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Even if START II reductions are completed in 2003, the world’s nuclear arsenals will still contain the destructive power of more than 300,000 Hiroshima bombs. Development of nuclear weapons continues. The danger of nuclear war will remain as long as nuclear weapons continue to exist. Political leaders have brought the world to the brink of destruction in a number of near-nuclear crises. Computers, like political leaders, are also im- perfect. NORAD and its Russian equivalent have had many false alarms. The spread of nuclear capabilities to other countries increases the risk of accidental or deliberate nuclear war. Numerous accidents with naval nuclear weapons already threaten our seas and our coastal communities. Nuclear warheads and nuclear power reactors lie on the ocean floor and nuclear-armed and nuclear-powered submarines are prowl- ing the seas. Production of nuclear weapons has caused untold environmental damage. Radioactive elements and hazardous chemicals contaminate most of the U.S. and former-USSR nuclear weapon manufacturing facilities. Cleanup costs in the U.S. alone could ultimately exceed $200 billion. Source: Canadian Network to Abolish Nuclear Weapons' web site: <watserv1.uwaterloo.ca/%7Eplough/cnanw/cnanw.html> 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456Please donate to COAT when you subscribe or renew! ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS COAT Mentors Editing and design: Richard Sanders Maude Barlow, National Chairperson, Council of Canadians Proofreading: Bette Stern Advertising sales: Sylvia Sanders Dr. Rosalie Bertell, G.N.S.H. Biometrician Epidemiologist Union Liaison: "Labour Jim" MacDonald Bonnie Cappuccino, C.M. Child Care Worker, India and Nepal Mailing Issue #38: Thanks to Jean Fred Cappuccino, C.M. Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ottawa Ahmed, Nick Aplin, Anna Dunkley, Pat Marion Dewar, chair, Oxfam Canada and former Mayor of Ottawa Johnston, Bill Henry, John McMurran, Richard, Roy and Sylvia Sanders, Bette Muriel Duckworth, C.M. Voice of Women - Canada Stern and Jasna Teofilovic-Bugarski. John Foster, former Executive Director, Oxfam Canada Financial Assistance: Sincere thanks to Marion Frank, Veterans Against Nuclear Arms - Canada everyone who contributed to COAT. Anton Kuerti, Concert Pianist A Special Thanks! Jean-Claude Parrot, Vice-President, Canadian Labour Congress to the Karen Ridd, Peace and Development activist Senator Doug Roche, O.C. former Ambassador for Disarmament to the UN Canadian Union of Svend Robinson, NDP MP, Burnaby-Douglas, BC Public Employees Pete Seeger, musician for donating the paper Murray Thomson, Founding Director, Peacefund Canada and photocopying for this issue. (groups listed for identification purposes) 2 Press for Conversion! Issue # 39 December 1999 In This Issue... 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789The Abolition of Nuclear Weapons 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789Global 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789 Eliminating Nuclear Weapons: A Progress Report......................................................... 4 New Agenda Coalition Vote at UN ................................................................................ 8 The New Arms Race ...................................................................................................... 9 Y2K and Nukes............................................................................................................ 10 Back from the Brink Campaign .................................................................................... 11 New Law Makes Austria Nuclear-Free........................................................................ 11 Not Guilty! Trident Disarmers Set Free ....................................................................... 12 The Sixteen Known Threats to Use Nuclear Weapons................................................. 13 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789 123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789Canada NDP Policy on the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons ...................................................... 16 Canadian Network to Abolish Nuclear Weapons ......................................................... 17 An Evening with Svend Robinson!............................................................................... 17 Canadian Complicity in Preparations