Statement on Nuclear Weapons
by International Civilian Leaders

2 February 1998

 

The end of the Cold War has wrought a profound transformation of the international political and security arena.

Idelogical confrontation has been supplanted by burgeoning global relations across every field of human endeavor. There is intense alienation but also civilized discourse. There is acute hostility but also significant effort for peaceful resolution in place of violence and bloodshed.

Most importantly, the long sought prospect of a world free of the apocalyptic threat of nuclear weapons is suddenly within reach. This is an extraordinary moment in the course of human affairs, a near miraculous opportunity to realize that noble goal. But, it is also perishable: the specter of nuclear proliferation cannot be indefinitely contained. The urgent attention and best efforts of scholars and statesmen must be brought to bear.

Leaders of the nuclear weapons states, and of the de facto nuclear nations, must keep the promise of nuclear disarmament enshrined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty of 1970 and clarified and reaffirmed in 1995 in the language codifying its indefinite extension.

They must do so by commencing the systematic and progressive reduction and marginalization of nuclear weapons, and by declaring unambiguously that their goal is ultimate abolition.

Many military leaders of many nations have warned that all nations would be more secure in a world free of nuclear weapons. Immediate and practical steps toward this objective have been arrayed in a host of compelling studies, most notably in the Report of the Canberra Commission on the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.

Among these proposals, we, the undersigned, fully subscribe to the following measures:

  • Remove nuclear weapons from alert status, separate them from their delivery vehicles, and place them in secure national storage.
  • Halt production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons.
  • End nuclear testing, pending entry into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
  • Launch immediate U.S./Russian negotiations toward further, deep reductions of their nuclear arsenals, irrespective of START II ratification.
  • Unequivocal commitment by the other declared and undeclared nuclear weapon states to join the reduction process on a proportional basis as the U.S. and Russia approach their arsenal levels, within an international system of inspection, verification, and safeguards.
  • Develop a plan for eventual implementation, achievement and enforcement of the distant but final goal of elimination.

The foregoing six steps should be undertaken immediately.

The following additional steps should be carefully considered, to determine whether they are presently appropriate and feasible:

  • Repatriate nuclear weapons deployed outside of sovereign territory.
  • Commit to No First Use of nuclear weapons.
  • Ban production and possession of large, long-range ballistic missiles.
  • Account for all materials needed to produce nuclear weapons, and placethem under international safeguards.

The world is not condemned to live forever with threats of nuclear conflict, or the anxious, fragile peace imposed by nuclear deterrence. Such threats are intolerable and such a peace unworthy.

The sheer destructiveness of nuclear weapons invokes a moral imperative for their elimination.

That is our mandate. Let us begin.

 

International Civilian Leaders
who have signed the Statement on Nuclear Weapons

 

Argentina                      
Raul Alfonsin, Former President
Australia                      
Malcom Fraser, Former Prime Minister
Gough Whitlam, Former Prime Minister
Former Foreign Minister
Kim C. Beazley, Leader of the Opposition
Former Deputy Prime Minister
Richard Butler Ambassador to U.N.
Chair, U.N. Special Commission on Iraq
Chair, Canberra Commission
Gareth Evans Former Foreign Minister
Deputy Leader of the Opposition
Member of Parliament
Bangladesh                      
A.D.M.S. Chuwdhury Deputy Opposition Leader, Parliament
Former Deputy Prime Minister
Muhammad Yunus Managing Director, Grameen Bank
Brazil                      
Jose Sarney Former Prime Minister
Senator Calso
L.N. Amorim Former Foreign Minister
Bulgaria                      
Nicolai Dobrev Chair, National Security Committee, Parliament
Former Minister of Interior
Nicolai Kamov Chair, Foreign Affairs Committee, Parliament
Dimitra Pavlov Minister of Defense
Canada                      
Pierre Trudeau Former Prime Minister
Douglas Roche Former Ambassador for Disarmament
Chile                      
Juan Somavia Ambassador to U.N.
Past President, UN Security Council
China                      
Qian Jiadong Former Chinese Ambassador to U.N.
Chen Jifeng Secretary General, Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament
Colombia                      
Misael Pastrana Borrero Former President
(Deceased Aug. 1997)
Costa Rica                      
Jose Figueres President
Oscar Arias Former President
Rodrigo Carazo Former President
Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis Second Vice President
Rodrigo Oreamuno First Vice President
Cyprus                      
George Vassiliou Former President
President, United Democrats
Egypt                      
Esmat Abdul Meguid Secretary General, League of Arab States
Former Foreign Minister
Finland                      
Kalevi Sorsa Former President
France                      
Michel Rocard Former Prime Minister
Chair, Committee on Development and Cooperation, European Parliament
Jacques Attali Former Special Advisor to President Mitterand
Georgia                      
Eduard A. Shevardnadze President
Germany                      
Helmut Schmidt Former Chancellor
Honorary Chair, International Council
Han Modrow Former Prime Minister, East Germany
Egon Bahr Former Minister for Special Affairs
Angelika Beer Spokesperson for Defense, ó
Alliance 90/Green Partyó
Member, Bundestag
Alfred Dregger Hon. Chair, Christian Democratic Party
Member, Bundestag
Hans Koschnik Former Administrator, European Union, Ô_ÔMostarÔ_ÔóóÐ
Markus Meckel Former Foreign Minister, East Germany
Member, Bundestag
Dr. Walter Romberg Former Minister of Finances, East Germany
Lothar Speth Former Minister-President, Baden-Wurttemberg
Hans-Jochen Vogel Former Mayor, Berlin
Former Minister of Justice
Former Chair, Social Democratic Party
Hungary                      
Ervin Laszlo Founder and President, Club of Budapest
Israel                      
Yael Dayan Member, Kneset
Japan                      
Tsutomu Hata Former Prime Minister
Member, Diet
Morihiro Hosokawa Former Prime Minister
Member, Diet
Kiichi Miyazawa Former Prime Minister
Member, Diet
Tomiichi Murayama Former Prime Minister
Member, Diet
Noboru Takeshita Former Prime Minister
Member, Diet
Takako Doi Former Speaker, House of Representatives
Member, Diet
Masaharu Gotoda Former Vice Prime Minister
Takashi Hiraoka Mayor, Hiroshima
Iccho Ito Mayor, Nagasaki
Yohei Kono Former Vice Prime Minister
Hyosuke Kujiraoka Former Vice Speaker, House of Representatives
Member, Diet
Kenzaburo Oe Nobel Laureate
Kyrgyz Republic                      
Askar Akaev President
Muratbek Imanaliev Foreign Minister
Rosa Otunbaeva Former Foreign Minister
Ambassador to U.K.
Lebanon                      
Sadim El.Hoss Former Prime Minister
Malaysia                      
IsmailRazali President, UN General Assembly
Mexico                      
Miguel de la Madrid Former President
Mongolia                      
Punsalmaa Ochirbat Former President
Jalbuu Choinhor Ambassador to U.S.
Namibia                      
Sam Junoma President
Lagumont Harris Former President
Ruben Kun Member, Parliament
Former President
David Peter Former Speaker, Parliament
Netherlands                      
Ruud Lubbers Former Prime Minister
Minister of State
Andries van Agt Former Prime Minister
Chair, Interaction Council
Korthals Altes Former Ambassador to Madrid
J. van Houwelingen Former Deputy Minister of Defence
J.G. Kraaijeveld Wouters Former Minister of Defence
Dr. D.J.H. Kruisinga Former Minister of Defence
Mr. J. de Ruiter Former Minister of Defence
Prof. Dr. J.C. Terlouw Former Deputy Prime Minister,
Minister for Economic Affairs
New Zealand                      
David Lange Former Prime Minister
Sir Geoffrey Palmer Former Prime Minister
North Ireland                      
Mairead Maguire Honorary President, Peace People
Nobel Peace Laureate
Pakistan                      
Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan Former UN High Commissioner for Refugees
President, Bellerive Foundation
Mahbub ul Haq President, Human Development Centre
Former Minister of Finance
Principal Architect of UN’s Annual Human Development Report
Panama                      
Ricardo de la Espriella Former President
Philippines                      
Corazon Aquino Former President
Portugal                      
Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo Former Prime Minister
Republic of Korea                      
Shin Hyon Hwak Former Prime Minister
Russia                      
Egor Gaidar Former Prime Minister
Director, Research Institute for the Economy in Transition
Mikhail Gorbachev Former President
Georgi Arbatov President, Governing Board, Institute of USA and Canada
Alexander Bessmertnykh Former Soviet Foreign Minister
Former Soviet Ambassador to US
President, Foreign Policy Association
Vitaly Goldansky President, Russian Pugwash Committee
Academician
Roland Timerbaev Former Permanent Representative of the USSR and Russia in IAEA
President, Center for Political Studies of Russia
Euvgeny Velikhov Member, National Security Council
Academician
Alexander N. Yakovlev Chair, President’s Commission on Rehabilitation of
Repression Victims
Chair, Russian Public Television;
Former Member, Politburo
Principal Domestic Advisor to President Gorbachev
South Africa                      
F.W. De Klerk Former President
Member, Parliament
National Leader, National Party
Bishop Desmond Tutu
Spain                      
Enrique Baron Crespo Member, European Parliament
Former President, European Parliament
Former Minister
Fernando Moran Lopez Chair, Committee on Institutional Affairs, European Parliament
Former Foreign Minister
Sri Lanka                      
A.T. Ariyaratne Leader, Sarvodaya Movement
Gandhi Peace Prize, 1996
Anura Bandaranaike Member, Parliament
Former Minister of Education
Former Leader of Opposition
Jayantha Dhanapala President, NPT Review and Extension Conference, 1995
Former Ambassador to U.S.
Suriname                      
I.M. Djwalapersad Speaker, Assembly
Sweden                      
Goran Persson Prime Minister
Ingvar Carlsson Former Prime Minister
Maj Britt Theorin Former Chair, UN Commission of Experts on
Nuclear Weapons
Member, European Parliament
Tanzania                      
Al Hassan Mwinyi Former President
Julius K. Nyerere Former President
Chair, South Commission
Salim Ahmed Salim Former Prime Minister
Secretary General, Organization of African Unity
President, U.N. General Assembly, 34th Session
Joseph Warioba Former Prime Minister
Judge, International Tribunal on Law of the Seas
Thailand                      
Anand Panyarachun Former Prime Minister
Uganda                      
Milton Obote Former President
Dr. Paul Kaeanga Ssemogerere Former Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister
Naphali Akena Adoko Former Chief of State Security
Justice Emmanuel Oteng Former Acting Chief Justice
United Kingdom                      
Lord James Callaghan Former Prime Minister
Member, House of Lords
Lord Denis Healey Former Secretary of Defense
Former Chancellor of Exchequer
John Edmunds Former Chief Negotiator, CTBT
Former Head, Arms Control & Disarmament,
Foreign Office
Betty Williams Nobel Peace Laureate
United States                      
Jimmy Carter Former President
Zimbabwe                      
Dr. RobertMugabe President