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EVERYTHING SHOULD BE UNDER
THE SUN
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Reports From the Disarmament
Forum at the U.N.
U.S. Ambassador Norman Wuilf
described the nuclear disarmament steps agreed upon
for the final document of the NPT 2000 Review Conference. The steps include ratification of the
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, CTBT, a moratorium on all nuclear weapons
tests upon ratification. Negotiations
for a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty, FMCT, irreversibility of legally
binding negotiations, unequivocal commitment of nuclear weapons states
to eliminate nuclear weapons, early entry into force of START II and
continuation to a START III, preservaton of the ABM Treaty, possible
unilateral initiatives. The Bush administration is conducting
a review process for nuclear disarmament policy, which could support
unilateral reductions and bilateral negotiations for nuclear disarmament
with STARTI,II and III as well as the FMCT Treaty, but does not support
a treaty on Outer Space and is strong for National Missile Defense. Counsellor Victor Vasiliev of
the Russian Federation believes the atmosphere at the end of the 20th
century has produced a good deal of progress in nuclear disarmament,
compared to earlier periods, with the bilateral negotiations of the
U.S. and the Russian Federation for START I, II, and now perhaps III
and also an agreement to reduce warheads to 2500 apiece. Putin could agree to reduction to 1500
and wants the preservation of the ABM Treaty.
Counsellor Vasiliev hopes the U.S. review process will be positive
for nuclear disarmament. Minister Maria Angelica Arcede Jeannet of Mexico said that the NPT Treaty 2000 Final Document also included peaceful uses of nuclear energy, nuclear weapons free zones, IAEA Safeguards agreements. A nuclear weapons free world needs a new agenda and the disarmament steps are implementation of Article 6 of the NPT Treaty. The next NPT Review Conference in 2005 will review implementation of the nuclear disarmament progress with the steps of the final document of the 2000 Review Conference. However, at present there is no progress in the UN Conference on Disarmament. The UK, the French and China should join the U.S. and the Russian Federation in a nuclear disarmament process. This year Mexico will chair a Review Conference for the CTBT in September 2001 and will also propose a resolution on nuclear disarmament for the General Assembly. SMALL
ARMS AS A DEVELOPMENT AND HUMANITARIAN ISSUE The NGO Committee on Disarmament also presented a panel discussion on the Illicit Trade of Small Arms Wednesday afternoon,
April 11th, in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium at UN Headquaters,
New York. A UNICEF Study
on Humanitarian Concerns and the increase of demand for small arms and
light weapons worldwide, has shown the importance of development in
the peace process and for
the UN Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons
in All Its Aspects in July 2001 at UN Headquarters. The panel was held
in cooperation with the Department of Public Information. David Jackman, Quaker UN Office,
and Moderator for the panel, reported on the UNDP policy to use development
as a prevention of violent conflict which is the root cause of poverty,
religious and cultural strife and the demand for small arms.
UNDP supports national, regional and international initiatives,
capacity building, education and research as a broad integrated program
with many facets for development,
peace and prosperity. Lieke van de Wiel, UNICEF New
York, said the UNICEF Study from an Interagency Standing Committee that
includes UNDP is concerned with the proliferation of small arms.
Information is received from many regions with diverse types
of countries, such as Kenya, Colombia and East Timor. The impact of small arms prevents development, displaces large
groups of refugees, prevents access to basic human needs, closes schools
and health facilities and hinders the work of humanitarian agencies
at the field level. Sola Ogunbanwo, Eminent Persons
Group in Africa, reported 8 million fatalities annually due to small
arms, of which 2 million were children.
Many areas of Africa are decimated by
small arms violence endangering trade and natural resources.
The African Bamako Declaration addresses all the interrelated
issues of conflict and the links betweenthe licit and illicit trade,
the importance of marking and tracing of weapons, is supported by many
governments and will aid the July conference Final Document and Program
of Action. Dominique Robinson, American
Friends Service Commitee of Baltimore, spoke of the 60,000 drug addicts,
proliferation of guns to children and criminalization of youth.
The enormous violence due to hand guns is espeically prevalent
in this U.S. city, but has become a serious problem throughout U.S.
cities and some schools. Per Augustsson, Mission of Sweden
to the UN, spoke of the urgent need to integrate disarmament, development
and humanitarian issues. Increased violence undermines human rights,
international law, national and international development. The Final Document for the July conference
should be a forward looking Program of Action that includes partnerships
of governments, UN agencies, civil society and the private sector. Lu Ecclestone, is the New York
Campaign Organizer for the Internatonal Action Network on Small Arms,
IANSA, which has 320 organizations in 70 countries. One Hundred and
Twenty NGOs from 30 countries attended the Third PrepCom for the Small
Arms Conference. IANSA will work with NGOs at the July conference organizing
daily briefings, lobbying delegates and sending daily reports over the
internet. The IANSA website:
www. IANSA.org * * * * * IMPLEMENTATION
OF THE REPORT OF THE PANEL ON UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS
Jim Paul, Global Policy Forum,
said that the Brahimi Report has a very unusual and influential status
at the UN and the recommendations are important for improvement but
it is cumbersome and does not fit the needs of conflicts in the world.
It is a professional fire department, with enormous costs for
headquarters and rapid deployment of troops.
The G77 worries about resources and information disposition. The countries that send troops have no say over a Security
Council mandate for troops that are inadequately prepared for dangerous
operations. There are many
more peacekeeping operations since the end of the cold war and the Security
Council is not well enough advised.
Budgets are shifted rapidly up and down, and member states search
for financial aid. Colonel John Culleton, Australia,
has served with various UN peacekeeping operations, argued for the report
and said three things are essential: increased resources, improving the process
for peacekeeping and peacebuilding and developing good relationships
between member states, the Secretariat and the Security Council. DPKO is intolerably understaffed, logistics
are impossible, with one desk officer for 6000 troops in the field.
However, the UN has developed a
more sophisticated communications system.
One hundred million US dollars is a very low budget for successful
operations. Intelligence and information for deployment
statistics and research is critical. There has been significant progress but continual battles in
the Security Council. DISARMAMENT TIMES: http://www.disarmtimes.org Special Thanks to Pam Jordan & Nancy Colton |
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@The Light
Millennium magazine was created and designed
by Bircan ÜNVER. 6th issue. Summer 2001, New York. URL: http://www.lightmillennium.org |