Urgent! NGOs Pls Sign Moscow Summit START-III Letter

[John Hallam <nonukes at foesyd.org.au>]

URGING AS MANY ORGANISATIONS AS POSSIBLE TO SIGN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
To sign, email me at
FoE Sydney - Nuclear Campaign <nonukes at foesyd.org.au>

John Hallam
Friends of the Earth Sydney,
17 Lord Street, Newtown, NSW, Australia, 2042
Fax (61)(2)9517-3902  ph (61)(2)9517-3903
nonukes at foesyd.org.au
http://homepages.tig.com.au/~foesyd

Dear All,
Presidents Clinton and Putin are meeting in Moscow on June 4/5, but Clinton
leaves the US on 30th.

This letter urges Clinton and Putin, in the light of the recent NPT Review,
to go for the lowest possible START-III warhead totals and not to proceed
with an NMD system.

(Those who have already signed, please note that two paras noting the May 1
P5 statement, refering to 'ultimate' elimination of weapons have been
removed. The letter rests now completely on the NPT Review final
declaration and on the ICJ interpretation of Article VI.)

This makes it clearer and tighter than before.

I urge you to sign it.



PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON
+1-202-456-2461, +1-202-456-2883, +1-202-456-6218, 456-6201

PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN
+7-095-205-4330, +7-095-206-5173 7-095-205-4219

CC
FOREIGN MINISTER OF RUSSIA IGOR IVANOV
+7-095-244-3276, +7-095-244-2203

SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE ALBRIGHT
+1-202- 647-6047

MINISTER FOR DEFENCE IGOR SERGEYEV
+7-095-247-2722, +7-095-293-3323,

DEFENCE SECRETARY WILLIAM COHEN
+1-703-695-1149

Dear Presidents Clinton and Putin,

We the undersigned,  are writing to you in the aftermath of the Review
Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and in view of
your summit meeting in Moscow on June 4-5, with respect to the ratification
of the START-II arms control agreement, the negotiation of a START-III
agreement, and the possible deployment of a National Missile Defence (NMD)
system by the US, with the prospect of the modification of the
Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty.

Your two countries bear a unique responsibility for the security of the
world, as you possess by far the largest share of the world's nuclear
weapons.

The overwhelming majority of the world's governments and peoples are not
content to see nuclear weapons retained indefinitely by your two nations
(or by the UK, France, China, Israel, India or Pakistan). This has been
shown repeatedly in UN  resolutions  calling for the elimination of nuclear
weapons, and opinion polls supporting the immediate start of negotiations
for a nuclear weapons convention. Support for a nuclear weapons convention
is widespread in many quarters and cannot be dismissed.

Measures discussed at the NPT Review Conference which should form a basis
for your Moscow discussions include:

(1) Unequivocal and Total Elimination
The 1996 Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice, the
judiciary body of the United Nations, and the world's highest legal
authority, reaffirming the need to eliminate nuclear weapons in its
interpretation of Article VI of the NPT,   unanimously stated:

"There exists an obligation to pursue in good faith and bring to a
conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects
under strict and effective international control."

In the final declaration of the NPT Review, the NWS made an 'unequivocal
undertaking' to 'accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear
arsenals'.  This position however, represents a bare minimum.

The reality is that the peoples and nations of the world want decisive
action to eliminate nuclear weapons, and they will expect your Moscow
discussions to reflect this new undertaking and to demonstrate evidence of
your compliance with it.


(2) Take US and Russian Nuclear Forces off 'Launch-on-Warning' Status.

The final declaration of the NPT Review Conference contains a commitment to
take 'concrete steps to reduce the operational status of nuclear weapons'.
We therefore urge that both the US and Russia agree immediately to take
nuclear weapons off 'launch-on-warning' status.

The idea of an entirely accidental nuclear war, which 'launch-on-warning'
makes possible, must be intolerable to you, yet it has nearly occurred on a
number of documented occasions. Evidently the US and Russian military were
sufficiently concerned about this last year to establish a joint 'Center
for Y2K Strategic Stability'. With such mutual verification of early
warning information achieved between them, it should be possible to extend
this to monitoring de-alerting of their nuclear forces. Removing nuclear
weapons systems from launch-on-warning status would be the single most
responsible and important step that you could both take in Moscow toward
the complete elimination of nuclear weapons.


(3)Implementation of START-II

The final declaration of the NPT Review Conference contains a commitment to
the implementation of START-II.  This is highly uncertain due to US Senate
opposition to the 1997 ABM (Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty) protocols.
Consequently, both sides should  should agree to  unilateral reciprocal
measures to reduce their deployed strategic nuclear arsenals below START-1
levels in accordance with START-1 verification procedures.

(4)START-III

The NPT Review conference has urged both of you to conclude START-III as
soon as possible. We therefore further urge you to work together to  agree
to   irreversible, verifiable, reductions to 1000 warheads or below for
deployed strategic systems, and in addition to verifiable measures to
deactivate and dismantle all remaining tactical nuclear weapons.

If your two countries are to satisfy your obligations under Article VI of
the NPT, and the wishes of the rest of the world, it is clear that you must
join with the other nuclear weapon states in a process that will take your
nuclear arsenals down to zero.

(5)Preserve and Strengthen the ABM Treaty

The final declaration of the NPT Review conference refers to the
'preserving and strengthening' of the ABM treaty.  This and the NWS
statement at the recent NPT Review Conference on the 'maintenance and
strengthening' of the ABM treaty should not be interpreted to mean the
treaty's alteration to allow NMD deployment.

We strongly urge that the US does not deploy a National Missile Defence
(NMD) system,  and that it cease efforts to amend the ABM Treaty to allow
such a deployment.  As indicated by the 'Talking Points', such deployment
merely encourages retention of large nuclear arsenals.


The UN Secretary-General,  New Agenda Coalition,  Non-Aligned Movement,
European Union, the other NWS and others have all  strongly reaffirmed the
importance of retaining the ABM Treaty.  The deployment of a costly system
of unproven and dubious efficacy against a threat that does not yet and may
never exist, will serve only to derail the process of nuclear weapons
elimination to which both the US and Russia are bound as NPT signatories.

The recent NPT Review  shows that the whole world wants you to take
immediate steps toward the elimination of your nuclear arsenals.
Accordingly we urge you in Moscow to make the deepest cuts possible under
START-III, and to proceed swiftly from there to the complete elimination of
nuclear weapons under strict international control.

Signed:

Bruna Nota, President, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom,
NY/Geneva.,

Caroline Lucas MEP, Green MEP for South East England,
Frank Cook MP, Vice-President, NATO Parliamentary Assembly,

Commander Robert D. Green, Royal Navy (Ret'd.), Chair, George Farebrother,
Secy., World Court Project UK,
Hailsham, Sussex, UK.,
Dr. Phyllis Starkey, MP Milton Keynes Southwest, UK.,
Jenny Maxwell, West Midland Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Birmingham, UK.,
Anni Rainbow and Lindis Percy, Campaign for the Accountability of American
Bases, Otley, Yorks, UK.,
Di Mc Donald, Nuclear Information Service, UK.,

Ak Malten, Global Anti-Nuclear Alliance, The Hague, Netherlands,
Eloi Glorieux, MP  Flemish Regional Parliament, Belgium.,
Peter Vanhoutte, MP Greens Belgium, Belgian Defence Committee Member,
Brussels, Belgium.,
Fiona Dove, Transnational Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands,

Dr. Arthur Muhl, President, International Physicians for the Prevention of
Nuclear War, (IPPNW) Switzerland.,

Aurel Duta, Mama Terra/For Mother Earth Romania, Bucharest, Romania,
Alba Circle Non-Violent Movement, Hungary,
Matthias Reichl, Centre for Encounters and Active Non-Violence, Austria,

Galina Ragouzhina, WISE-Kaliningrad, Russia.,
Natalia Koniachkina, WISE-TOMSK, Russia.,
Alexandra Koroleva, Ecodefense Kaliningrad, Russia.,

Victor Khazan, Zelenyi Zvit (FOE Ukraine), Dniepropretrovsk, Ukraine,
Nadia Sosovkina, Coordinator, Ukrainian Society for Sustainable
Development, Kiev, Ukraine.,

Bahig Nassar, Coordinator, Arab Coordination Centre of NGOs, Egypt.
Jean P. Patterson, Womens International League for Peace and Freedom,
Costa-Rica.,

Bill Blaikie MP, House Leader, New Democratic Party of Canada,
Neil Arya, President, Physicians for Global Survival, Canada,
David Morgan, President, Veterans Against Nuclear Arms, Vancouver, BC, Canada,
Joyce Lydiard, WILPF-British Columbia, Canada.,
Desmond Berghofer, Institute for Ethical Leadership, Vancouver, Canada,
Tryna Booth, Canadian Peace Alliance.,
Linda Murphy, President, Inter-Church Uranium Committee, Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan, Canada,
Kira Van Deusen, Foundation for Indigenous Siberian Culture and Native
Exchange, Vancouver, Canada,
David Greenfield, Green Party of Canada, Saskatoon, Canada,

Rear-Admiral Eugene J. Carroll, Jr., US Navy (Ret'd.), Centre for Defence
Information, Washington DC.,
Carah Ong, Coordinator, Abolition-2000, Santa Barbara, Calif.,
Ellen Thomas, Proposition One Committee, Washington DC., US.,
Marylia Kelly, Executive Director, Sally Light, Nuclear Weapons Program
Analyst, Tri-Valley CAREs, Calif.,
Martin Butcher, Director of Security Programs, Physicians for Social
Responsibility, Washington DC., US.,
Jackie Cabasso, Western States Legal Foundation, Oakland Calif, USA.,
Bishop Walter Sullivan, President, Pax Christi, USA.,
Phyllis Yingling, President, Womens International League for Peace and
Freedom, USA,
Anthony Guarisco, Alliance of Atomic Veterans, USA.,
Dana L. Richter, Copper Country Peace Alliance, Houghton, Michigan, USA.,
Bruce K. Gagnon, Coordinator, Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear
Power in Space, Gainesville, Fl, USA.,
George W. Albee, President, Psychologists for Social Responsibility,
Washington DC., USA.,
John M Phelan, Chairman, Fordham Centre for Communication Policy and
Ethics, USA.,

Kate Dewes, Disarmament and Security Centre, Christchurch, NZ.,
Megan Hutching, National Secretary, Womens International League for Peace
and Freedom, Aotearoa/NZ.,
Barney Richards, National Secretary, Peace Council of Aotearoa/NZ.,
Marion Hancock, Peace Foundation, Aotearoa/NZ,

Dr. Carmen Lawrence, MP Member for Fremantle, Parliamentarians for a
Nuclear-Free Future,  Australia.
Jill Hall MP, Federal Member for Shortland, Australia,
Tanya Plibersek MP, Federal Member for Sydney, Federal Parliament, Aust.,
Julia Gillard, Federal Member for Lalor, Federal Parliament, Aust.,
Kelly Hoare MP, Federal Member for Charlton, (Newcastle) NSW, Aust.,
Daryl Melham, Federal Member for Banks., NSW., Aust.,
Senator Vicky Bourne, Democrat Senator for NSW.,
Senator Sue Mackay, ALP Senator for  Canberra,
Senator George Campbell, ALP Senator for NSW.,
Tom Helm, MLC Mt Newman, W.A.,
Helen Hodgson, MLC., W.A.,
Kerry Tucker MLC., Green Member of the ACT Legislative Assembly,
Geoff Holland, Institute for Global Futures Research, Earlville, Qld,
Kirsten Blair, Coordinator, Environment Centre of the Northern Territory,
Darwin, NT.,
David Sweeney, Nuclear Campaigner, Australian Conservation Foundation.,
Fitzroy, Vic.,
Angela Drury, People for Nuclear Disarmament (PND) NSW.,
Dr. Helen Caldicott, Founding President, Physicians for Social
Responsibility, Womens Action for Nuclear Disarmament.,
Irene Gale, AM, Australian Peace Committee, Adelaide, SA.,
John Hallam, Nuclear Campaigner, Friends of the Earth Australia Sydney, Aust.,