it had played a major towards the goal still unachieved. role in virtually torpedoing the Comprehensive That makes it incumbent on our part to make Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). This was somewhat use of this unique opportunity to reexamine our logical, though not inevitable, continuation of its methods followed hitherto and further intensify earlier rejection of the NPT and the (avowedly our explorations for the most effective means of peaceful) nuclear explosion in 1974. In a sharp struggle. further negative turn, it carried out five nuclear If we take a quick stock of the developments explosions in May 1998 to openly claim the status since we met the last time, we’d find that the of a nuclear weapon state. As a consequence, tensions built around North Korea’s nuclear much smaller but traditional rival - neighbouring weapons programme, despite an explosion – Pakistan, followed suit in about a fortnight turning perhaps a failed one, carried out last October to South Asia into a sort of live nuclear volcano reinforce its claim to being a nuclear power with ready to erupt any moment. This turn of events concomitant destabilising effects in the region, was all the more shocking and unfortunate as it have considerably diffused. The tensions around amounted to complete negation of India’s Iran’s avowedly nuclear power programme have traditional claim to being a pioneering pacifist somewhat plateaued after peaking further to force. This, however, in the process energised the unnerving heights. The occupation of Iraq Indian peace movement, pretty weak to begin with, nuclear danger, mobilise their latent desires for a and the CNDP was brought into being. just and peaceful world and steer the resultant Nevertheless the events of May 1998 almost forces towards the goal of a nuclear weapon free inexorably changed the terms of mainstream world. Thank you. discourse. The political class became obscenely obsessed with the idea of “nuclear sovereignty” with the rightwing Hindu nationalist forces leading Tomas Magnusson the pack. So it is no wonder that even with a President, International Peace Bureau change of regime, India continues marching along the same deplorable path to emerge as a mini How to Reach Nuclear Abolition within Three hegemon in the region - bent upon expanding its Years: The DC Method nuclear, and non-nuclear, arsenal towards that goal. And in relentless pursuit of this objective, it is INTRODUCTION persistently developing closer and closer How is it possible that the modern world, relationships with the US and Israel – the two most which has reached outstanding scientific levels, aggressive forces in the presentday global order, with the most perfect athletes, such impressive without however completely giving up on the other architecture, so many wonderful artists of all kinds alternative options deemed conducive to the - remains trapped in anachronistic, obsolete, fulfillment of its big power ambitions. The old-fashioned ways of dealing with conflicts ongoing Indo-US nuclear ‘deal’ is the most visible between people and nations? manifestation of this disturbing development. And how can this wonderful world accept that And it is therefore eminently crucial to scuttle this nations are preparing to repeat the mistakes of yet-to-be-concluded ‘deal’. The deal, if actualised, former times, by continuing to expand their deadly would further cement the growing strategic ties arsenals, and build up their nuclear capacity and between India and the US and also set a very other means of weapons of mass destruction, as negative example before the nuclear threshold well as wasting resources on conventional states prodding them to cross the rubicon. And I weaponry, instead of tackling global problems, and must also repeat that despite accentuated domestic resolving conflicts, through peaceful means! opposition to the ‘deal’ from the proponents of That is the challenging issue I would like to “nuclear sovereignty”, the approval of the ‘deal’ by bring to discussion at the World Conference the Nuclear Suppliers Group remains the weakest against A and H Bombs 2007. link in the chain, as I had made out the last year as well. We have to take due note of this aspect. ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL PEACE The road ahead towards global nuclear BUREAU disarmament would understandably consist of We have all different backgrounds. I come multiple tracks. We must continue to draw from the International Peace Bureau, established strength from the very first resolution adopted by over one hundred years ago to be the permanent the United Nations General Assembly under the Bureau to organize international peace conferences. terrific impact of the tragedy of Hiroshima and Nowadays there are many organisers of peace Nagasaki. We must also resurrect the 13 practical conferences, like the Organising Committee steps enunciated in the 2000 NPT Review behind the 2007 World Conference here in Japan. Conference. We have to as well most determinedly So the International Peace Bureau has grown persist with the demand for a Nuclear Weapons into the role of being a global network of peace Convention under the aegis of the UNGA. organisations, today representing 282 member The last call, if raised with sufficient strength, organisations in 70 countries, as well as individual would most likely touch a sympathetic cord in members. It is from that platform I speak at India as well. It is this demand that had been today’s meeting. voiced by late Rajiv Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, at the UNGA in June 1988. MOBILISING THE GENERAL PUBLIC Consequently it would to an extent force the Nuclear arms are the top priority for our otherwise reluctant hands of the incumbent Indian discussion today: But let’s remember: there are regime. many inter-locking problems facing the planet – Apart from this, the call for creating a nuclear climate change, mass poverty, inequality, conflicts weapons free South Asia, as an ad interim move over resources, unilateralism instead of towards the final goal, would attract the support of international cooperation between nations, the smaller nations in the region and thereby exert domestic wars in many places. pressures on the big brother India and little big Different people will make different priorities, brother Pakistan. and different situations will require different With these strategies in mind, we have to keep solutions. But the point is that these crises are on sensitising the masses about the perils of interconnected. If we are to create a large scale public mobilization for nuclear disarmament, we at so many occasions. We have all the facts we must relate that issue to environmental, need. development and human rights concerns. But there are some new elements in the What we as peace activists can bring to all the presentation of the facts that can be helpful for our other important issues is the knowledge of the ambition to reach our goal of nuclear abolition military spending, of all the resources that are kept within a time frame of the coming three years. from solving urgent needs, but instead spent on The most important to mention is the report of the military purposes.