Day 4 - Vedo

Unfortunately the meeting with the hibakushas in our office has been cancelled. This is not such a big problem for me because I have heard their stories yesterday. I managed to get copies of their testimonies which I will scan and upload for you as soon as possible.

Nevertheless, I decided not to sit at home and took the subway to the UN Headquarters once more.

Todays official assembly dealt mostly with security assurances. All states that took the floor were in agreement about the need of further strengthening security assurances and argued in favor of negative security assurances (a good introduction to the topic is given in following PDF-File - http://www.gsinstitute.org/dpe/docs/FactSheetNSAs.pdf).

At this moment I want to point out the U.S. Statement.

"Mr. Chairman, as noted in the 2010 NPR, the role of nuclear weapons in U.S. national security and U.S. military strategy has beed reduced significantly in recent decades, but further steps can and should be take." (Statement by Ambassador Laura Kennedy, 4th May 2012)

A statement contradictory to the raise of almost 6 Billion $ in spending on nuclear weapons from 2010 to 2011.

(Picture taken at the Mayors of Peace exhibition
data from Global Zero)

Another statement, following the quoted one, says

"The fundamental role of U.S. nuclear weapons, which will continue as long as nuclear weapons exist, is to deter nuclear attack on the United States, our allies, and partners." (Statement by Ambassador Laura Kennedy, 4th May 2012)

This comment is on the one hand odd (they will exist as long as nuclear weapons exist..?) and shows on the other hand the dilemma in which the Nuclear-Weapon-States are stuck. "I won't get rid of my bombs as long as you don't!" seems to be the guiding line of thought, which blocks further considerable steps in the direction of a complete ban of nuclear weapons.

Here is some further data on the concrete situation and the future steps the Nuclear-Weapon-States are going to take

(Picture taken at the Mayors of Peace exhibition 

data from Sipri Yearbook 2011)

(Picture taken at the Mayors of Peace exhibition
data from Global Zero)

Amano Mari, Kawasaki Akira,
Leeper Steve, Matsui Kazumi,
Taue Tomihisa (f.r.t.l)

After the official part I attended a Mayors for Peace meeting which covered Hiroshima's, Nagasaki's and in general Japan's special role in the worldwide abolition process. Once more the point of holding the next Review Conference in Hiroshima was stressed and the mayors of the two Japanese cities asked for public support relating the appeal.

The ambassador of Japan mentioned, hardly surprising, the efforts which were reached in Japan and international with Japanese support (UN Resolution on Nuclear Disarmament, NPDI, Disarmament and Nonproliferation Education in Japan), but had as well to face criticism from Akira Kawasaki, the Executive Committee Member of Japanese NGO "Peace Boat", especially over the peaceful use of nuclear energy. He pointed out the public opposition to that kind of energy and the recently founding of "Mayors for a Nuclear Power Free Japan". A document with a good and narrow description of their themes, goals and principals can be found on their website (http://npfree.jp/download/NpfreeMayors.pdf). Even though there were some content-related differences we all have the same goal and the NGOs that took the floor assured their further backing in the process of banning all nuclear weapons.